Utility Week Flex Awards

The Utility Week Flex Awards are back for a third year in 2026, hosted at Europe's only pan-utility
exhibition Utility Week Live (19 May, NEC), celebrating innovators dedicated to advancing
energy flexibility!

The Awards recognise pilot projects and trials, celebrate flexibility pioneers and unearth the
companies and individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to pioneering solutions in
energy flexibility. Your project or trial does not need to be complete, entries covering live
trials and projects will be accepted - the judges are looking for innovative thinking which
paves the way to scale energy flexibility and make markets more inclusive and accessible.  

Entries are now open! Deadline: 13 February.

AI for Flex Award

Celebrating innovative uses of AI to unlock energy flexibility capacity and better serve domestic and wholesale customers. The project, pilot or initiative should have operated between February 2024 and March 2025.

Best Flexible Storage Project

Awarding a project which provides flexible storage to enable a clean energy system on grid or domestic scale. This project could be an example of battery storage, V2G, long duration energy storage, thermal storage etc. This project should have been live between January 2025 and March 2026.

Best I&C Initiative

Celebrating a project or initiative which successfully engages industrial and commercial users in energy flexibility and creates long lasting partnerships for future flexibility procurement. The initiative or partnership should be underway during the period January 2025 and March 2026. This category is open to networks, industrial and commercial users of energy, and anyone aggregating or managing I&C energy use.

Best Local Energy Project

Awarding a project, partnership or initiative developed by or in partnership with a community group or local authority to generate, manage and use energy in a carbon conscious way to contribute to the decarbonisation of the energy grid. This award is open to any organisation working on a local energy project.

Best Multi-Vector Project for Flexibility

Highlighting an outstanding project or partnership across different energy vectors which dynamically and flexibly responds to the needs of customers. This award celebrates a project, initiative or partnership which leverages multiple energy vectors to drive resilience and ensure the system can maintain balance during supply shortages or demand spikes. The project should have operated between February 2024 and March 2025.

Best Use of Energy Flexibility Data

Recognising a project or initiative that is utilising data to unlock opportunities that drive efficiency, lower the barriers to entry and promote uptake of energy flexibility. The project, pilot or initiative should have operated between February 2024 and March 2025.

Domestic Flexibility Proposition of the Year

Awarding a project that is successfully trialling or implementing energy flexibility in the domestic consumer market. This could include tariff innovation, engagement in demand response, flexing low-carbon heat, automating assets, or any initiative that creates clear benefits for customers, the wider energy system, and blazes a trail for further projects to come. This category is open to any organisation which has a product, service or project improving domestic flexibility. The initiative should be underway during the period January 2025 and March 2026.

Energy Flexibility Newcomer

Recognising a rising star in energy flexibility who is going above and beyond to embrace innovation, drive impact and scale energy flexibility. The individual should have started working in energy flexibility on or after January 1st 2021.

Energy Network of the Year

Celebrating an energy network which is demonstrating a commitment to customer inclusivity, best user experience and enabling energy flexibility across its grid. This category highlights a network taking a forward-thinking approach to energy flexibility that enables grid decarbonisation, unlocks future opportunities and embraces the rollout of digital infrastructure.

Equity and Inclusion in Flex Award

Celebrating an organisation, company or initiative, that is making a conscious effort to ensure energy flex products and markets are accessible to all household types and businesses and is putting vulnerable customers at the heart of its energy flexibility plans. The organisation or initiative should be ensuring energy flexibility is accessible and inclusive for all consumers and a priority during the period January 2025 and March 2026.

Flexibility Pioneer of the Year

Celebrating an individual industry champion of energy flexibility who is making an outstanding contribution to the development, roll out and scaling of energy flexibility.

Flexibility Service Provider of the Year

Awarding a Flexibility Service Provider which is demonstrating a clear commitment to removing barriers for domestic and/or I&C consumers to engage in the market and is actively delivering flexibility to networks.

Avi Aithal
Head of Open Networks programme
ENA

Dr Alex Buckman
Innovative Solutions Architect
Energy Systems Catapult

Maxine Frerk
SSEN Distribution & Grid Edge Policy
Energy Geeks

Tom Lowe
Founding Director
Thermal Storage UK

Jim Wrigley
Innovate UK UKRI

UK Power Networks DSO

Winner for the Best Use of Energy Flexibility Data category!
Initiative: Day-ahead Flexibility Markets (UK Power Networks DSO)

AMP Clean Energy

Winner of the Best I&C Initiative category!
Initiative: Energy Centre at Simpsons Malt

SNRG

Winner of the Best Local Energy Project category!
Initiative: Bourne View, Oxfordshire

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (Distribution)

Winner of the Best Multi-Vector Project for Flexibility category!
Initiative: Shetland Enduring Solution

OVO Energy and Kaluza

Winner of the Domestic Flexibility Proposition of the Year category!
Initiative: Battery Boost

Flex markets unlocked (Arup, Energy Systems Catapult, Electron, University of Edinburgh, GreenSync, & Piclo)

Winner of the Energy Flexibility Newcomer category!

UK Power Networks DSO

Winner of the Energy Network of the Year category!

E.ON Next

Winner of the Flexibility Inclusion Award!
Initiative: Coventry Battery Pilot

Gary Swandells, Director, Smart Grid Consultancy Limited

Winner of the Flexibility Pioneer of the Year Award!

Octopus Energy

Winner of the Flexibility Service Provider of the Year Award!

Avi Aithal
Head of Open Networks programme
ENA

Dr Alex Buckman
Innovative Solutions Architect
Energy Systems Catapult

Joseph Davidson
energy systems innovation lead - Ofgem SIF
Innovate UK

Daniel Donaldson
Assistant Professor of Electrical Power Systems
Birmingham University

Maxine Frerk
SSEN Distribution & Grid Edge Policy
Energy Geeks

Arjan Geveke
Director
Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG)

Stephen Haben
Senior Data Science Consultant
Energy Systems Catapult

Roger Hey
Director
Smart GB

Tom Lowe
Founding Director
Thermal Storage UK

Andy Manning
Head of Energy System Transformation
Citizens Advice

Claire Miller
Mobility & Energy, Advisor, Innovator, Engineer
Tellegen

Natasha Mills
Policy Officer
The ADE

Andy Regan
Senior Mission Manager - A Sustainable Future
Nesta

David Richardson
Head of Energy Network Special Projects
InnovateUK

Sara Vaughn
communications and engagement
Elexon

Grant Wilson
Co-Director Birmingham Energy Institute
University of Birmingham

Jim Wrigley
Innovate UK UKRI

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