Published on August 9th 2022
In our 'Meet the Team' series, we'll get to know a member of the ReFLEX Orkney team and their 'why' in helping to build a smart local energy system in Orkney.
Job role: Customer Engagement Officer
Started working for ReFLEX? August 2020
What role do you play amongst your team? Team Chatterbox
What’s your role within the customer service team?
My focus within ReFLEX is the smart home chargers. I do a lot of the coordination between the customers and the installers, RS Merriman. I send the customers questionnaires to fill out, make sure all the information is there for Merriman’s, then they go out and survey the property and come back to us with a quotation. We then pass this on to the customer, and we help the customers apply for the grants that are available.
How many customers have you helped get a charger through ReFLEX so far?
As of August 2022, we have about 138 customers who have chargers installed.
What led you to join the ReFLEX team?
I worked for seven years within a local plumbing and heating firm, and within that firm they were starting to explore renewable technology and heating aspects like ground source and air source heat pumps.
It was my father who I worked for within that company. He was very much into experimenting with renewable generation. When I was still in school, our house was a massive test site for loads of different technology. His house was the first house in Great Britain to have a ground source heat pump in it. We had engineers here drilling bore holes out in the garden. They were all different depths to see which one was going to work best with the technology. We had thermal solar panels on the roof which heat up the hot water, so there was nothing in the house that wasn’t energy efficient.
I have always been interested in the renewable energy sector, because it was instilled in me at a very young age that that was the direction that everything was going to go, and when I saw the advertisement for the customer engagement job at ReFLEX Orkney it drew me to it right away.
What’s your favourite thing about living in Orkney?
The scenery in summer is breath-taking. Even in winter when you have a good gale force wind and you go to the beach and watch the waves rolling in. And definitely the community spirit. There is a close-knit community here. When times get tough, folks are there to rely on.
What’s one thing you’ve learned since joining ReFLEX?
One thing I’ve learned is about the energy market. With current events, it’s important to understand. Learning where the energy comes from, how much energy Orkney produces compared to what it needs, I find all of that extremely interesting and it would be excellent to see if we can get the cable to the mainland upgraded so we could export more. Learning about the energy market and how ReFLEX is working to demonstrate an integrated energy system, I find all that fascinating.
What’s the ReFLEX service you are most excited about?
I’m most excited about the amount of chargers and vehicles that are being deployed. People are embracing both technologies, and it’s brilliant that those two elements go hand in hand.
Regardless of whether they are coming through ReFLEX for an EV or if they are buying an electric vehicle themselves, it’s brilliant to see people embracing the technologies and figuring out that they love it and never want to go back.
How have you seen interest grow in the community around ReFLEX Orkney’s renewable services?
Word of mouth is an extremely powerful tool up in Orkney. It’s almost better than advertising. You do get the scepticism to begin with in any new project, “Will it work, will it not? Is it something I want to venture into if it fails?” Projects like this need people that are willing to take a leap of faith, the more people that join up the more it’s going to be a success, and therefore whatever you invest in will last longer. That’s why Orkney is a good test area, because Orcadians are willing to give it a shot.
We’ve seen so many customers that will come back to us after having their lease vehicles for about four months and say "I don’t know why I didn’t switch to this sooner.”
Our customers are contributing to something bigger and they're also enjoying the product. It’s wonderful to see that ReFLEX’s services are actually making a positive impact on people’s lives. They’ve taken that leap of faith, gone through with switching to electric and realised it was one of the best decisions that they’ve made.
When you think of the ‘Energy of Orkney’ what comes to mind?
Weather mixed with renewable energy. Orkney has such a unique climate, which I’ve always known growing up on the island. I was always warned of the power of the sea and the power of the wind. Now that they’re actually harnessing that power and putting it into something good, which is not just good for Orkney but good for the planet, you can’t go wrong with that.
I think of all the test sites out in the sea, I think of all the turbines on top of Burgar Hill. You look at that and you think, the wind is powering that device right now and that’s powering many houses with clean energy.
Why does being a part of developing a smart, localised energy system matter to you?
It matters to me because you’re making an impact. If we can decarbonise our own island with all its constraints, then there's no excuse for the rest of the world. I once heard on the news we’re the only generation that knows about climate issues, so therefore we’re the only generation that can do something about it, and this generation won’t be around forever. It's everybody’s responsibility to do their part to ensure the world is here for future generations.
When not working, where in Orkney can we find you?
You can find me at home or at my brother’s farm helping him. In winter, I’ve been competing in the Scottish Community Drama Association drama festival. I’m with the Birsay Drama Group, it's good fun.
