EDA REGIONAL BUSINESS FORUM
NORTHERN IRELAND’S ELECTRICAL SECTOR HAS BEEN URGED TO EMBRACE RENEWABLES, THE EDATA DATA POOL, AND SUPPORT SERVICES AIMED AT ATTRACTING AND RETAINING STAFF AT AN EDA REGIONAL BUSINESS FORUM IN BELFAST… Jump on board the solarcoaster
Electrical businesses failing to embrace renewables could be out of business in five years, according to ECA Head of Technical Standards Gary Parker. Among speakers at an Electrical Distributors’ Association (EDA) Regional Business Forum, held in Titanic Hotel Belfast on April 17, Gary said the electrical sector is seeing its biggest upheaval since World War II. “Ten years ago, this industry didn’t exist,” he said, highlighting huge opportunities for wholesalers in green technologies such as electric vehicle (EV) installations, solar PV and battery energy storage systems. Urging the sector to get on board the “solarcoaster”, Gary said those failing to upskill in renewables could follow the fate of gas light operators in the 1880s and be out of business within five years. “Electrical contractors are changing into energy contractors,” he said. EV sales have rocketed since 2019 to
more than 1 million vehicles now on UK roads, while almost 1.5 million small-scale PV systems have been installed in the UK since 2009, including 29,000 in Northern Ireland. Competence is key for contractors and wholesalers, said Gary, highlighting EDA’s online training modules as a resource. With the NI Climate Change Act setting a target of 80% renewable electricity consumption by 2030, “that’s very, very soon,” he said. “Don’t get left behind selling gas lights.” Attended by 123 delegates, including representatives from 15 wholesalers and 38 affiliated businesses, the Forum also heard from EDA CEO Margaret Fitzsimons. EDA has 261 member companies, 55% of which have only one branch, she said, outlining the growing threat from Amazon and other online retailers as well as builders’ merchants moving into renewables such as heat pumps.
Further challenges identified in EDA’s latest State of the Sector Survey include pressure on margins and pricing, late payments, supply chain delays, downturns in demand and staff shortages, said Head of Marketing and Communications Anne Vessey. Data as a “silent sales team” Another focus of the Forum was encouraging delegates to support the EDATA data pool, a digital resource allowing wholesaler members to access and download product information without charge. Named Innovation of the Year at the Trade Association Awards 2024, EDATA is funded by manufacturers, which own and manage their product information hosted on the portal. EDATA already hosts data from 85 brands, covering over 250,000 products, said EDA Head of Digitalisation Richard Appleton, and acts as a “silent sales
“Having the right people with the right skills is unquestionably the biggest issue that comes across our table.”
20 | IRELAND’S ELECTRICAL MAGAZINE
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