UK Power Networks

💐 Spring has officially sprung! Today marks the spring equinox making March 20th the first day of astronomical spring. 🌳 We plan our £24million year-round tree cutting programme to cope with peak seasons of growth, keeping overhead power lines free of vegetation and tree branches. This helps ensure local power supplies are safe and reliable. Our teams are trained to check for nesting birds and we have ecologists on call. Meet one of the team responsible, Craig Hawes, who is a Utility Arborist. 💡 Watts My Role? ‘Cutting trees away from the power lines’ is the simplest description. But, in reality, there’s more to it! We survey the work first and organise it alongside customers, linepersons and our great office staff. Our main goal is to maintain what we call a safety clearance around overhead lines to keep the network reliable and safe. 🎉 Why is it interesting? Everything in the description above! No day is the same, no job is the same. You can be working with a council about a Tree Preservation Order in the morning and in the afternoon 30ft up in the air cutting a branch off a damaged willow tree that’s been half torn from the main trunk in the wind. I love being outside with nature and we take great care to make sure wildlife thrives. 🌲 What do I like about my job? I enjoy a challenge and problem solving. Not every job is straightforward, so you do get a sense of achievement when the site is tidy at the end of the day and you look at what you have achieved to help keep the power flowing for the local community.

Our DSO continues to find new and improved ways to service our customers. To find out more about: 📊 Expanding opportunities for a smarter energy system with day-ahead flexibility ✅ Meet our DSO Supervisory Board 🌱 The growth of our Local Net Zero Team 🚀 Faster Connections for Green Energy 🐼 The increased scope of pandapower Read the latest edition of our newsletter ⬇️

⚡ A grade II listed Victorian electrical box, colloquially known as a 'Lucy Box' can still be found around our network. 🏰 Manufactured around 1861, the styling of the box reflects the Victorian era architecture of when it was built. This particular box can be found in Eynsford but there are many more scattered throughout our network. Have you spotted any? 📷 Credit to Roger Silvester

⚡ Thousands of Norfolk residents living in and around Martham will benefit from our £2.1 million investment in a new electricity transformer. 🏡 The 23-tonne transformer steps down the power so it can be delivered safely to homes and businesses. It will receive electricity from the network at 33,000-volts and safely turn it down to 11,000 volts for onward delivery to about 6,000 customers in the village and beyond. 🔌 Gavin Hawes, project manager at UK Power Networks, said: “This investment project will deliver long-lasting benefits in the area and support growth in demand for electric vehicles, heat pumps and more low carbon technologies connecting to electricity networks.”

🔌 With the help of ChargeUK, we’ve created a new guide to show the consents needed for low voltage connections and EV upgrades, with four common scenarios to learn from. ⚡ If you need to connect an EV charging hub to the distribution network, we might need land consents from you and other landowners. ✂️ This allows us to connect the equipment smoothly, legally, and can cut waiting times to just weeks. To find out more visit the link in the comments 👇

⚡ A £5.5 million investment has upgraded power supplies in the heart of Cambridge, benefiting thousands of residents for the future. 🔋 We have commissioned two new electricity transformers in the city, each weighing more than 50 tonnes. The addition of these two transformers offer scope for greater electrical capacity in the area and will maintain reliability of the network. 📊 The new kit forms part of the £85 million Fulbourn to Sawston investment programme which we are delivering to upgrade the electricity supply for a large part of Cambridge.

🤖 We're using machine learning and advanced data modelling to better identify and assist vulnerable customers through our Priority Services Register (PSR). 🔦 The innovative Project Spotlight analyses data from various industries such as telecommunications, retail and technology to identify areas where support is most needed, reducing manual input and allowing our teams to focus on customer support. ✅ The project has already engaged over 100,000 customers, validating the model's accuracy. ⚡ Funded by Ofgem’s Network Innovation Allowance, Spotlight is a key step towards a more inclusive energy system.

⚡ To cap off International Women's Day, our STEM team hosted speed networking and mock assessment centres in the eastern part of our network for female students. 🎓 The speed networking and mock assessment centre sessions gave a chance for students from Greater Peterborough Technical College and Suffolk New College a chance to network with twelve volunteers from UK Power Networks. 📖 In these events, our UKPN volunteers answered any questions about their careers and provided career advice based on their own experiences. 🏢 To round off the sessions, we provided an opportunity for students to conduct a mock team assessment which they could possibly face in a job interview process. Our volunteers watched the exercise and then provided feedback to the students on their skills and how they can improve on those skills. #InternationalWomensDay

🌟 Kicking off International Women's Day a little early because why limit the celebration to just one day? 🌟 This year, we've partnered with Smart Works to host a clothing drive across our sites, collecting professional interview attire to help women feel confident and empowered during job interviews. 💼👗 A huge thank you to all our incredible employees for their generosity and support. All donations will make a meaningful difference in the lives of many women, helping them take important steps toward achieving their career goals. 🙌 But we're not stopping there! Later this year, we’ll be running development sessions for Smart Works clients, providing valuable training and mentorship to support women in building their skills and reaching their professional aspirations. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue this amazing journey! Learn more about the amazing work Smart Works Charity does by visiting their website: https://lnkd.in/dJesS7rE

🎉 We are thrilled to announce that we won the Best Employee Engagement Strategy award at the Institute of Customer Service Annual Awards! 🏆 Jo Causon, CEO of The Institute of Customer Service, said: "Great customer service simply cannot be delivered without an engaged and empowered workforce, so it’s fantastic to be able to shine a light where it’s done well. I hope the teams at UK Power Networks enjoyed celebrating this achievement and continue to build upon their great work to date." Our commitment to our employees has led to: ✅ A bespoke management training program with 91% of delegates finding it beneficial ✅ A comprehensive Wellbeing Plan and Leadership Excellence in Engagement program ✅ Staying in the Top 10 Best Big Companies to Work For list over the past five years ✅ Improved staff retention with over 320 people having been employed with us for over 40 years Thank you to our amazing team for making this possible! Let's continue to raise the bar together! 🚀 #EmployeeEngagement #CustomerServiceAwards #TeamSuccess