Melissa Gander, COO of Kaluza, discusses OVO Energy's growth, Kaluza's real-time SaaS platform, scaling the platform internationally, and the role of EV manufacturers in domestic flexibility.
Differentiation, innovation, and a customer-centric approach were key factors in driving the growth of OVO Energy in the early years of the retail energy market in the UK.
The Kaluza platform offers a flexible and scalable solution for retail energy companies to manage smart meter data and optimize energy usage, enabling the shift to a zero carbon world.
Deep dives
OVO's Growth in the UK Retail Energy Market
Mel Gander, the former COO of OVO, discusses the motivation behind joining the retail energy market in the UK and the factors that drove OVO's growth in its early years. She highlights the importance of differentiation, providing customers with a higher level of service, and innovation in pricing and branding. Gander also emphasizes the role of the organization's culture in driving rapid change and outpacing the incumbents in the market.
The Evolution of Kalooza as a Retail Energy Software Platform
Gander explains the evolution of Kalooza, originally developed as an internal solution for OVO, into a software platform for retail energy companies in multiple markets. She highlights the flexibility and scalability of the platform, which offers an end-to-end solution for retailers to manage the increasing complexity of smart meter data and optimize energy usage. Gander also discusses the advantages of building a platform from scratch with the future in mind, rather than adapting legacy solutions.
The Value of Flexibility and the Transition to Net Zero
Gander discusses the importance of flexibility in the retail energy market, particularly with the transition to net zero and the increasing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) and heat pumps. She highlights the role of smart software platforms in managing and optimizing EV charging, including the OVO Charge Anytime proposition, which uses algorithms to determine the best time for customers to charge their EVs based on energy market prices and their preferences. Gander also touches on the potential of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology in reducing peak demand and integrating renewable generation.
Challenges and Barriers to Realizing the Retail Energy Vision
Gander identifies several challenges and barriers to achieving the vision of a transformed retail energy market. She emphasizes the need for better incentives for residential flexibility, higher valuation of residential flexibility compared to industrial sites or grid-scale batteries, and streamlined processes for connecting new export loads at the edge of the grid. Gander also highlights the importance of smart meters and other connected hardware in enabling the transition and calls for continued digitalization to support increased demand and unlock the value of flexibility.
This week on Energy Unplugged, we discuss about the revolution in retail energy markets in the UK and internationally. We’re delighted to welcome Melissa Gander, Chief Operating Officer at Kaluza in a conversation with our Managing Director for UK & Ireland, Dan Monzani.
With an extensive career in energy, Melissa was a member of OVO Energy’s launch team in 2009 where she headed up their Customer Services and Operations, as well as their smart metering business. In 2019, Melissa became OVO Group Chief Operating Officer and joined Kaluza in 2021 as Chief Operating Officer helping to spearhead the company's international growth. Before joining OVO Energy, Melissa spent three years at Envoy Asset Management (part of Inexus Group). Melissa graduated in Economics from Sheffield University.
Melissa & Dan discuss:
•OVO Energy and what drove the growth of the company in the first 5 to 10 years
•Kaluza’s business model as a real-time SaaS platform accelerating the shift to a zero carbon world
•International retail markets and how straightforward is to scale a platform such as Kaluza
•Domestic flexibility and the role EV manufacturers have to play
