The Real Risk in Energy Today: Being “Data Rich but Insight Poor” – And How to Fix It by Jonathan Rothwell, CEO at D55

The Real Risk in Energy Is Not Data Scarcity. It’s Legacy Thinking.

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Jonathan Rothwell
CEO, D55

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For all the talk around smart meters, MHHS, renewables, AI and digital transformation, the most common issue we still see inside energy organisations is far more fundamental:

You have more data than ever. And less confidence in what it is telling you

• Meter reads
• Settlement data
• Billing systems
• Trading platforms
• Customer apps
• Operational telemetry

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The data never stops flowing.

And yet when the board asks a simple question around margin, performance, exposure or growth, the answer still too often begins with:

“Give us a few days to reconcile the numbers.”

In today’s market, that delay is not just inconvenient. It is a commercial risk.

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Why This Matters Right Now

The energy sector has moved from stable to continuously pressurised:

• Demand is volatile
  
  
• Renewables introduce variability into forecasting
  
  
• Regulation continues to tighten
  
  
• Customer expectations are now shaped by digital-first industries
  
  
• Margins are under constant scrutiny
  
  

The organisations that win in this environment are not the ones with the most data.

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They are the ones who can:

• Trust it
  
  
• Move it in real time
  
  
• Act on it with confidence
  
  

Everyone else ends up operating on yesterday’s version of the truth.
And in this market, yesterday is already obsolete.

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How Energy Firms Become Data Rich but Insight Poor

Across suppliers, networks and energy service providers, we see the same root causes repeatedly.

1. Legacy platforms not built for today’s operating model
On-prem estate, ageing billing engines and rigid architectures that once made sense but now actively slow delivery, restrict innovation and inflate operating cost.

2. Disconnected systems
SaaS tools, spreadsheets, customer platforms and operational data all holding slightly different versions of reality.

3. Overnight and manual processes
Batch jobs, reconciliations and human validation mean insight always arrives after the moment has passed.

4. No single data strategy or ownership model
Data exists everywhere. Accountability exists nowhere.

The outcome is predictable:

• Slower decision-making
  
  
• Inconsistent reporting
  
  
• Low confidence in the numbers
  
  
• Unpredictable cloud spend
  
  
• AI initiatives that stall at proof-of-concept
  
  

It’s like running a power network with faulty gauges.
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Operational, but blind to risk.

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Before AI. Before Automation. Before Innovation. You Need Data Clarity.

Many organisations try to leap ahead too quickly:

“Let’s deploy AI.”
“Let’s automate.”
“Let’s build predictive models.”

But if the data foundation is fragmented, delayed or unreliable, none of that scales.

This is exactly why we built the D55 Data Strategy Diagnostic for energy organisations.

A short, focused, leadership-level engagement that answers four critical questions:

• • What is your organisation's true data maturity level today?
    (Establishing a clear benchmark against industry standards).
  • Where are the hidden gaps across your Mindset, People, Process, and Technology?
    (A holistic view of the four pillars, not just the software).
  • How ready are you to actually scale value with AI and Generative AI?
    (Validating if your foundation can support future innovation).
  • What is the prioritised, actionable roadmap to reach the next level?
    (Moving from observation to a specific set of recommendations).

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And because D55 is an AWS Energy & Utilities Competency Partner, many organisations also qualify for funded support at this early stage through mechanisms such as:

• Data Strategy Diagnostic
  
  
• Well-Architected Framework Review
  
  
• GenAI Inspire Workshops
  
  
• Cloud Readiness Assessments
  
  

Early discovery often carries little cost. Sometimes none at all.

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What Changes When the Foundations Are Right

When energy organisations modernise legacy platforms, unify their data and build on a properly architected cloud foundation, the same outcomes appear consistently:

• Forecasting becomes faster and more accurate
  
  
• Reporting becomes automated and trusted
  
  
• Cloud costs become predictable
  
  
• Customer experience improves
  
  
• Operational inefficiency falls away
  
  
• AI starts delivering real commercial value
  
  
• Teams stop firefighting and start innovating
  
  

When data moves at the speed of the market, everything accelerates with it.

• Insight
• Efficiency
• Innovation
• Competitive advantage

Or, as we often say at D55: When data speaks, energy moves.

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If This Feels Familiar, You’re Not Alone. And It’s Fixable.

Every energy organisation we work with already knows where it wants to go.

The real challenge is getting there with:

• Clarity
  
  
• Control
  
  
• Confidence
  
  

Without putting reliability or regulatory assurance at risk.

If you would value a straightforward conversation about:

• Your current platforms
  
  
• Your data bottlenecks
  
  
• And the fastest path to meaningful improvement
  
  

My team and I are always open to talk. Contact us today!

Let’s explore the possible, together.

Jonathan Rothwell
CEO, D55