Meet the team

Charlie Edwards – Project Manager, SSEN
Charlie is leading customer engagement and domestic demand side response in SSEN’s future network department and is working actively on approaches to move initiatives from SAVE into SSEN’s flexibility services and business as usual operations. Charlie has 5 years of experience at SSEN, preceded by a degree in economics and geography and is developing sills in behavioural economics to further support a sustainable future for energy systems.

Maciej Fila – Project Engineer, SSEN
Maciej is leading technical and modelling aspects of SAVE and enabling transition of project’s learning to business as usual operations. He is also leading LEAN project and actively supporting EV strategy. Maciej has 15 years of experience in the electricity industry with the focus on innovation in protection, voltage control, network modelling, technical losses and power quality.

Dario Minissale – Project modelling analyst, SSEN
Dario is responsible for model testing, data interpolation and data acquisition, with 2 years’ experience as data/GIS analyst at SSEN. Dario manages datasets from various sources, producing project analysis, maps and models. With a master’s degree in GIS & Environmental management and a degree in geology and risk management, offers a wide range of skills to the project.

Dr Thomas Rushby – Research Fellow University of Southampton (UoS)
Tom led on trial analysis for the SAVE project at UoS. He completed his doctoral training at the ESRC DTC, UoS on the interdisciplinary Energy, Environment and Resilience pathway and has 7-years’ experience working across the social sciences and engineering disciplines in mixed-methods research into energy systems including the Ofgem LCNF-funded SAVE project and the RCUK funded Community-based initiatives in energy saving project. He was previously based at the University of Surrey working on the EPSRC funded wholeSEM project to build and link interdisciplinary whole-systems energy models and to respond to strategic policy-related modelling challenges.

Elizabeth Steele – Senior Consultant in DNV GL’s Sustainable Energy Use team
Elizabeth served as the trial design lead for the SAVE project and led the development of methodologies for the Energy Efficiency, TOU Price Incentives and Engagement Messaging trials. She has over 10 years of experience in the energy industry, focusing on creating and evaluating energy efficiency programmes.

Stacey Hughes – Project research and field work manager, BMG Research
Stacey is responsible for all research requirements for SAVE and is the principal point of contact between the project and the participants. With more than 12 years research experience, the vast majority of this being agency side tracking studies, Stacey brings a wealth of knowledge to the practical elements of obtaining personal and lifestyle information from participants to support the energy data received from transmitters installed in the home.

Erika Emeny – Experienced Finance Officer and general business manager
Erika provided expertise on operation and issue resolution relating to the project monitoring equipment. Erika has experience in manufacturing and service organisations and start up enterprises. Specialising in the utility industry, with specific expertise in business optimisation, project management and re-financing activities.

Judi Sellwood – Director, Neighbourhood Economics
As well as managing the SAVE Community Energy Coaching trial, Judi currently supports the development of a Resilient Communities programme in Flintshire and a pan-Wales Entrepreneurship Promotion programme within disadvantaged communities on behalf of the Welsh Government. Judi has a wide experience of partnership development supporting corporate organisations to engage more effectively with communities. Judi’s work is underpinned by the conviction that local regeneration is only truly sustainable when community driven.

John Every – Director, Neighbourhood Economics
John has a track record of delivering major regeneration initiatives and change programmes in senior roles over some twenty years. He is a leading exponent of asset driven social enterprise as an essential ingredient in inclusive, sustainable regeneration. His achievements have been underpinned by an ability to draw together the interests of public, community and corporate business sectors in effective partnership.

Dr Ben Anderson – Principal Research Fellow in the University of Southampton’s Faculty of Engineering
Ben is currently seconded to the University of Otago’s Centre for Sustainability undertaking the outgoing phase of a three year Marie-Curie Global Fellowship. He lead the design and recruitment of the SAVE household sample and was previously involved in the RCUK ‘DEMAND’ End User Energy Demand Centre, the Sustainable Practices Research Group and lead the ESRC SDAI ‘Census2022’ project which assessed the potential value of smart meter data for deriving population statistics. He is a regular consultant to UK and NZ energy sector commercial and public policy analysts.

Professor AbuBakr Bahaj (FICE, FIET, FRSA, MInstP, CPhys)
Bakr leads the 55-strong Energy and Climate Change Division and the Sustainable Energy Research Group at the University of Southampton, where he completed his PhD, progressing from a researcher to a Personal Chair in Sustainable Energy. For more than 30 years, Professor Bahaj has pioneered sustainable energy research and established the energy theme within the University. He is the academic lead on the SAVE project with further detail including other major research programmes and publications can be found at www.energy.soton.ac.uk

Professor Patrick James – Professor of Energy and Buildings within Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Southampton
Patrick provided specialist expertise and analytical guidance on the project. His research is based on understanding energy use in the built environment whether this is at home, at work or at a broader urban scale. He is a specialist in micro-generation technologies including solar thermal, photo-voltaic, micro-wind and micro-CHP.

Paul Morris – Principal Consultant EA Technology
Paul provided the network and pricing model. Paul has 18 years of experience in electricity networks with a strong focus on network operations. Paul has a combination of skill sets from real time operations on active networks and long-term investment planning. Paul to offers a practical approach to solving existing and future network management and investment problems to governments, network owners and private investors.

Rob Britton – Knowledge Analyst, SSEN
Rob was responsible for SAVE events and dissemination activities. He has worked for Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) since 2009 in an operational role involved with the vegetation management around the Network. For the last 2 years Rob has been part of the SSEN Future Networks Team assisting in the delivery of project tasks to the business and ensuring a successful transition from an innovation idea through to a successful project being adopted by business as usual teams.