02. On the Road with BESSIE: Energise Meets AlphaESS UK’s Emma Dutton
From installer training and site visits to festivals, hotels and hundreds of miles on the road, Emma Dutton has been taking our mobile showroom, BESSIE, across the country.
QFor anyone who hasn’t met her yet, what exactly is BESSIE?
BESSIE is our mobile battery storage showroom. The name comes from Battery Energy Storage Systems, and the idea is that instead of expecting everyone to come to us, we can take AlphaESS systems and knowledge directly to installers, businesses and communities.
It gives people the chance to see the technology firsthand, ask questions and understand the value of battery storage. And because she’s so visible, people naturally want to know what she is!
QYou’ve been covering some serious miles. How are you finding life on the road?
I really enjoy it. My dad was a long-distance driver, and my stepdad was an HGV driver too, so when we were kids, we were always travelling around with them. This was before sat nav, so you’d be sitting there with the map, trying to work out where you were going! To be honest, the driving doesn’t really bother me.
“The sheer scale of BESSIE means she isn’t exactly the fastest thing on the road, but she gets there, eventually!”
I’m travelling all over the country for installer visits, training and events, so every week can be completely different. I actually like that side of it, getting out, meeting different people and seeing different parts of the country.
A lot of people initially think we’re selling solar panels. Then I explain that we’re talking about battery storage. When you explain how energy storage can complement a solar installation, but also that you don’t necessarily have to have solar panels to benefit from a battery, the conversations quickly flow. You can see people suddenly become interested because it’s something they might not have thought about before.
That’s one of the things I really like about BESSIE. When you’re inside the industry, you forget there are still lots of people who don’t really know what battery storage is or what it can do. This makes it approachable. Someone can just walk over, have a look and ask a question without feeling like they need to understand the technology first.
I even try to park somewhere visible when I’m staying at hotels. If I can get a space near reception or the entrance, people walking past see this big, stand-out vehicle and wonder what it is.
QYour background is as an electrician. How does that influence the conversations you have with installers?
“Massively. I’m not there to tell electricians how to do their job.”
I’ve been on that side myself, so I can relate to installers and they can relate to me. When we’re doing training or introducing a product, I can say: “Look, if you do it this way, it might make your life easier.” I can show them why something has been designed a certain way or which tools they’ll actually need on site. It’s about making installation as straightforward and as safe as possible rather than standing there trying to sell them something.
Having worked elsewhere in the industry before joining AlphaESS UK, it means I’ve also seen different approaches to product design and installation. There are little things AlphaESS has done to make life easier for installers, and because I’ve got that practical background, I can explain why those details matter.
QIs BESSIE as much about listening to installers as it is training them?
“If there’s something you find difficult, tell us. If we don’t know about it, we can’t do anything about it.”
Definitely. That’s something I really like about the way we approach things. We want feedback from the people who are actually installing the products because that’s who we are as a company, and how we continually challenge ourselves to improve. BESSIE gives us another way of having those conversations directly.
Training is a big part of it too, and it’s not just about showing people the physical products. We’ve got the touchscreen inside, so I can take installers through the AlphaESS website, show them where all the documentation is, find installation videos and point them towards the AlphaESS UK and Global channels. Sometimes installers simply don’t realise how much information and support is already available.
Website tour
Take installers through the AlphaESS website on BESSIE’s touchscreen.
Documentation
Show installers where all the documentation is.
Installation videos
Find installation videos to support every install.
UK & Global channels
Point installers towards the AlphaESS UK and Global channels.
We also encourage our partners to share what they’re doing. If you’ve completed a great AlphaESS installation, make a video, tag us or send it over. We’re happy to support and share the work our partners are doing.
It’s a true partnership and our installer network community is continuously growing and is expansive across the UK, meaning those installers are doing the right things, and so are we.
