EuropeOn, the European Association for Electrical Contractors, Launches ‘Business opportunities since Covid-19’ Report

Electrical contractors start 2021 with a new study on "Business opportunities since Covid-19" which will be publicly presented on 26 January

A new year calls for good resolutions. With this in mind, EuropeOn and its members decided to start the year with a positive perspective, looking at how the massive and lasting change provoked by the Covid-19 pandemic can be a change for good, shifting societal priorities and leading to new business opportunities for electrical contractors to recover and up their game. This reflection has been summed up in a new study which will be released at EuropeOn's launch event, a public online conference, on the 26th of January (details below).

Of course, electrical contractors acknowledge that Covid creates a systemic risk for a trade comprising almost 2 million workers across Europe, with a vast majority of SMEs. Nonetheless, they are still hopeful for the future because they know their jobs and expertise are becoming even more relevant in tomorrow's world which, they found, is characterised by three top societal priorities:

• Mitigating climate change with a green recovery: many recent events or facts demonstrate a clear societal aspiration to mitigate climate change and to implement recovery plans that will prioritise the green transition. This is made clear by, for instance, the huge rise in purchase of electric vehicles (source: ACEA), solar panels and energy-efficient heat-pumps. Furthermore, the EU recovery plan is set to build a "greener, more digital and more resilient Europe".
• Improving indoor life quality: With the Covid-19 outbreak, almost every single European has experienced living under lockdown, bearing with distancing rules and staying at home as much as possible. Prejudices about working from home, e-learning, interacting digitally, had to be vanquished. It is more than ever essential to rely on enough light, a good supply of energy, ventilation, heating and - last but not least - excellent connectivity.
• Transforming ways of working: Whether it is working from home or limiting social interactions with colleagues and clients for sanitary reasons, the way people work has drastically changed, and it is bound to be a lasting change. A new mindset is emerging, based on more digitalisation, new collaborative approaches and innovative ways to use office buildings.

Electrical contractors are problem-solvers: this is what they do for a living. To each of the above-mentioned pressing questions, they have practical solutions to provide. Indeed, electrical contractors come at the very end of the value chain: they are the ones installing and operating clean energy solutions in houses and at work. Equally important, they have a unique relationship with end-users and are thus in the ideal position to advise them on smart and green technologies.

Based on these three societal priorities, EuropeOn's new report singles out a series of new or rising business opportunities in tomorrow's world. The report also identifies the necessary enablers to these business opportunities as well as the main areas of vigilance which could create obstacles. Finally, key policy asks are expressed, in order to draw policymakers' attention on the indispensable conditions for a green and digital recovery across Europe.

EuropeOn hopes that the release of this study will spark a fruitful dialogue with all interested actors of the value chain (energy, construction, e-mobility) and with policymakers. A first workshop was held jointly with GCP-Europe in December to discuss business opportunities and the Renovation Wave.

The full report, titled "Business opportunities since Covid-19: Electrical contractors at the forefront of a green import_contentamp; digital recovery for Europe" will be released and presented at our public launch event (online) on 26 January from 11 to 12 AM CET. Registrations are free of charge and can be made by clicking here.

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