In order to meet its net zero targets, the UK requires an energy transition on a colossal scale. Homes need to switch to heat pumps; cars to electric vehicles; cities and infrastructure to renewable energy. As a key player in managing and upgrading the UK’s electricity infrastructure, National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) was always going to be instrumental in this.
But while they were focused on the grid, NGED were missing the wider picture. Their business-as-usual approach to operations – replacing cables and deploying engineers – wasn’t working at scale. They were missing connections, slowing down green projects, and holding back the pace of progress. Not because they couldn’t do the job, but because they weren’t seeing themselves as central to the transformation.
When a utility mindset isn’t enough
NGED was stuck in an old way of thinking. Too focused on keeping the lights on, when what was needed was a mindset shift. NGED had to stop thinking like a behind-the-scenes utility, and start acting like a frontline enabler of the UK’s net zero future. But how could they do this with an organisation centred around marginal gains and maintenance?
The Yonder Clockface in action
Before we found a solution, we needed to get to the heart of the problem. A big, complex issue requires a holistic analysis, so we employed our Clockface Methodology. We ran workshops in Glasgow, Manchester, Cardiff to gather citizens’ views on energy bill impacts and investment trade-offs. We conducted a national survey of 3,500 UK adults to gauge their willingness to support immediate grid improvements. And we led independent stakeholder engagement as part of Ofgem’s RIIO-T3 business plan process – ensuring that NGED’s future strategy reflected public expectations and regulatory demands.
Internal focus had centred on cost of supply. But the real threat was the cost of failure. We needed to help NGED reposition its role, and help internal stakeholders realise that value comes from enabling others to move faster – not just running a reliable grid.
From providers to partners
Research in hand, we advised NGED on a new business strategy. One that moved the focus from day-to-day operations towards the bigger opportunity: enabling homes, businesses and cities to electrify and decarbonise at pace.
This meant rethinking everything – from who NGED’s “customers” really were to how they saw their place in the ecosystem. We helped them view suppliers not as vendors, but collaborators. To consider competing operators as co-leaders in regulatory reform. And we helped NGED to build a new business model that reflected these findings. Less operations, more transformation.
Enabling electrification at scale
Thanks to Yonder’s strategic insights, NGED has transformed itself from a bottleneck in the system to an effective conductor of change. By communicating the value of system-wide benefits – rather than just unit costs – they now have a compelling story and a clear way forward.
The shift from fossil to electric wasn’t just a technical upgrade – it was a systems transformation. And NGED is now positioned to lead it.
Sector
Energy and utility
Geography
UK
What we did
Customer understanding
Political & social insight
Business strategy