The Energy Institute & COVID-19

Message from the Chief Executive

While the world’s populations continue to minimise their movements to limit the spread of COVID-19, many in the energy sector workforce are continuing to play an indispensable role keeping supplies of fuel and electricity flowing. I’m proud to work in a sector that routinely delivers for all our day-to-day lives. The Energy Institute is here for you – our members, partners and customers.

In these exceptional times, we are taking steps to ensure the well-being of our staff and volunteers, while at the same time continuing to provide, as far as possible, the products and services you expect. In line with the advice of the UK Government, the EI staff team in London continue to work from home. This should largely be invisible to you - you can contact us as you would normally by email, phone or live chat on our homepage, and continue to use all of our digital services.The library in London is temporarily closed but the e-library is as ever available 24/7 for hundreds of books and millions of articles.

We will not be holding face-to-face events, meetings or training in the UK until at least September. Where we can, we are moving them online; where this is not possible, they are being rescheduled, or in some cases cancelled. Activities in other parts of the world will depend on local advice and the website is being kept up to date.

For advice on the virus and ways to avoid contracting or spreading it, please consult the health advice links on this page. I’d also like to point EI members to our Benevolent Fund link below, which offers 24/7 access to confidential advice and support on any financial, legal or personal issues you may be facing.

I hope you find the other materials on this page useful too, including our recommended reading and listening list, which is being updated weekly.

We will continue to keep all of this updated as the situation evolves. In the meantime, I hope you and your families stay safe and well.

Louise Kingham OBE FEI

Sources of information and advice

General advice on COVID-19 and your health and wellbeing

The EI Benevolent Fund 24 hour helpline and website - free support for members of the EI https://www.energyinst.org/membership-and-careers/benevolent-fund

HM government general advice on COVID-19 https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

NHS advice on COVID-19 https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-COVID-19/

NHS and Every Mind Matters - mental wellbeing while saying at home https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters/coronavirus-covid-19-staying-at-home-tips/

HM Government advice and mental health and wellbeing - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-guidance-for-the-public-on-mental-health-and-wellbeing/guidance-for-the-public-on-the-mental-health-and-wellbeing-aspects-of-coronavirus-covid-19

Advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO) https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Health and Safety Executive – latest information and advice https://www.hse.gov.uk/news/coronavirus.htm

Ways you can help in the response to COVID-19

The Royal Academy of Engineering has an engineering X pandemic preparedness grant call out https://www.raeng.org.uk/global/international-partnerships/engineering-x/engineering-x-pandemic

UKRI has a call out for proposals addressing and mitigating the health, social, economic, cultural and environmental impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak https://www.ukri.org/funding/funding-opportunities/ukri-open-call-for-research-and-innovation-ideas-to-address-covid-19/

British Red Cross https://www.redcross.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/uk-emergency-response/coronavirus

Covid-19 mutual aid local volunteering https://covidmutualaid.org/

Donate to the Crowdfunding page to provide PPE for health workers https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/masks4nhsheroes

How you can help following the COVID-19 outbreak – details of initiatives to support others during the outbreak – via Justgiving https://www.justgiving.com/how-to-help/covid-19

#Printforvictory is helping individuals to print 3D face shields for healthcare workers https://printforvictory.org/

Energy sector news and updates

The Energy Institute has produced a 'Bow Tie' risk management methodology for COVID-19 https://blog.energyinst.org/2020/03/31/how-a-bow-tie-can-help-fight-covid-19/

The Energy Institute has produced a framework to assist organisations when planning to return to normal operations post COVID-19 COVID-19: the new normal

SafetyOn has produced a guidance note regarding site operations and activities in the onshore wind sector https://safetyon.com/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/724862/COVID-19-SafetyOn-Industry-Note-v3_20200417.pdf

Energy UK – the trade association for the GB energy industry https://www.energy-uk.org.uk/

Oil & Gas UK - UK representative body for offshore oil and gas- COVID-19 hub https://oilandgasuk.co.uk/covid-19/

Ofgem - GB Office of Gas and Electricity Markets – COVID-19 pages https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/coronavirus-covid-19

BSI COVID-19 risk management and business continuity standards https://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/topics/novel-coronavirus-covid-19/risk-management-and-business-continuity/

International Energy Agency (IEA) COVID-19 page exploring the impacts of the pandemic on markets, energy resilience and climate change https://www.iea.org/topics/covid-19

Health Protection Scotland has produced guidance for prevention and management of cases of COVID-19 on offshore installations https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/web-resources-container/guidance-for-prevention-and-management-of-cases-of-covid-19-on-offshore-installations/

The Parliamentary Office of Science & Technology (POST) has issued a series of reports on CoVid-19 https://post.parliament.uk/category/analysis/covid-19/

Sustainability First are holding an essay competition for students, asking 'how do we build from the current coronavirus crisis towards a more sustainable future?' https://sustainabilityfirst.org.uk/bridging-corona/essay-prize

Your employment and COVID-19

ACAS COVID-19 advice for employers and employees https://www.acas.org.uk/coronavirus

HM government general advice on COVID-19 https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Additional government resources to support your business https://www.gov.uk/guidance/additional-government-resources-to-support-your-business-during-coronavirus-disruptions

COVID-19: Your rights at work https://www.unison-ni.org.uk/coronavirus-your-rights-work

Business advice and support

Business support from the UK Government https://www.businesssupport.gov.uk/

Advice to businesses https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-to-employers-and-businesses-about-COVID-19

HMRC tax helpline to businesses affected by COVID-19 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tax-helpline-to-support-businesses-affected-by-coronavirus-COVID-19

Advice from Companies House https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tax-helpline-to-support-businesses-affected-by-coronavirus-COVID-19

Guidance to help insurance customers from the Associate of British Insurers (ABI) https://www.gov.uk/government/news/tax-helpline-to-support-businesses-affected-by-coronavirus-COVID-19

Information from the British Business Bank on the COVID-19 Business Interruption Loan Scheme https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/ourpartners/supporting-business-loans-enterprise-finance-guarantee/enterprise-finance-guarantee-efg-delivery-partners/

CBI COVID-19 hub - what you need to know about the virus and how it will impact your business https://www.cbi.org.uk/coronavirus-hub/support-for-business/

Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) advice for SMEs and the self employed https://www.fsb.org.uk/campaign-listing.html

Association of Independent Professionals and the Self Employed (IPSE) COVID-19 hub https://www.ipse.co.uk/covid19-hub.html

ACAS COVID-19 advice for employers and employees https://www.acas.org.uk/coronavirus

CIPD guidance for UK employers on COVID-19 including the Employers Response Guide https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/emp-law/health-safety/coronavirus-factsheet

Contact us

During this time it's important to stay in touch.

We are here to support you – please send us a message or chat to us online!

Benevolent fund

In this period of uncertainty, we'd like to remind EI members and their dependants that our Benevolent Fund supports a confidential advice service, offering 24/7 access to help on any financial, legal or personal issues you may be facing.

EI LIVE - free webinars

Our programme of webinars gives you live access to those in the know. Whether you want to hear about the latest technologies and biggest issues, or need some help applying for membership, these are for you. And most of them are free, so check in here regularly for new EI LIVE events.

Online events and training

Level 1: Certificate in Energy Management Essentials

Level 1: Certificate in Energy Management Essentials

This 60-hour online course provides participants with all the essential knowledge and skills they need to save energy, reduce operational costs and carbon emissions, comply with legislation and meet their organisation's environmental goals.

Level 2: Energy Management Professional

Level 2: Energy Management Professional

A 200-hour online course and qualification providing all the knowledge and skills required of a professional energy manager. This is the EI’s most extensive energy management training offer, covering more than 20 different topic areas.

EnergyAware

This EI certified, innovative 30-minute online tool will help your staff create a customised, actionable checklist of behaviour changes and smart technology decisions that they can take away and implement, in order to reduce energy usage. Depending on the size of your organisation, prices start from just 30p per user.

Corrosion Under Insulation

This online course was developed by INSPECTEGRITY in a project supported by the Oil & Gas Technology Centre (OGTC) and will be enable delegates to: understand how Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) occurs, understand why CUI is such a threat to asset Integrity, and know where to look and what to look for.

Shorter online courses

With over 50 options to choose from, courses include Energy Management, Risk Management, Environmental Awareness and more. You can search by keyword on the left-hand side.

Reading and listening from the EI

What on earth is hydrogen?

What on earth is hydrogen?

A new resource designed to support everyday understanding about hydrogen has been published today, to address concerns that lack of awareness could be a barrier to its deployment in the low carbon energy system

EI LIVE webinar | Climate change and the Oil & Gas industry's road to Glasgow COP26

EI LIVE webinar | Climate change and the Oil & Gas industry's road to Glasgow COP26

Luca Corradi, Innovation Network Director - The Oil and Gas Technology Centre, works to connect innovators and academics across sectors and disciplines, to explore the latest tech that could be adopted to address O&G industry challenges.

Flexibility for the future

Flexibility for the future

As renewable energy expands across the UK, greater coordination is needed between the electricity system operator and distribution networks. Dr Rita Shaw, CEng MEI explains how a new reactive power market could help.

Green Swans fly in

John Elkington, Founder and Chief Pollinator of sustainability think tank Volans, proposes how some of the weirdest ‘ugly ducklings’ of today can turn into tomorrow’s world-saving ‘Green Swans’, particularly when it comes to addressing the energy transition.

EI LIVE webinar | Digital transformation: technology for efficient, automated remote operations

EI LIVE webinar | Digital transformation: technology for efficient, automated remote operations

EI webinar organised in partnership with IBM looking at how technology can drive field automation to decrease service costs, improve asset maintenance and planning of field service activities.