Three of the eight best energy brands in the world come from Australasia and the rest from Europe, including one from the UK, according to the 2019 Charge Energy Branding awards.

The awards were presented at the annual Charge Energy Branding conference, the only global event dedicated to branding and communication in the energy sector, in Reykjavík last month.

"We decided to expand the categories this year to eight and once again I was surprised by the quality of submissions,” founder of Charge Energy Branding Fridrik Larsen stated. “It was also interesting to see how customers rated their retailers and seeing more emotional bonds being formed with energy brands.”

Customer-centred experiences and positive impact on the community were fundamental metrics to assess the entries, some of which were rated by both the judges and the end customers. Differentiation and clarity of communication were equally relevant in the judging process, alongside the emotional connection end users felt with the shortlisted brands.

"We had submissions from almost every corner of the world, so we can truly say that these are the world’s best energy brands,” Larsen rejoiced.

The winners for 2019 World’s Best Energy Brands:

Established Brand: Contact Energy (New Zealand)

Challenger Brand: Powershop (New Zealand)

Green Brand: EWS Schönau (Germany)

Transmission brand: Elering (Estonia)

Distribution brand: Fluvius (Belgium)

Product & Innovation brand: Powerledger (Australia)

B2B Brand: Haven Power (United Kingdom)

Organisation Brand: Enel Foundation (Italy)

Energy experts speaking at the conference called for an holistic approach to branding, putting customers, sustainability and technology at the centre of branding among energy providers, suppliers and utilities. The future energy customer will expect companies to put the user experience at the centre with technology and to be committed to sustainability, they said.

The Charge Energy Branding conference addressed how important customer relationships and trust is becoming in building effective energy brands. Companies discussed how they engage with customers on social media, how they empower employees to speak with customers, and how storytelling is integral to both building trust and pride internally as well as externally.