Case Study

The costs of installing a new gas or electricity supply can prove to be far higher than first expected if there is no one keeping an eye on the overall project.

We have a proven record of helping our clients hugely reduce the costs by project managing such installations from beginning to end.

And when that’s done, we can broker the most competitive rate and manage the contract for you.

Businessman Sabir Patel ended up paying about £9,000 for installing a new gas pipe to his petrol station, Shell Bentley S/Station, in Bentley Road, Doncaster, instead of the initial quote given to him by a Cornish company of over £14,000.

But Mr Patel said it wasn’t the price that won the deal for him, but the continued advice given by energy consultant Ian Thompson, of
Huddersfield-based InEnergy Ltd.

“I was given absolutely great help from Ian to scan the market and he came up with the best solution,” said Mr Patel. “Price was not necessarily the winner of the contract. It was the advice given that won the deal.”

He added ”InEnergy’s availability on the phone was vital for getting the work done.”

The businessman, who also owns Majestic Furnishings Ltd and Bun & Base Ltd, already commissioned InEnergy to look after his utility contracts.

The energy consultancy then suggested reducing running costs for the petrol station by switching from electricity to gas supply.

Rates are generally lower for gas, especially for the type of heating generated at the site.

Mr Thompson explained: “We encouraged the customer to use our pricing strategy that we use specifically for new energy supply.

“We liaised with various contractors and suppliers whom we knew had experience in installation and design engineering of different types of energy assets.”

But the job ended up becoming more complex than at first expected.

“Complex pipework had to be taken across the road underground and more people became involved

because of the nature of the job.” said Mr Thompson. “The council and civil engineers had to get involved because they required a three-way manned traffic signal to be installed while the work went on.”

He added new supply installations can end up costing far more than first quoted as the customer has to cover the costs of any extra work like this.
“We had to be frugal with customer spend because we didn’t want the costs to escalate for them,” said Mr Thompson.
To add further problems, the land at the back needed excavating but its multiple owners could not even be located.

But in the end, InEnergy was able to co-ordinate a cost-effective, much less complicated plan. The overall bill was reduced by £3,460.

Mr Thompson said the success of this job showed the big difference between using a one-off energy broker to using an energy consultancy firm like his.

He explained: “My advice to customers is for all aspects of work, from new metering to new installations to brokering contracts, it’s better to use a consultant as they can project manage as well as broker the contract.
Most businesses are concerned with the bottom line. It definitely helps to watch the cost stage by stage as we do and then manage the costs that energy creates.

“In this case we were not just managing a project but also managing a team – the client, the client’s project manager, the civil engineers and the energy supplier. We have to keep them all happy and meet all their varied expectations by keeping communication going and bringing each stage to a logical conclusion.”