Large national supermarket

The supermarket was originally in favour of sub-metering, which would have seen them retain responsibility for the payment of energy costs for the estate. The solution originally proposed by the Distribution Network Operator (DNO), was for the whole HV supply to be stripped out, making the existing HV substation redundant and for several new service heads to be installed to support a set of fiscal meters. The budget cost for these works ran to in excess of £100k.

Using our industry expertise, Control Energy Costs were able to dramatically reduce the overall cost of the project while also providing a more robust long-term solution. Control Energy Costs identified that dedicated supplies could be achieved by adopting a Building Network Operator solution. This mitigated the need to remove the HV substation. While permissible in the UK under cover of the G87 regulations, this was the first time such an approach had been proposed to the DNO in this area. As such, to make the project a success, Control Energy Costs not only needed to deliver project management services, but also to offer consultancy and guidance to the DNO to support them with developing a policy framework capable of supporting the current project, and future projects of this type in their area.

Control Energy Costs also voluntarily liaised with the supermarket's tenants – many of them existing clients as a result of prior services delivered to them directly – and kept them informed of the progress of the electricity reconfiguration works, together with advising of any knock-on impacts on them as a business. The final works were completed during lockdown restrictions relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, and when Control Energy Costs arrived at the site, multiple contractors in attendance made social distancing impossible. Rather than aborting, Control Energy Costs re-arranged their schedules to facilitate our works being conducted at night.

Control Energy Cost's involvement in this project thus delivered several immense benefits to the client and other key stakeholders –

• The project was delivered on time, and at a cost well below the supermarket’s original budget for the works
• The DNO were able to make their policies more robust and suitable to the changing regulatory landscape
• Productive working relationships with the supermarket's tenants were preserved through good communication

Control Energy Costs adopt a consultative approach with our clients. We do more than just project delivery, we draw on our vast experience to ensure the delivered solution is right for you. We adopt the same approach with the industry at large; we sit on the customer action boards of a number of Distribution Network Operators, helping to shape the policy landscape for the benefit of all stakeholders. This approach has seen us develop mutually beneficial relationships across the industry with distributors, clients, suppliers and meter operators alike.