Boards and investors expect lower energy cost and lower emissions. Yet the options – solar, efficiency upgrades, renewable contracts and offsets – compete for the same capital, and the proposals put forward often lack rigour or independent challenge.

As an independent adviser acting only for you, 1Circle sets realistic targets and builds a costed, prioritised roadmap: what to do, when, and what it will return.  The strategy sequences the works that lower running costs, lift efficiency and asset value, and cut energy-related emissions towards net zero – funded, wherever possible, by the savings and revenue the plan itself identifies.

For commercial, retail, industrial and mixed-use assets, the strategy also assesses embedded networks – on-selling revenue, cost recovery and yield – alongside the efficiency and renewable works, improving the return on the whole program.

Our approach quantifies the merits of each initiative and how it contributes to your objectives and how you gain:

• lower energy cost – initiatives ranked by savings and return
• better use of capital – the highest returns funded first, and nothing spent twice
• target creditbility – costed milestones the board can commit to
• reduced risk – less exposure to price volatility, compliance gaps and missed commitments
• one view of energy – shared by finance, facilities and sustainability teams

Energy is rarely owned by one team – procurement, facilities, sustainability and finance each hold part of the picture.  The strategy brings these together in a single plan, for one organisation or a national portfolio, and for existing buildings and new developments.

The strategy covers:

• energy cost and supply – on-site generation, renewable contracts, certificates and offsets, timed to contract end dates
• efficiency and plant renewal – operational improvements, and upgrades timed to end of life
• energy revenue – embedded network on-selling, cost recovery and on-site generation
• net-zero planning – Scope 1 and 2 targets, milestones and pathway
• governance, compliance and disclosure – reporting obligations, rating and certification schemes, roles, KPIs and review cycle
• a pathway to delivery – each initiative scoped for procurement, projects or ongoing operations

Tariffs, load, plant condition, technology cost and rebates all interact, and few teams have the time or market data to weigh them together. Our process does that work for you, with close attention to detail and to the evidence stakeholders need to approve the plan.

The process is structured over three stages:

• establishing the baseline and confirming goals
• testing every option at indicative cost and benefit
• sequencing a costed roadmap and taking it to approval

The strategy is delivered as an Energy Plan™ using leading-practice digital reporting. The plan is provided as a secure online website using Microsoft’s collaborative and business intelligence software, and features:

• Interactive quantitative analysis - stakeholders can select different options and price scenarios to better understand the impact of alternative choices
• Hierarchically structured information - from short executive summaries through to detailed cash flow models, technical appraisals and asset registers
• Supporting reference and educational information to help stakeholders acquire requisite knowledge to aid their decision making

Clients see the Energy Plan™ as a key point of difference. Its benefits include:

• Financial and analytical rigour that satisfies boards, investment committees and finance teams
• Responsiveness to project changes, data updates and market developments
• A reliable reference from approval through delivery and annual review

Since 2014 we have been defining plans of action to lower energy cost, improve energy efficiency, increase revenue and transition to a more sustainable future – and then helping clients deliver them.

Our experience covers the range of property sectors, including education, commercial, retail, office and industrial, from single sites to national portfolios.