“TPIs were considered to offer many businesses significant cost-saving benefits,” according to a government consultation on third-party intermediaries in the retail energy market. Utility consultants can save businesses money in multiple ways: switching them to cheaper providers, challenging unfair bills or suggesting energy-saving measures. But three years into a period of high energy prices, what if you’ve already covered the basics with most clients? How do you as a consultant add the kind of value that will keep them coming back with repeat business?
Data-driven recommendations
As a third-party intermediary seeking the best solution for your clients, you don’t just set up conventional supplier contracts but also suggest alternatives such as corporate power purchase agreements (CPPAs) or on-site renewables. What if you could take this service up a level by offering a tailored, data-driven package of recommendations?
The Matcher from ENTRNCE is a data platform that allows you to simulate the possible outcomes of different energy supply options. It gathers data from the business on its current energy consumption and how well it lines up with its current sources of supply. This data, taken at half-hourly intervals, shows exactly how much is coming from on-site renewable generation, CPPAs and the grid. It goes towards calculating a clean energy score for the business.
For many businesses, their clean energy score is a source of disappointment. It means they aren’t making the best use of any renewable capacity at their disposal, paying over the odds and lagging behind on climate goals. But for you as their TPI, it is a huge opportunity to add value.
Tailored insights
The Matcher allows you to plug in possible options for the business and see how they affect its clean energy score and the bottom line. For example, the current data might show that the site is relying too much on grid energy because the output from its solar panels doesn’t cover much of its consumption. Should the business invest in more solar panels? Perhaps invest in battery storage to cover dull days? Or sign up for a CPPA with an off-site generator? The Matcher can run all these options through the simulator and give you a fairly accurate idea of what the payoff would be.
TPIs are increasingly helping businesses not just with spending but with emissions reduction goals. Here the Matcher can be even more of an asset, helping your client to choose the greenest possible options and giving cast-iron data that can be used in climate reporting.
The Matcher can help with decarbonisation even if your client doesn’t want to invest in any new assets or contracts at the moment. It tracks the mix of energy sources in the grid at half-hourly intervals, allowing your client to optimise their energy use for the best possible times. When renewables are a high percentage of the mix, it’s time to carry out energy-intensive processes or charge up the EV fleet. Simply time-shifting activities can reduce the carbon intensity of a business even if it changes nothing else.
The Matcher can be a game-changer for TPIs and their clients, and with early adoption, it’s the perfect tool to allow you to stay ahead of the competition. To find out how it can improve your client offering, book a demonstration today.
