About Oxford Energy Services
Dr Russell Layberry
Director and Technical Lead of Oxford Energy Services. Environmental physicist. Building energy specialist. Certified Energy Manager and ESOS Lead Assessor.
I am Director and Technical Lead of Oxford Energy Services, helping building managers, facilities teams and operations managers understand and reduce energy waste, improve building performance and navigate practical energy, carbon and compliance requirements.
My work combines energy data analysis, site inspection and practical building-services understanding with experience in ESOS, ISO 50001 preparation, SECR, carbon reporting and decarbonisation planning. The aim is not to produce long reports or generic sustainability language. The aim is to work out what is happening, what is required and which actions are genuinely worth taking next.
This diagnostic approach is explored further in Audits & Energy Insights .
Why experience matters
Building energy auditing does not have one universal professional licence
There is no single professional licence or recognised qualification that someone must hold before offering building energy audits, so the quality of advice can vary widely.
For organisations comparing energy audit companies or building energy consultancies, the experience and technical judgement of the person carrying out the work matters.
Russell has spent more than 20 years studying, researching and improving the energy performance of real buildings, completing more than 300 commercial building energy audits along the way.
Why I set up OES
Practical energy advice for buildings that need clear next steps
Many organisations know they need to reduce energy use, but they do not always have the time, in-house expertise or clear data to know where to start.
Oxford Energy Services exists to make that process clearer: looking at how a building is actually being used, what the energy data shows, where waste is happening, and which actions are realistic for the people managing the building.
Background
Energy, buildings and carbon — with a practical focus
Scientific training
My academic background includes a Physics degree, an MSc in Exploration Geophysics and a PhD in Plasma Physics. This scientific training underpins how I analyse energy data, systems and building performance.
University of Oxford
I worked as a Senior Researcher at the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute. My work included UK domestic and non-domestic building-energy modelling, building monitoring, energy-demand analysis, electrification and energy-transition research, and scientific and environmental software development.
Pilio
I later became Co-founder and Technical Director of Pilio Ltd, a University of Oxford spin-out from the Environmental Change Institute. My work included monitoring systems, sensors, energy-data analysis and scientific, analytical and embedded software.
Oxford Energy Services
As Director and Technical Lead of Oxford Energy Services, I now bring that scientific, software and practical building experience together to provide building energy audits, ongoing energy-management support and specialist energy, carbon and compliance advice.
A rare combination of experience
Research-level science, software development and practical building judgement
Very few building-energy consultants combine research-level physics, national building-stock modelling, monitoring-system and software development, qualified electrical experience and more than 300 commercial building energy audits.
That combination helps me understand the physics, interrogate the data, inspect the systems and decide what is genuinely worth doing.
Professional credentials
Certified Energy Manager and AEE Individual Member
Russell combines scientific training, energy management experience and practical building-services understanding.
How I look at a building
Several angles at once
My background is both scientific and practical. I am a physicist by training and a qualified electrician, with additional heat-pump training and F-Gas certification.
This means I can look beyond the meter readings and consider how the building is actually being used, how the systems are controlled, and what a busy facilities team can realistically do next.
What OES focuses on now
Practical energy, carbon and compliance support for buildings
Oxford Energy Services now focuses on practical energy support for organisations with one building or a small portfolio, alongside specialist help with ESOS Phase 4, ISO 50001, SECR, carbon reporting and decarbonisation decisions.
Energy and compliance expertise
ESOS Lead Assessor experience and ISO 50001 support
Russell is listed on an approved ESOS Lead Assessor register and can support ESOS Phase 4 scoping, compliant energy audits, assessment review and Lead Assessor sign-off.
OES also supports organisations preparing, improving or maintaining ISO 50001-aligned energy-management systems, including energy reviews, baselines, significant energy uses, performance indicators, action plans and certification readiness.
Formal ISO 50001 certification is completed by an appropriately accredited certification body.
Credentials & technical background
Scientific, professional and practical credentials
Russell’s background combines advanced scientific training, recognised energy-management credentials and practical experience of building systems, monitoring, software and energy auditing.
- Physics degree
- MSc in Exploration Geophysics
- PhD in Plasma Physics
- Certified Energy Manager (CEM®), certified by the Association of Energy Engineers
- AEE Individual Member
- Member of the AEE UK Chapter
- Listed on an approved ESOS Lead Assessor register
- F-Gas qualified
- Qualified electrician
- Senior Researcher at the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute
- Co-founder and Technical Director of Pilio Ltd, a University of Oxford spin-out
- Monitoring systems, sensors and scientific, analytical and embedded software
- More than 300 commercial building energy audits
- Heat pump training
- Experienced in ESOS, SECR, carbon reporting and energy action planning
What people say
Practical, technical and trusted
“Working with Russell is a joy — he is constantly brimming with new ideas and gets his hands dirty building functional prototypes from scratch.”
“I would recommend him for research and consultancy work in relation to energy and buildings.”
“Russ supported us with an energy management audit that was practical, clear and extremely useful. His support helped us understand our energy position and identify sensible actions.”
Free 30-minute discussion
Unsure where to start?
If you manage a building and are unsure where to begin, the easiest first step is a short conversation.
Book a free 30-minute discussion about your building, your energy use or a specific problem you are trying to solve.
Prefer to explore first? Visit Audits & Energy Insights .
Contact Russell
Email:
russ@oxfordenergyservices.co.uk
Phone:
+44 (0)7803 397 549