Ongoing practical energy support
Energy Management Support Retainer
A practical first year of energy management for organisations starting from scratch
Most organisations do not need a full-time energy manager.
But they do need someone to help them understand their buildings, organise their energy data, identify practical savings, make sense of carbon reporting, and turn scattered ideas into a manageable action plan.
The Energy Management Support Retainer gives your organisation a structured first year of practical energy management support.
We start with the basics: your buildings, energy use, costs, carbon emissions and current opportunities. Then we build a simple working system around them: an opportunities register, action plan, reporting structure, policies and regular technical support.
Some of the work is done for you. Some of it is done with you, using templates, training and guidance so your team can keep things moving internally.
Support is technically led by Dr Russell Layberry, Director and Technical Lead of Oxford Energy Services.
Practical energy management support
From scattered energy issues to a working energy management plan
The aim is simple: bring the important information together, create a practical structure and give your organisation access to experienced technical judgement when decisions need to be made.
A structured first year
A practical route from “we need to do something” to a working energy plan
The retainer is designed for organisations that know energy and carbon now matter, but do not yet have a clear internal system.
Over the first year, we work through the practical foundations at a sensible pace.
Need to explore the wider diagnostic approach first? Visit Audits & Energy Insights .
Understand the buildings
We review your building energy use, walk through the main site, look at heating, lighting, controls, operating hours and obvious sources of waste.
This usually starts with a Building Energy Audit .
Organise the energy data
We bring together the core information: electricity, gas, other fuels, costs, meter data, floor areas, operating patterns and relevant carbon factors.
The aim is not to create a complicated reporting system. It is to make the numbers understandable and usable.
Create the opportunities register
We turn findings into a practical opportunities register: what should be investigated, what is likely to save energy, what needs costing, what can wait, and who needs to do what next.
Build the simple carbon picture
We estimate your Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, prepare a practical carbon audit report and, where useful, provide a simple view of relevant Scope 3 issues.
The focus is on what helps decision-making, not producing carbon theatre.
Related reading: why energy management should come before carbon accounting .
Set the future direction
We create a practical future energy and carbon trajectory: what happens if you do nothing, what happens if you act, and which measures are likely to matter most.
This can support internal planning, management discussions and board-level reporting.
Put the basics in place
We help you create the simple documents and routines that keep energy management alive: energy policy, sustainability policy, action tracking, reporting templates and periodic reviews.
Where useful, this can be supported by practical energy and sustainability training .
Keep energy decisions moving
During the year, you can use the retainer to ask questions, review contractor quotes, sense-check savings claims, discuss heating or solar PV options, and keep the action plan from being forgotten.
Related insight: why energy management is not a one-off project .
What you are building
By the end of the first year, energy should feel more manageable
The goal is not a shelf full of reports. It is a practical working energy management system that helps your organisation understand what is happening, decide what matters and keep worthwhile actions moving.
A second pair of eyes
Experienced technical judgement when energy decisions come up
The structured first-year process gives you the foundations. The ongoing energy management support gives you access to experienced technical judgement when questions arise.
That matters because many building energy decisions sit between different teams, different contractors and different priorities. Sometimes you simply need someone independent to look at the information and tell you what deserves attention.
This is not generic account management. It is access to senior technical judgement from someone who understands energy data, building systems, controls, carbon reporting and practical implementation.
This is for you if
You need ongoing energy management support, but not a full-time energy manager
- You have one building or a small portfolio of buildings
- Energy costs matter, but responsibility is spread across different people
- You have energy data but do not use it consistently
- You have ideas and contractor proposals but no clear priorities
- You need a manageable approach to carbon reporting
- You want progress without creating a full-time energy manager role
The result
A practical energy management system your organisation can actually use
You gain structure, independent technical support and a clear route through the first year.
- Better visibility of energy use
- Clearer priorities
- More confident investment decisions
- Better contractor challenge
- Less risk of useful actions being forgotten
- Greater internal capability over time
Practical support throughout the year
Some work is done for you. Some is built with your team.
The exact balance depends on your organisation, but the programme is designed to create useful outputs while also helping internal teams become more confident and capable.
Building energy audit
Practical review of how the building uses energy, where waste occurs and what deserves investigation.
Explore Building Energy AuditsCarbon audit report
A practical review of organisational energy-related carbon emissions, key sources, current position and useful next steps.
Energy data review
Review electricity, gas, other fuels, meter data, costs and operating patterns to make energy use more understandable.
Why energy data still needs interpretation What smart-meter data can revealEnergy and carbon baseline
Establish a practical Scope 1 and Scope 2 picture, with relevant Scope 3 context where useful.
Opportunities register
Capture possible measures, investigations, costs, priorities and next actions in one working place.
Energy action plan
Turn scattered recommendations into a realistic sequence of practical actions.
Contractor proposal review
Independent sense-checking of recommendations, quoted savings, investment assumptions and proposed building upgrades.
Future energy and carbon trajectory
Show how energy and carbon may change under business-as-usual and practical improvement scenarios.
Read: Carbon reduction starts with a carbon planBoard-level energy updates
Clear summaries of energy use, priorities, progress, risks and recommended next steps.
Policies and templates
Practical energy and sustainability policies, reporting templates and action-tracking tools.
Staff training and guidance
Help your team understand the process and keep appropriate energy management tasks moving internally.
Explore energy trainingWhat this is not
Not another sprawling consultancy programme
- It is not a large consultancy programme
- It is not a complicated net zero strategy
- It is not an 80-page report-writing exercise
- It is not a full Scope 3 supply-chain audit
- It is not a replacement for your facilities team or contractors
- It is not designed to create unnecessary paperwork
What it is
A practical route through the first year
It is a practical energy management support arrangement that helps your organisation understand energy use, reduce waste, organise actions, make better decisions and build a simple working energy management system.
The aim is progress: better information, clearer priorities, more confident decisions and a system that does not disappear when everyone gets busy.
The practical starting point
The first year usually begins by understanding the building
A Building Energy Audit provides the evidence base for the wider programme: how the building operates, where energy is being used, where waste may be occurring and what should be investigated next.
The Energy Management Support Retainer then provides the structure and ongoing support needed to turn those findings into a live opportunities register, action plan and working energy management system.
Why Oxford Energy Services
Senior technical expertise throughout the year
Oxford Energy Services is technically led by Dr Russell Layberry, Director and Technical Lead. Russell combines research-level physics, University of Oxford building-energy research, monitoring and software development, practical building-services knowledge and experience from more than 300 commercial building energy audits.
He previously worked as a Senior Researcher at the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute and was Co-founder and Technical Director of Pilio Ltd, an Oxford University spin-out.
The retainer gives your organisation direct access to that experience throughout the year, helping you interpret data, challenge proposals, prioritise action and avoid spending money on poorly understood solutions.
Learn more about Dr Russell Layberry’s background and technical experience .
Related experience: long-term energy management at Blenheim Palace and energy management across cultural buildings .
Energy Management Support FAQs
Questions organisations often ask before starting
What is an Energy Management Support Retainer?
An Energy Management Support Retainer is an ongoing support arrangement that helps an organisation understand energy use, organise data, identify savings, manage actions and make better building energy decisions without hiring a full-time energy manager.
What does the Oxford Energy Services retainer include?
The first-year programme can include building energy audit work, a carbon audit report, energy and carbon baselines, data review, an opportunities register, energy action planning, contractor proposal review, policies, board-level updates, templates and staff guidance.
Who is ongoing energy management support for?
It is designed for organisations that need practical energy management support but do not need, or are not ready to employ, a full-time energy manager.
How does the Building Energy Audit fit into the first year?
The Building Energy Audit helps establish how the building uses energy, where waste may occur and what should be investigated. Those findings can then feed into the opportunities register and energy action plan.
What is included in the carbon audit report?
The carbon audit report provides a practical picture of relevant organisational emissions, including Scope 1 and Scope 2 sources, the available data, key contributors and useful priorities for future action. Relevant Scope 3 context can be considered where useful.
Can you help organise our energy data?
Yes. Support can include bringing together electricity, gas, other fuels, costs, meter data, floor areas and operating information so the numbers become understandable and useful.
Can the retainer help with carbon reporting?
Yes. The programme can establish a practical Scope 1 and Scope 2 carbon picture and, where useful, provide context around relevant Scope 3 issues.
Can you review contractor quotes and energy savings claims?
Yes. Ongoing support can include independent sense-checking of proposals, assumptions, predicted savings and recommendations for lighting, heating, controls, solar PV and other building energy projects.
Can you prepare board-level energy updates?
Yes. Support can include clear summaries of energy use, carbon performance, priorities, risks, progress and recommended next steps for management or board discussions.
How much does the Energy Management Support Retainer cost?
The first-year energy management support programme is £5,000 per year, with a £500 per month payment option.
What happens after the first year?
By the end of the first year, the aim is to have a clearer energy baseline, carbon picture, opportunities register, action plan and internal working system. Ongoing support can then be reviewed according to what your organisation still needs.
Free 30-minute discussion
Ready to get properly organised on energy?
The Energy Management Support Retainer gives your organisation a practical route through the first year: understand the buildings, organise the data, build the action plan and keep decisions moving.
A short initial discussion can help establish whether ongoing energy management support is the right fit and what the sensible starting point would be.
Contact Russell
Email:
russ@oxfordenergyservices.co.uk
Phone:
+44 (0)7803 397 549