About Us

Utility Assist was formed, in 2007, by ex-Supply Industry experts with the aim of helping clients to negotiate utility contracts at the most competitive prices. Our years of experience helped us to see that the levels of service provided by energy suppliers frequently did not meet customer expectations. We decided to do our bit to change this. We now provide a way for commercial clients of all sizes to enjoy an effective cost effective Energy Management resource. In simple terms, this means when you become a client, we offer energy saving advice, liaise with suppliers on your behalf, manage queries and issues, and work towards solutions and prices which are right for you, not the supplier.

Our income is generated via modest management fees from whichever supply we place business with. This means that our client benefits from our service without the need to set up a separate cost centre and paying additional invoices. We can, if preferred, work on a fee-only basis and are happy to discuss this further.

As part of our comprehensive range of services, we are proud to help our clients by consistently striving to...

  • Understand their needs by getting to know their businesses and acting in their best interests.
  • Provide a friendly, knowledgeable service which gives our clients the peace of mind that their utilities are in safe hands.
  • Remove stress by dealing with suppliers on our clients’ behalf. Trust our team to take care of every aspect of the negotiation process.
  • Secure the best possible prices by carrying out in-depth negotiations and using our expertise to achieve the most affordable outcome.
  • Offer on-going guidance and expert advice when you need it.
  • Work honestly and with integrity at all times. If something is not in your best interests, then we will tell you.
 

We continually strive to provide the ultimate care in the way we handle your business. As a further measure of this commitment we are members of our trade association the UIA (Utilities Intermediaries Association) , which set standards for the industry with the aim of building customer confidence. The UIA maintains a register of consultants and brokers that meet its Code of Practice. The code provides strict guidelines to standards and behaviour to ensure a high standard of service for customers. Should we operate outside the stated guidelines, we risk expulsion, loss of reputation and a halt in dealings with some suppliers.

We are also signed up to the Energy Ombudsman service who operate the Energy Broker, Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Scheme.

Their contact details are:

Website: www.energyombudsman.org
Email: enquiry@energyombudsman.org
Phone: 0330 440 1624 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm, and Saturday, 9am to 1pm)
Post: Energy Ombudsman
           P.O. Box 966
           Warrington, WA4 9DF


 

Audhali Farm Gate Fresh Poultry

Audhali Farm Gate Fresh Poultry operates a major wholesale full production poultry slaughter house in Warwickshire. They supply Halal meat to outlets throughout the UK.

Issue

Audhali Farm Gate Fresh Poultry were concerned over very high energy bills.

Resolution

Utility Assist quickly recognised that Audhali Farm Gate Fresh Poultry were paying excessively high bills and steps were taken to reduce the unit rates. However, Utility Assist were also concerned over the charges being added to the bills by the Capacity Charge elements.

When the situation was investigated it became apparent that initial set up usage calculations were in error even when future development plans were taken into account.

Utility Assist carried out a full site and usage survey. After extensive discussions with Audhali Farm Gate Fresh Poultry regarding their aims and future objectives Utility Assist negotiated a Capacity reduction with the various suppliers concerned. As a result, the charges were reduced by £29400 per year.

Utility Assist actions have saved Audhali Farm Gate Fresh Poultry in the area of £176400 to date.

Client Testimonial

‘We have worked with Utility Assist since 2009 and throughout that time they have been extremely helpful and supportive to our business not only advising on good rates for us but also dealing with any issues or problems that have arisen from time to time. They are always very prompt to answer queries and have taken the hassle out of working with utility companies. I would happily recommend them to other organisations. Graham who is our main contact is particularly helpful and I have not yet had a problem that he could not resolve!’

Zahid Mian Finance Manager

Our Lady's Convent School

Our Lady’s Convent School is a Catholic School founded on strong Christian principles who welcome and respect students, their families and staff irrespective of faith. They offer a co-educational (age 3) through to Primary Year 6 (age 11) at which time their girls progress into the single sex Senior School and Sixth Form, leaving the School at the age of 18.

Our Lady’s Convent School is currently ranked first for Value Added at post-16 in Loughborough. This is in a comparison of the 147 educational establishments within a 25 mile radius of Loughborough and ranked seventh in England. http://www.olcs.leics.sch.uk/

Our Lady’s Convent School first contacted Utility Assist back in 2008 at which time they were experiencing major billing issues with their gas and electricity.

Resolution

Utility Assist reconciled all 17 accounts; approaching the numerous suppliers concerned and presented the School with the actual state of all accounts. The suppliers accepted the detailed report, and photographic evidence, and immediately refunded over £4000 of excess charges.

Utility Assist presented a report to the School detailing changes how further money could be saved and also prevent future billing issues. The suggestions in the report were fully implemented and they resulted in a further saving of £12000 that year.

Client Testimonial

‘We have worked with Utility Assist since 2008 and throughout that time they have been extremely helpful and supportive to the School, not only advising on good rates for us, but also dealing with major supply additions, mergers and removals. They are always on hand to answer queries and have taken away the problems of dealing with utility suppliers. They were particularly helpful in removing difficulties when we installed a new half hourly supply and sub-station. I would happily recommend them to other organisations. Graham, who is our main contact, is particularly helpful and willing to visit us if needed to bring his experience and knowledge to support us.’

John Orrill

Catering & Facilities Manager

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