Surrey-based Control Energy Costs, a leading utility management specialist, has strengthened its business development team with two key appointments as it looks to meet £3 million turnover targets for 2020.

The company, which secured the prestigious Investors in People (IiP) accreditation earlier this year, has recruited sector experts James Malin and Andrew Stoker (pictured) to support its drive for new accounts and further growth across manufacturing.

The duo join from Npower and World Kinect Energy Services respectively and bring with them significant experience in account management and a clear understanding of the challenges faced in energy management in industry.

They will work with Control Energy Costs’ team of analysts to support an increasing number of manufacturers on addressing crippling utility costs, as industry and commerce try to recover from the economic impact of Covid-19.

Phil Ager, CEC managing director, said: “The appointments of James and Andrew give us real strength of knowledge on the business development team led by Liam Conway and having nation-wide coverage means we are well-placed to forge great client relationships and increase awareness of how we can help businesses with their energy requirements.”

He continued: “Our people are what really make us different to other energy consultants. We spend time understanding each individual manufacturer and how we can support them to operate more efficiently, be ‘greener’ and, importantly, achieve this while saving them money.

“We are not a random voice on the end of phone, our experienced market analysts and client managers are supported by a £250,000 investment in technology to ensure we can deliver the very best service, prices and strategies

“This is why the Investors in People accreditation is so pleasing for us as a business. It recognises we are committed to supporting the development of our employees and encouraging a culture that puts them at the centre of our organisation.”

Control Energy Costs offers an initial ‘no cost, no obligation’ audit review of both current and historic energy arrangements, looking for opportunities to secure retrospective refunds and rebates, reduce non-commodity/third party charges and, where appropriate, advise on future energy contracts.

Other core activities include bespoke flexible purchasing and hedging strategies for larger clients, siteworks and project management via a dedicated CEC solutions team, energy consumption, budget and forecasting tools to help clients to drive down energy usage, alongside traditional bill validation and invoice resolution services

Mr Ager added: “Over the last twelve months we have supported hundreds of manufacturers to collectively save tens of thousands of pounds on energy costs. We have also been operational throughout Covid-19 and, with energy prices lower than they have been for some time, now could be the perfect opportunity for firms to review their options and supply arrangements.”

He concluded: “The last twelve months have been an exciting time for us, with a rebrand and a new website, which is updated regularly with informative content to ensure we’re keeping clients and partners up to date with everything business energy related.”