Independent Utility Advice

What Independent Utility Advice does

Independent Utility Advice (IUA) is a UK-based energy cost reduction consultancy founded in 2017, headquartered in Newcastle Upon Tyne, and operating as a private limited company with 101-250 employees. The firm advises UK businesses on commercial gas and electricity procurement, identifying hidden broker commissions (typically 0.05p-5p per kWh) and mis-selling in existing contracts, and providing purchasing strategy advice for high-consuming corporates. It serves three primary customer segments — SMEs, high-consuming corporate clients, and the public sector — through a PCR 2015 compliant framework agreement that enables schools, councils, and government bodies to procure energy without running individual tender processes. Adjacent offerings include water/surface water drainage rebates, R&D tax credit advisory, and a bundle of 'Additional Services' covering Solar, EV Charging, Waste Management, CCTV, Business Insurance, Telecoms, and Merchant Services.

IUA's commercial model is fee- and commission-based across three streams: embedded supplier lift payments (commission built into unit rates on multi-year contracts), upfront consultancy fees billed monthly, and share-of-savings arrangements (typically 10-50% of validated savings). Distribution is direct via a phone-led inside sales motion (0800 029 1900) with dedicated senior account managers providing ongoing check-ins, supported by cold-call outbound activity and word-of-mouth referrals evidenced across multiple customer testimonials. The technology stack includes in-house energy monitoring software for continuous usage tracking, equipment-failure detection, and sustainability reporting, plus a custom multi-site procurement spreadsheet tool; no AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

The supplier partner network spans 12 UK energy providers including the Big Six (British Gas, E.ON/nPower, ScottishPower, SSE) plus Smartest Energy, ENGIE, TotalEnergies, Drax, Crown, Corona, and Avanti. Disclosed customer outcomes include up to £500,000 of savings in 3 months for a flexible-purchasing corporate client, ~£50,000 average annual savings for a multi-site pub chain, and ~£40,000 of savings over the contract term for a primary school procurement through the public sector framework. No funding rounds, acquisitions, or institutional investors are documented.

Name

Independent Utility Advice

Legal name

Independent Utility Advice, LTD.

Website

https://iuadvice.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Independent Utility Advice is a UK energy cost reduction consultancy advising SMEs, high-consuming corporates, and public sector bodies on commercial gas and electricity procurement, identifying hidden broker commissions, and delivering purchasing strategy, with adjacent services in R&D tax, water rebates, and broader business cost optimisation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Energy Cost Management Consulting

NAICS

All Other Business Support Services (561499)

SIC

Gas & Other Services Combined (4932)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUAAADAA

Regulated Natural Gas Utility (LDC) Customer Acquisition & Switching

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Bioenergy, Natural Gas & Biomass/Natural Gas Utilities & Retail Supply (Marketing & Sales)

Keywords

• Energy cost consulting
• Utility procurement services
• Business energy management
• Energy broker commission review
• Public sector energy framework

Headquarters

HQ city

Newcastle Upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Supplier Lift Payments (Commission): Energy consultant receives commission from suppliers included in the contract prices. Commission ranges from 0.05 pence to 5 pence per kilowatt-hour. The broker's fee is embedded in the unit rate or as a fixed fee.
2. Upfront Payment (Consultancy Fee): Client agrees on monthly, annual, or project-based fee for services provided. Client receives invoice separate from energy provider payment. Provides price transparency.
3. Share of Savings: Broker receives percentage of total savings achieved (typically 10-50%). Percentage varies based on agreement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Independent Utility Advice is an independent energy cost reduction consultancy that helps UK businesses and public sector organisations reduce their utility expenses. The company procures commercial gas and electricity contracts, identifies hidden broker commissions and mis-selling, manages flexible purchasing strategies for high-energy users, claims water surface drainage rebates, and supports R&D tax credit claims. Services are delivered via dedicated account managers and direct sales engagement across SME, corporate, and public sector segments.

Product overview

Independent Utility Advice is an energy cost reduction consultancy offering a portfolio of advisory services. The core offerings include SME Advice, Corporate Advice, Public Sector Advice, Water Rebates, and R&D Tax Rebates. These are supported by sub-products for specific needs such as Gas & Electricity procurement, Miss-sell identification, Energy Management monitoring, and Purchasing Strategies. The company also provides Additional Services including Solar, EV Charging, Water, Waste Management, CCTV, Business Insurance, Telecoms, and Merchant Services. Together, these services form a comprehensive utility cost optimization offering for businesses of all sizes across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SME Advice Utility advisory service for UK small to medium enterprises, assisting with commercial gas and electricity procurement, identification of hidden charges, and VAT-related issues. Delivered through a three-step process of invoice review, market analysis, and dedicated account manager support.
• Corporate Advice Utility advisory service for UK high-consuming businesses, offering energy management and purchasing strategies including flexible energy purchasing solutions and multi-site procurement consolidation.
• Public Sector Advice Full range of electricity and gas procurement solutions for UK public sector organisations, providing PCR 2015 compliant framework agreements and DEC (Display Energy Certificate) compliance support, including handling of political pressures around sanctioned-jurisdiction suppliers.
• Water Rebates Service assisting UK businesses with claiming refunds for surface water drainage charges and stopping future water bills related to surface water drainage at eligible properties.
• R&D Tax Rebates Research and Development tax credit advisory service helping UK companies claim corporation tax relief, with rates up to 33p for every £1 of qualifying expenditure for projects meeting the government's R&D definition.
• Additional Services Supplementary business services portfolio offered to UK clients, including Solar panels, EV Charging (up to £14,000 off workplace installations), Water, Waste Management, CCTV, Business Insurance, Business Telecoms, and Merchant Services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to £500,000 savings in 3 months for flexible purchasing customers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• ScottishPowerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnergy supplier partner listed on company website. Partner in IUA's network of energy suppliers for procurement services.
• British GasminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnergy supplier partner listed on company website. Major UK energy provider in IUA's supplier network.
• nPowerminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnergy supplier partner listed on company website. Part of E.ON group, operating in UK energy market.
• CoronaminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnergy supplier partner listed on company website.
• Smartest EnergyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnergy supplier partner listed on company website. Flexible energy procurement specialist.
• SSE EnergyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnergy supplier partner listed on company website. Major UK energy provider in IUA's supplier network.
• E.ONminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnergy supplier partner listed on company website. Major European energy company operating in UK market.
• CrownminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnergy supplier partner listed on company website.
• ENGIEminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnergy supplier partner listed on company website. Global energy and services company.
• TotalEnergiesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnergy supplier partner listed on company website. Major international energy company.
• DraxminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnergy supplier partner listed on company website. UK electricity generation and energy storage company.
• AvantiminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEnergy supplier partner listed on company website.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Inspired Energy: UK-based multi-utility management and procurement consultancy serving corporate and public-sector clients with energy cost reduction, bill validation and procurement services — directly comparable offering and customer set to IUA.
• EIC (Energy Innovation Centre): UK energy consultancy focused on procurement, cost reduction and decarbonisation for businesses and public-sector organisations — comparable service suite to IUA.
• Cornwall Insight: UK energy research, consultancy and procurement advisor for businesses and public sector — overlapping energy advisory, market analysis and tender support services with IUA.
• Love Energy Savings: UK energy price comparison and business utility broker — directly comparable SME energy-procurement brokerage model with phone-led sales motion similar to IUA.

Emerging players

• Copia (procurement consultancy): Group procurement and energy advisory consultancy serving UK public sector — direct overlap with IUA's public-sector procurement framework positioning.
• Baringa Partners: UK consulting firm with a sizeable energy practice covering procurement strategy and market advisory — competes for the same corporate energy-procurement RFPs that IUA targets.

Broad incumbents

• Utilita: UK energy supplier with smart-meter and energy management offerings to SMEs — overlaps IUA's energy-monitoring and SME advisory domains but as a vertically integrated supplier rather than an independent advisor.
• Schneider Electric: Global energy management and automation company offering procurement advisory, sustainability reporting and energy-monitoring software — adjacent to IUA's energy management and sustainability reporting capabilities.
• British Gas Business: SME and corporate energy supply arm of Centrica; competes for the same customers IUA advises with bundled supply and account-management services.
• EDF Energy Business: Major UK business energy supplier with direct advisory-style services for large customers — comparable supply-plus-advisory value proposition but operating as the supplier rather than the advisor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Independent Utility Advice