Utility Provider
Consumer Energy Solutions was a Swansea-headquartered energy services company that delivered government-funded retrofit measures (insulation, heating upgrades) to lower socioeconomic UK households under the ECO4 scheme, before entering administration in January 2026 following the scheme's non-extension.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersHoofddorp, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Utility Provider does
Consumer Energy Solutions (CES) was a Swansea-headquartered energy services company that delivered energy efficiency improvements — including insulation, heating upgrades, and other energy-saving measures — to lower socioeconomic households in the United Kingdom. The company's operations were funded almost entirely through the UK Government's ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation 4) scheme, which subsidised energy efficiency upgrades for fuel-poor and lower-income consumers. CES did not sell services directly to homeowners; instead, it delivered government-funded retrofit work on behalf of the scheme, targeting pain points such as high energy costs, poor housing stock efficiency, and fuel poverty.
CES operated a direct-to-consumer field-services model, employing approximately 293 people immediately prior to its collapse. The business carried no proprietary technology platform, no software products, and no disclosed data assets — its value proposition rested on its ability to identify, qualify, and retrofit eligible households under ECO4. Pricing was set administratively by the ECO4 framework rather than through commercial negotiation with end customers.
The company was a portfolio entity of City Energy Group, itself controlled by private equity firm Cairngorm Capital GP III Limited. On 9 January 2026, joint administrators from KR8 Advisory Limited were appointed and 288 of 293 employees were made redundant. The trigger was the UK Government's decision not to extend ECO4 beyond March 2026, which eliminated CES's sole revenue stream. On 16 January 2026, certain assets were sold to related entity City Energy Network Limited, ending CES's independent operations. The collapse left £6.7m owed to non-preferential unsecured creditors and £299,346 owed to HMRC as secondary preferential creditors.
Note: The firmographic header in the input refers to "Utility Provider" (Netherlands, founded 2013, water/energy/internet/TV/telephony), which is inconsistent with the substantive data blocks, all of which describe Consumer Energy Solutions in Swansea, UK. The description above is grounded in the substantive data per the source-precedence rule.
Utility Provider firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Utility Provider
- Website
- https://utility-provider.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Consumer Energy Solutions was a Swansea-headquartered energy services company that delivered government-funded retrofit measures (insulation, heating upgrades) to lower socioeconomic UK households under the ECO4 scheme, before entering administration in January 2026 following the scheme's non-extension.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Utility Provider industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Residential Energy Efficiency Services
- NAICS
- Utilities (22)
- SIC
- Electric & Other Services Combined (4931), Electric Services (4911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Incentives, Grants & Program Administration (Auctions, Tenders, IRA/ITC/PTC Advisory) (EUAMAAAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Renewable Energy & Clean Tech Access (Off-grid, Energy Poverty Solutions) (BPAGALAE), Energy Justice, Equity & Ratepayer Impact Analysis (EUAMANAN)
Keywords
Where Utility Provider is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Hoofddorp
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Utility Provider business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Government-funded energy efficiency services: Revenue derived entirely from the UK Government's ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation) scheme, which funds energy efficiency improvements for lower socioeconomic households. The company collapsed when the Government decided not to extend ECO4 beyond March 2026.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Utility Provider product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Consumer Energy Solutions delivered energy efficiency services — including insulation, heating upgrades, and other energy-saving measures — to lower socioeconomic households in the United Kingdom. Services were funded entirely through the UK Government's ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation 4) scheme. The company entered administration on 9 January 2026 following the Government's decision not to extend ECO4 beyond March 2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ECO4-funded residential energy efficiency services Delivery of energy efficiency improvements — including insulation, heating upgrades, and other energy-saving measures — to lower socioeconomic households in the United Kingdom. Funded entirely through the UK Government's ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation 4) scheme.
Companies that use Utility Provider
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Utility Provider technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Utility Provider partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- City Energy Network LimitedminorCertain assets of Consumer Energy Solutions were sold to City Energy Network Limited following the administration appointment. The sale was completed on 16 January 2026.
- KR8 Advisory LimitedminorJoint administrators appointed on 9 January 2026 to manage the administration of Consumer Energy Solutions following its collapse.
- City Energy GroupcoreConsumer Energy Solutions was part of the City Energy Group, which is owned by Cairngorm Capital GP III Limited. City Energy Group is the parent company structure.
- UK Government (ECO4 Scheme)corePrimary funder through the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) scheme. The Government's decision not to extend ECO4 beyond March 2026 was cited as a key reason for the company's collapse.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Utility Provider competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- EDF Energy: UK energy supplier with obligations under ECO schemes and involvement in delivering energy efficiency measures. Comparable as an obligated party under the same regulatory framework CES relied upon.
- SSE plc: UK utility with energy services activities including domestic retrofit and heating solutions under ECO and successor programmes. Comparable utility-services peer.
- British Gas: Major UK energy supplier and prominent ECO scheme obligated party that funds and delivers large-scale domestic energy efficiency programmes. Comparable as a scaled incumbent executing government-mandated retrofit activity.
- Octopus Energy: UK energy retailer with a growing energy services and retrofit arm; comparable as a tech-forward utility engaging in domestic energy efficiency delivery.
- E.ON UK: Major UK energy supplier participating in ECO and delivering in-home insulation and heating upgrades to lower-income households. Direct functional comparator as a large-volume ECO delivery channel.
Direct peers
- Knauf Energy Solutions: Specialist provider of ECO-funded insulation and energy efficiency measures across the UK. Closest like-for-like service delivery competitor under ECO4.
- Warm Wales / Wales & West Housing: Wales-based social housing organisation delivering ECO-funded retrofit to fuel-poor households. Highly comparable delivery model, customer base, and geography.
- Pobl Group: Welsh housing association that has delivered ECO-funded energy efficiency measures in the same Welsh/Swansea geography as CES. Closest geographic and functional peer — a non-profit delivery model.
Emerging players
- Sero Homes: UK retrofit-focused company developing whole-home decarbonisation services for social housing providers. Comparable as an emerging specialist in the same energy efficiency delivery space.
Others
- Cairngorm Capital Partners: PE sponsor of CES via City Energy Group. Relevant ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor — useful for understanding ownership dynamics and potential rescue options.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat1 record
Key risks6 records
Key highlights4 records
Customer concentration
Utility Provider financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Utility Provider leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Utility Provider funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Utility Provider M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Utility Provider
What does Utility Provider do?
Consumer Energy Solutions delivered energy efficiency services — including insulation, heating upgrades, and other energy-saving measures — to lower socioeconomic households in the United Kingdom. Services were funded entirely through the UK Government's ECO4 (Energy Company Obligation 4) scheme. The company entered administration on 9 January 2026 following the Government's decision not to extend ECO4 beyond March 2026.
Is Utility Provider a public or private company?
Utility Provider is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently closed.
When was Utility Provider founded?
Utility Provider was founded in 2013. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Utility Provider based?
Utility Provider is headquartered in Hoofddorp, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Utility Provider make money?
One revenue line is on record: government-funded energy efficiency services.
Who are Utility Provider's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are EDF Energy, SSE plc, British Gas, Octopus Energy and E.ON UK. Direct peers are Knauf Energy Solutions, Warm Wales / Wales & West Housing and Pobl Group. Sero Homes is listed as an emerging player. Cairngorm Capital Partners is listed as an others.
Does Utility Provider have an API?
No public API is recorded for Utility Provider.
What industry is Utility Provider in?
Utility Provider's product category is Residential Energy Efficiency Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAMAAAJ, Incentives, Grants & Program Administration (Auctions, Tenders, IRA/ITC/PTC Advisory), with a secondary code of BPAGALAE, Renewable Energy & Clean Tech Access (Off-grid, Energy Poverty Solutions). Its NAICS code is 22 and its SIC code is 4931.