Etude

What Etude does

Etude Consulting Limited is a UK-based sustainability engineering consultancy, founded in 2015 and headquartered at 5 Baldwin Terrace, London N1 7RU, with remote team members colocating in Cornwall and Devon. The firm provides low energy building design, building simulation, construction quality assurance, Passivhaus and EnerPHit certification, retrofit advisory, and net zero carbon strategy services. It operates the largest Passivhaus certifier team in the UK (four certifiers) and has delivered 100+ Passivhaus certified buildings. Its customer base spans UK local authorities (Cornwall Council, Essex County Council, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Greater London Authority, London Councils), housing associations (Clarion, Southern Housing, Phoenix Community Housing), architecture practices (Cullinan Studio, Levitt Bernstein, Architype), construction firms (Balfour Beatty, Robert Woodhead), and educational institutions (University of Manchester).

Etude's core technology stack centres on building physics simulation, Passivhaus methodology, and bespoke calculation tools. The firm leads the Quality Assurance and Validation team for the Home Energy Model (HEM), the new national energy calculation methodology being developed for DESNZ to replace SAP as the UK compliance engine for Part L and EPCs. It has built proprietary tools including an SAP Conversion Tool (Excel-based), an Energy Summary Tool for Cornwall Council, a free Future Homes Standard Solar PV Calculator, and co-authored the Net Zero Carbon Toolkit with Passivhaus Trust, Levitt Bernstein, and Elementa Consulting. In 2025 it co-produced The Retrofit of London's Heritage Homes guidance suite for all 33 London boroughs.

Etude generates revenue through project-based professional services consulting engagements delivered via direct sales and tender processes, with quote-based pricing. The firm is privately held with no disclosed external investment, appears founder/employee-owned, and operates a vertical segmentation approach targeting local authorities and housing associations as primary segments, with architects, developers, educational institutions, and small/medium house builders as secondary segments. Distribution is predominantly UK-domestic, with select tools (e.g., the FHS Solar PV Calculator) distributed globally on a self-serve basis.

Name

Etude

Legal name

Etude Consulting Limited

Website

https://etude.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Etude Consulting Limited is a UK-based sustainability engineering consultancy designing low energy buildings, delivering Passivhaus certification, and developing net zero carbon strategies for local authorities, housing associations, architects, and developers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainability Engineering Consulting

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Real Estate ESG / Sustainability & Resilience Advisory (Decarbonization, Climate Risk) (BPAJANAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Net-Zero Assurance & Readiness Assessments (limited assurance prep, audit support) (EUABAKAJ)

Keywords

• Sustainability engineering consulting
• Low energy building design
• Passivhaus certification services
• Net zero carbon strategy
• Building physics simulation

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Sustainability Consulting Services: Professional consulting services for low energy building design, building simulation, construction quality, Passivhaus certification, and net zero carbon strategy. Revenue generated through project-based consultancy engagements with various clients including local authorities, housing associations, developers, and architects.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Etude is a sustainability engineering consultancy that delivers low energy building design, building simulation, construction quality assurance, and net zero carbon strategy for new and retrofit projects. The firm also provides Passivhaus and EnerPHit certification services and develops proprietary tools and frameworks (e.g., Home Energy Model QA, SAP Conversion Tool, Future Homes Standard Solar PV Calculator, Net Zero Carbon Toolkit) to support evidence-based policy and design decisions.

Product overview

Etude is a sustainability engineering consultancy offering a portfolio of specialized services and tools for low-energy, net zero carbon buildings. Their core offerings include the Home Energy Model (HEM) — a new national energy calculation methodology replacing SAP — supported by tools like the Future Homes Standard Solar PV Calculator and SAP Conversion Tool. They provide framework documents including the Net Zero Carbon Toolkit and Retrofit Action Plan for London boroughs. Service offerings span new building design, retrofit of existing buildings, Passivhaus certification (with the UK's largest certifier team), and strategy/research/policy development for carbon reduction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• New Buildings Services Low energy building design, building simulation, construction quality assurance, and net zero carbon strategy consultancy for new construction projects, delivered to clients including housing associations, developers, and architects.
• Retrofit Services Consultancy services for improving existing buildings including energy efficiency upgrades, heat pump installations, and building fabric improvements, with related frameworks such as the London borough Retrofit Action Plan.
• Passivhaus Building Certification Passivhaus and EnerPHit certification services providing independent quality and technical checks throughout design and construction for new and existing buildings, delivered by Etude's team of four Passivhaus certifiers (the largest in the UK).
• Strategy, Research and Policy Services Assistance to local authorities and organisations to develop policy, strategies and guidance for achieving Net Zero Carbon, translating carbon pathways into clear roadmaps with actions and measurable outcomes.
• Home Energy Model (HEM) A new national energy calculation methodology for estimating the energy consumption of housing, developed for DESNZ to replace SAP. Etude leads the Quality Assurance and Validation team for HEM, which is built around a core engine with policy-specific wrappers (HEM:FHS and HEM:EPC) and operates as a dynamic half-hourly model.
• Future Homes Standard Solar PV Calculator A free online calculator that estimates the size of solar PV array required to meet Future Homes Standard and Part L 2026 requirements, currently working for houses only.
• SAP Conversion Tool An Excel-based tool that converts SAP 10 results to design stage predictions similar to PHPP, used for more accurate energy performance assessment at the planning application stage.
• Net Zero Carbon Toolkit A practical, easy-to-follow guide produced in collaboration with Passivhaus Trust, Levitt Bernstein, and Elementa Consulting, covering steps from pre-planning through construction for delivering net zero carbon, low-energy homes.
• Retrofit Action Plan An action plan developed with collaborators for the 33 London boroughs, used with London Councils and the Mayor of London to help shape accelerating domestic retrofit in London.
• Energy Summary Tool A tool developed by Etude for Cornwall Council to quickly and easily show whether each new home meets net zero policy standards by adjusting raw SAP data for policy accuracy.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.78/5 average client satisfaction rating over 6 years from 452 reviews
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and minor.

• London CouncilscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Produced The Retrofit of London's Heritage Homes guidance suite in partnership with Levitt Bernstein and Prewett Bizley Architects for all 33 London boroughs.
• Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Etude has been working on the Home Energy Model programme for DESNZ since 2020. After an initial research period led by Etude (SAP 11 scoping study), many organisations were involved in HEM development. Key organisations include BRE, Sustenic and City Science.
• BRE (Building Research Establishment)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey organisation involved in developing the Home Energy Model (HEM) calculation methodology, collaborating with Etude on Quality Assurance and Validation services.
• SusteniccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey organisation involved in developing the Home Energy Model (HEM) calculation methodology alongside Etude's Quality Assurance team.
• City SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey organisation collaborating on the Home Energy Model development programme alongside Etude's QA and Validation team.
• University College London (UCL)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the multi-disciplinary Quality Assurance and Validation team for HEM, contributing academic expertise to the project.
• University of StrathclydesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the HEM Quality Assurance and Validation team, contributing research expertise.
• People Powered RetrofitsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the multi-disciplinary HEM QA team, bringing retrofit expertise to the validation process.
• Julie Godefroy SustainabilitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainability consultant part of the HEM Quality Assurance team, contributing expertise in sustainability policy and practice.
• Passivhaus TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated to produce the Net Zero Toolkit for West Oxfordshire, Cotswold, and Forest of Dean District Councils. Etude is a Patron member.
• Levitt BernsteincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term collaborator on multiple projects including Net Zero Toolkit, Essex Embodied Carbon Policy Study, and various Passivhaus developments.
• Elementa ConsultingsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Net Zero Toolkit development alongside Passivhaus Trust and Etude.
• Cornwall CouncilcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerClient and collaborator on Climate Emergency DPD development, Net Zero housing policy implementation since June 2023. Etude provided technical evidence, policy wording, and guidance.
• Historic EnglandsupportingOthersSupports the London Heritage Homes Retrofit Guide and recognizes the crucial role London boroughs play in delivering energy efficiency in heritage contexts.
• Octopus EnergysupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEtude is an Octopus Energy Zero Bills assessor partner, able to assess properties against the Zero Bills standard.
• VulcansupportingTechnology or IntegrationSoftware provider developing interfaces for the Home Energy Model (HEM) calculation engine.
• ElmhurstsupportingTechnology or IntegrationSoftware provider developing interfaces for the Home Energy Model (HEM) calculation engine.
• AECBsupportingOthersEtude is a member of the AECB (Association for Environment Conscious Building).
• IPHAsupportingOthersEtude is a member of IPHA (International Passivhaus Association).
• Cullinan StudiominorOthersOffice neighbor sharing space at The Foundry with Etude, also a frequent project collaborator.
• Maynard DesignminorOthersOffice neighbor sharing space at The Foundry with Etude.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Hoare Lea: Building-services and environmental engineering consultancy with sustainability, energy and low-carbon design expertise. It serves many of the same developers, architects and institutional clients at a larger scale.
• Elementa Consulting: UK building-services and sustainability consultancy working on low-energy, Passivhaus and net-zero building projects. Etude and Elementa have already collaborated on the Net Zero Carbon Toolkit, making it a close operating peer.
• Verco: UK building-performance and energy-efficiency consultancy focused on measuring and improving operational building performance. It is comparable to Etude's energy modelling, construction quality assurance and net-zero strategy work.
• Max Fordham: Building-services engineering consultancy with building-physics, low-energy and Passivhaus-related expertise. Its integrated engineering and sustainability services overlap directly with Etude's building simulation and low-energy design work.

Broad incumbents

• Buro Happold: Global engineering and design consultancy with sustainable-building, energy and building-physics expertise. It is a broad incumbent operating at much larger scale and across similar built-environment projects.
• Cundall: Multidisciplinary engineering consultancy with building-services, physics, energy and sustainability capabilities. It is a broad engineering peer to Etude's low-energy design and building-performance work.
• Arup: Global engineering and design firm with extensive low-carbon buildings, building-physics, energy and climate-advisory work. It overlaps with Etude's technical sustainability and policy-facing built-environment services.
• WSP: Global engineering and professional-services firm with sustainable-buildings, energy and building-performance capabilities. It is a broad incumbent comparable on target customers and decarbonisation projects, but is not Passivhaus-specialist.
• Stantec: Global design and engineering consultancy serving buildings, energy, infrastructure and sustainability clients. It competes for related low-carbon building and advisory work, although Etude is more specialized in Passivhaus and housing policy.

Emerging players

• Architype: Architecture practice specialising in low-energy and Passivhaus design, with direct overlap in the sustainable built-environment project ecosystem. It is a useful product and category peer, although it competes more on architectural design than engineering certification.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/etude-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/etude_lego

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 Etude