From provider to partner: why energy advice needs to change.

What does it really mean to make a good energy decision today?

For many organisations, energy used to be a relatively straightforward and contained issue. You secured supply, managed budgets, and reviewed contracts periodically. While never simple, it was something that could often be handled alongside other responsibilities.

But that context has changed. Energy decisions now sit at the centre of cost control, operational resilience, compliance, and long-term strategy. Prices remain volatile, non-commodity costs are rising, regulation continues to evolve, and Net Zero commitments add another layer of complexity. In this environment, the challenge for organisations is no longer just buying energy, but making confident, joined-up decisions within a system that is constantly changing.

A decision-making challenge, not a buying one.

Organisations today are not lacking access to energy suppliers, products and pricing options. Instead, what they increasingly struggle with is understanding the full, long-term implications of the decisions they are asked to make.

That’s because energy choices rarely exist in isolation, so a single procurement decision can have a knock-on effect on participation in other schemes and initiatives. A short-term cost saving, seen initially as a win, could create longer-term compliance or reporting challenges. When decisions are taken in silos, risk increases rather than decreases.

This is also where the traditional model of energy advice starts to show its limits. Advice that focuses on a single dimension, most often price, can miss the wider consequences. In a complex market, partial insight can actually be more dangerous than no insight at all.

Why the old approach no longer fits

The pace of change in the energy market makes it unrealistic for most organisations to keep track of every development internally. Regulatory adjustments, shifts in non-commodity costs, changes to incentives and market mechanisms all have a direct bearing on total energy cost and risk exposure.

Simultaneously, internal teams are under pressure. Finance, estates, and operations leaders are being asked to do more with less, while managing issues that sit well beyond their original remit. Expecting them to hold deep, specialist energy expertise on top of everything else is neither fair nor effective.

It’s important to note, this is not a failure of capability, but a reflection of how complex the system has become.

What a true decision partner brings

In this context, the value of an energy consultant is no longer about access to markets alone. The real value lies in acting as a decision partner.

A true decision partner brings specialist knowledge that is current, continually updated, and applied daily. They’ll look across the whole system and all its interconnected elements, not just individual contracts or assets. They’ll test decisions against wider impacts, from compliance and reporting to long-term strategy and risk. And, crucially, they help leadership teams understand not just the options available, but the trade-offs that will be present when combining them effectively.

This broader perspective reduces surprises by allowing organisations to see the knock-on effects of decisions before they happen, rather than having to deal with the consequences later down the line. A cheaper option may undermine eligibility for a scheme, or a short-term fix may restrict future flexibility. Without a full appraisal of the wider context, these downstream outcomes are easy to miss.

Energy strategy works best when it is treated as a connected system, where procurement, assets, data, and decarbonisation are all interlinked. When they are considered together, energy becomes more predictable and controllable.

The role of data, tools and experience.

Speed and accuracy matter. Consultants bring tools, data, and benchmarks that allow analysis to happen quickly and based on evidence rather than assumptions, which supports better decisions without adding further strain to internal teams.

Experience, of course, plays a critical role. Having seen how policies, prices, and programmes interact over time allows advisors to anticipate issues and opportunities earlier; this foresight becoming increasingly valuable as non-commodity costs continue to rise and shape overall energy bills.

Just as the energy market has changed in recent years, so too has the growing importance of forward planning. Understanding what is changing, why it is changing, and how material the impact could be, is now essential.

Scenario planning allows organisations to explore what is within their control, what is not, and where action will deliver the most value. This is particularly important as cost pressures intensify and energy decisions have a more direct impact on financial resilience. But not all advice is created equal, and generic recommendations rarely deliver lasting value. What makes the difference is insight that is grounded in an organisation’s own data, operations, and objectives, because every one is unique and will have specific requirements and operational considerations. This level of tailoring depends on trust, honesty, and continuity. The most effective consulting relationships are those where conversations can be open, trade-offs can be discussed, and advice can evolve as circumstances change.

Reframing the role of energy advice

All this means that in today’s market, the role of your energy consultant needs to be reframed, from that of an intermediary which helps you organisation to purchase energy, to one of a partner working alongside you to make better decisions.

Shifting from a transactional approach to a partnership mindset with your energy consultant is, arguably, one of the most powerful ways you can unlock the potential within your energy strategy. As the system continues to present turbulence and complexity, choosing an experienced co-pilot means better cost management, reduced risk, and greater confidence in being able to land your energy approach.

By Maureen Bray, Managing Director at Equity Energies