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Engineering before technology

A clear energy plan before you commit capital.

Understand where energy is costing your business, what could constrain your growth and which investments deserve priority. Bring your site’s energy use, infrastructure and future plans into one engineering-led decision process.

For commercial sites and estates. Scope, fees and timing agreed before work begins.

One operation, connected energy decisionsA conceptual commercial site connects operating demand and controls with onsite generation, battery storage and its grid connection. These are assessment areas, not a proposed installation.StorageGrid connectionOnsite generationOperating demand& controlsSITE ASSESSMENTILLUSTRATIVE · NOT A SYSTEM DESIGN
The whole site, connected.Energy decisions follow the needs of your operation.

Selected organisations

Current & Previous Clients

The strip also pauses on hover and while the pause control has keyboard focus. With reduced motion, every logo is shown in a static layout.

  • Dobbies Garden Centres, current TEE client
  • Pret, current TEE client
  • Vilgain, current TEE client
  • Willerby, earlier work with Craig
  • Chicken Shop, earlier work with Craig
  • Topshop, earlier work with Craig
  • HITIO Gym, earlier work with Craig
  • LSN Diffusion, earlier work with Craig
  • in-toto kitchens, earlier work with Craig
  • Wallis, earlier work with Craig
  • Richardson, earlier work with Craig
  • boohoo.com, earlier work with Craig
  • Stonegate Pub Company, earlier work with Craig
  • Evans, earlier work with Craig
  • La Tasca, earlier work with Craig
  • Burton, earlier work with Craig
  • Arcadia Group Limited, earlier work with Craig
  • Miss Selfridge, earlier work with Craig
  • BHS, earlier work with Craig
  • Mothercare, earlier work with Craig
  • Siemens, earlier work with Craig
  • Three Counties Water, earlier work with Craig
  • KB Wilde Consulting, earlier work with Craig

The Energy Engineers

Start with the business decision.

Rising operating costs. A planned expansion. Competing proposals for new equipment. The Energy Engineers helps owners, finance directors and estates teams turn those questions into an engineering brief. We connect demand, infrastructure and commercial priorities so you can decide what to investigate, what to invest in and what can wait.

Meet The Energy Engineers
Outdoor tables and planters beside a timber-clad café
Outdoor café seating at a garden centre.

Operating cost

Where is energy eroding margin?

Investigate consumption, operating patterns and existing systems to identify avoidable expenditure and the evidence needed to act.

Capacity & growth

Can the site support your plans?

Assess new equipment, refrigeration, charging or expansion alongside existing demand. Identify infrastructure and connection checks before committing capital.

Capital decisions

Which investment deserves priority?

Compare measures against the same baseline. Examine costs, dependencies and delivery risks before specifying equipment or accepting a proposal.

Three stages of engineering support

Diagnose the problem. Plan the investment. Support delivery.

Start at the stage your business needs. Each engagement has an agreed scope, outputs, fees and programme; an initial enquiry helps establish the right starting point.

Discuss your next step
  1. 01

    Commercial Energy Diagnostic

    Understand the decisions that matter. Review available energy data, operating priorities and planned changes to identify opportunities, constraints and the further engineering work needed.

  2. 02

    Whole-Site Energy Blueprint

    Turn the findings into an investment plan. Assess efficiency, infrastructure, generation and storage together, compare their commercial implications and set out a practical sequence for delivery.

  3. 03

    Independent Owner’s Engineering

    Keep technical decisions aligned with your business case. Agree engineering support to review specifications, assess proposals and examine delivery evidence through procurement and implementation.

Technology follows the business case

The right options for the whole site.

An energy audit, feasibility assessment or equipment proposal should answer a business question. Our engineering work connects the relevant disciplines before you choose a solution.

01

Energy management & controls

Understand demand and reduce unnecessary use.

Review equipment schedules, controls, maintenance and the needs of different parts of the operation. Protect safety, stock conditions and business requirements when considering changes.

  • When and where is energy being used?
  • Which controls or operating routines deserve a closer look?
02

Capacity & electrification

Plan around changing electricity needs.

Assess existing demand alongside plans for new equipment, heating, vehicle charging or buildings. Consider the electrical infrastructure and connection constraints before committing to expansion.

  • What will change in the business?
  • What capacity and connection checks are needed?
03

Onsite generation

Solar PV, wind and CHP, matched to your operation.

Compare solar PV, wind and combined heat and power against the needs of your site. Solar depends on usable space and the generation you can use. Wind needs a suitable wind resource, location and permissions. CHP produces electricity and useful heat together, so the timing and scale of heat demand are central to its assessment. Consider other generation options where relevant, with planning, grid connection, fuel, maintenance, whole-life costs and carbon performance assessed for each proposal.

  • When could the site use the electricity and any useful heat?
  • Which resource, property, planning and connection checks are needed?
04

Battery storage & flexibility

Give storage a defined operating purpose.

Assess the role of storage against demand, tariffs, controls, losses and full operating costs. Specify backup separately where it is required, and keep any trading scenario distinct from bill savings.

  • What would the battery do, and when?
  • How would costs, controls and responsibilities work?
05

Funding & ownership

Compare what you pay and what you commit to.

Consider capital purchase and funded arrangements using the actual proposed terms. Review ownership, ongoing payments, maintenance, roof rights and what happens when the arrangement ends.

  • What are the customer’s costs over the whole term?
  • Who owns, operates and maintains the equipment?

A closer look · Garden centres

Protect margin across the whole garden centre.

Shop floors, cafés, growing areas and seasonal trading need a joined-up energy plan. Identify avoidable use, test capacity for future changes and compare investment priorities across one centre or an estate.

Explore garden-centre energy
Orchids and foliage in front of garden centre retail displays
Plants and merchandise on a garden centre shop floor.

Commercial & industrial sites

Your operating challenge sets the brief.

Refrigeration costs, production expansion, vehicle charging and estate-wide investment call for different answers. Start with the decision facing your business, then assess the demand, infrastructure and site constraints behind it.

Find your sector

Ownership & funding

Compare the commitment as well as the cost.

The right commercial route depends on the project and the business. Assess purchase and funded options against the same demand assumptions and comparison period.

Read the solar purchase and PPA guide

Capital purchase

Pay for the system using the business’s funds or separate finance. Include financing, maintenance, insurance and replacement costs where applicable, and confirm the ownership and operating responsibilities.

Funded onsite PPA

A provider typically owns the system and sells electricity under a power purchase agreement. A proposal may reduce upfront equipment cost, while creating ongoing payments and contractual obligations.

Availability and terms depend on site suitability and agreement. Compare price changes, purchase obligations, roof rights, maintenance, transfer and end-of-term arrangements in the actual offer.

Before the next step

A few useful starting questions.

Understand the scope, evidence and next steps before commissioning work.

What happens when we request a diagnostic?

Tell us about your site and the decision you need to make. We review the enquiry and discuss an appropriate scope, outputs, fees and timing. Submitting the form does not book a meeting or commission engineering work.

Do we need to commission all three stages?

The starting point depends on your project and the evidence already available. You may need an initial diagnostic, a whole-site investment plan or engineering support for a proposal already in progress. We agree the work needed for your situation.

Will the diagnostic guarantee savings or extra grid capacity?

No. It identifies what merits investigation and what evidence is needed. Savings depend on site-specific analysis and delivery; connection capacity and approvals need confirmation with the relevant network operator.

Is the starting point always solar?

Start with energy use, operating needs and site constraints. Our generation expertise includes solar PV, wind and CHP, alongside efficiency, infrastructure and storage. The assessment establishes which options are worth comparing for your business.

Could CHP or wind suit our site?

CHP needs a useful heat demand that aligns with electricity generation and operating hours. Wind depends on the local wind resource, exposure, available space, planning and grid connection. We assess technical fit, operating costs and carbon performance alongside alternatives before recommending a route.

What information is useful for an initial energy conversation?

A broad picture of the site, its operations and priorities helps establish the questions. Further assessment may use a year of energy bills, interval electricity data where available, building information and future plans.

Can we plan across several sites?

A consistent information pack can help compare priorities across an estate. Each site still needs its own demand, property and connection review before a proposal is developed.

Can a funded project mean no upfront equipment purchase?

Some arrangements may reduce or remove that purchase cost, subject to suitability and agreement. They can still involve energy payments, other charges and long-term obligations. Check the actual proposed terms.

Would a battery keep the business running during a power cut?

Backup needs to be an explicit design requirement. Identify the essential loads, duration and acceptable interruption, then verify the proposed equipment and configuration. Battery storage alone does not establish backup capability.

What should we check before accepting a proposal?

Check its demand and generation assumptions, costs, payments, operating responsibilities, permissions, connection requirements and measurement plan. Compare alternatives against the same baseline and keep forecasts distinct from measured performance.

Your next energy decision

What needs to change for your business?

Tell us about your site, the challenge you face and any planned changes. We’ll review the information and discuss the engineering work that would help you decide.

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