Opus Energy, a leading independent supplier of electricity to UK businesses, has expanded its portfolio of smart meter providers through a new partnership with Stark. The deal will help Opus Energy continue to fulfil its commitment to its business customers by providing smart meters free of charge. The Stark contract, along with existing IMServ and Bglobal plc agreements includes the delivery of electricity smart metering, remote data collection and meter operations for Opus Energy’s customers. Opus Energy is the first energy company to make smart meters available to all its customers free of charge. Smart meters allow businesses to proactively manage their electricity consumption, by providing accurate up to date meter readings. Customers can then choose to streamline their energy usage, saving costs and reducing their carbon footprint. Figures released by The Carbon Trust state that smart meter technology has the potential to save UK SMEs £300million every year. In addition, a possible 5.1 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved each year – equivalent to the entire carbon footprint of Bristol.

Charlie Crossley Cooke, Managing Director of Opus Energy said: “Our long term ambition is to ensure all our customers have smart meters installed and in order to do this we need to make sure we have the capacity at our fingertips. By expanding our portfolio of smart meter providers, we now have strengthened our ability to roll them out faster. Although we are the first company to make smart meters available to customers at no cost, we also want to make sure we maintain this competitive advantage. We anticipate the demand in smart meters will continue to increase, especially following the government’s recent support for this technology to be installed domestically throughout the UK.

Howard Stark, Managing Director at Stark said: “We recently extended our portfolio of accredited data collection services to include a smart metering service and are delighted that Opus Energy is one our first customers. We have a strong record of developing and marketing a range of innovative data management products that help organisations cut energy waste, reduce energy expenditure and meet their carbon reduction commitments. Introducing a smart metering market product was a natural step and we are excited to be rolling out our service to many of Opus Energy’s customers.” 

Opus Energy, the independent supplier of electricity to UK businesses, has recently signed Halfords, bringing the total number of UK business sites it supplies up to 50,000. Now the largest electricity supplier to UK businesses outside the Big Six, Opus Energy has expanded further in the last 12 months:

Halfords has entered into a two year contract with Opus Energy, with the supply starting in April 2009. Opus Energy will provide 52GWh to the bicycle and motoring specialist chain, across 440 sites. Opus Energy is attracting a growing number of large corporate customers through the development of a unique wholesale purchasing platform, Opus Evolution.

Opus Evolution gives companies control of their energy purchasing strategies, enabling them to choose how much energy they purchase and when. For example, in a volatile market companies using Opus Evolution have the flexibility to purchase a smaller percentage of their total energy demand over a number of purchases rather than being restricted to one buying opportunity per year. Opus Evolution offers an alternative to a fixed price contract for the first time to this sector,

Andy Taylor, Commercial Manager at Halfords said: “Opus Evolution will be a very useful tool for us. We can control our energy purchasing across the whole portfolio, but also monitor the consumption levels at each site using the online reporting tool. This is really key for us as a retail company with a large number of active sites to manage.”

Steve James, Commercial Director for Opus Energy said: “We’ve drawn on extensive retail sector experience to provide a tailored solution for Halfords. Opus Evolution will give Halfords control over their energy needs and projected spend, but we as a team can also help them on a day to day basis. They will benefit from a single point of contact at Opus to simplify account management, and as Halfords are a growing company we can help by quickly connecting new sites to their expanding portfolio.”

On the news that Opus Energy is now supplying 50,000 business sites across the UK, Charlie Crossley Cooke, MD and founder of Opus Energy said: “It’s fantastic to reach this landmark. Customers are our core business and we re-sign a very high number of our accounts as a result of a focus on excellent customer service. We’ve grown the Opus Energy business by listening to our customers’ needs and finding solutions. The Opus Evolution product is a great example of this – a unique answer to a market wide problem. It is this type of innovation which will help us continue to expand into 2009.”

Opus Energy: is a leading independent supplier of electricity offering tailor-made solutions for the UK SME and corporate markets. Its market-leading innovations are driven by customer needs and the company is committed to helping businesses reduce their carbon footprint through procurement of energy from cleaner sources. Opus Energy supplies 50,000 UK business sites across all sectors. Large customers include: Stagecoach, Thorntons, Farmfoods, FirstGroup, Cumbria County Council.

Over the last two years (between April 2006 and March 2008), 62% of the energy supplied by Opus Energy to its customers came from cleaner, low-carbon sources – 54% from renewable generators and 8% from cleaner Combined Heat and Power (CHP) produced by CHP generators. These CHP generators have been awarded accreditation by the regulator, Ofgem, for producing cleaner, more environmentally friendly power.

Opus Energy’s management team has a 50 percent stake in the business, while International Power Plc holds 30 percent and Telecom Plus Plc has 20 percent. With offices in Northampton and Oxford, it employs 200 people.

Shares surged in Lancashire-based Bglobal, which supplies smart meters to help businesses monitor their energy consumption and reduce their bills, after the company announced a £3m deal. Bglobal, which has its headquarters in Blackburn, said it had won a contract for meters and data collection services with Opus Energy, which supplies electricity to small and medium-sized firms and larger corporates. The news prompted a 5.2 per cent rise in Bglobal’s shares. They rose 2p to 40.5p. In a stock market statement, Bglobal said Opus was planning a fast rollout of the service and has begun installing the first batch of 5,000 meters. Tony Stiff, commercial director at Bglobal, said: “This contract provides further endorsement of the financial benefits and associated environmental advantages of using smart meters. “Opus Energy is taking an innovative approach by providing their meters for free and this represents a landmark agreement in the industry.” Opus has more than 40,000 customers, including Deloitte, Yell and Thorntons. It is based in Oxford and Northampton.

Northampton-based Opus Energy Ltd, a leading electricity supplier to small and medium size enterprises, has announced a £5 million upgrade programme that will see it provide new energy-saving smart meters free of charge to all its customers. The smart meters will enable Opus to take real-time meter readings remotely, saving the customer the hassle of needing to submit their own meter readings and ensuring that bills are more accurate than ever before. Figures released by The Carbon Trust state that smart meter technology has the potential to save UK SMEs £300m every year. In addition, a possible 5.1 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved annually. Charlie Crossley Cooke, managing director of Opus Energy, said: “This is a significant investment for us, but we feel strongly that when this type of technology is available, with so many benefits for our customers, it should be provided free of charge.”

Under fire electricity supplier Opus claims to be the first energy firm to install energy-saving Smart Meters for free to its small business customers. Opus said it will spend £5m rolling out Smart Meters at all outlets that want them from September. Smart Meters allow energy suppliers to access meter readings remotely. It comes as complaints continue to be made to the MA about the service and pricing levels charged by Opus. The accuracy of meter readings is one problem that licensees have pointed to. Opus said the Smart Meters will enable the company to take real-time meter readings remotely, saving the customer the hassle of needing to submit their own meter readings and ensuring that bills are more accurate. Charlie Crossley Cooke, managing director of Opus, said: “This is a significant investment for us, but we feel strongly that when this type of technology is available with so many benefits for our customers, it should be provided free of charge. Smart Meters will not only improve the accuracy of our customers’ bills, the technology will also save them time and money, with the added benefit of helping to reduce climate change. “ Figures released by The Carbon Trust state that Smart Meter technology has the potential to save the UK’s small and medium-sized businesses £300million every year. In addition, a possible 5.1 million tonnes of CO2 could be saved each year by using the systems. Crossley Cooke added: “Our customers told us that Smart Meters are a priority for their business, so we’ve listened and decided to provide them free of charge.”