"I’ve over 500 sites to manage so getting an accurate picture of energy consumption is absolutely vital."
Chris Varker is responsible for energy management at Torbay County Council. With the Council providing essential services to over 100,000 people in South Devon, Chris's role covers a variety of buildings. From schools to care homes, car parks to beach huts, Chris keeps a watchful eye over their energy needs.
“We use British Gas Business for both gas and electricity” says Chris. “I collate energy usage data throughout the day using their online account management service.”
“I track accounts, submit up-to-date meter readings and pass figures on for accurate invoicing.”
“I can also extract information from the British Gas Business online service to our own database and analyse consumption data for different buildings at different times. The figures can be used for EPBD (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive) certificates as well, so it kills two birds with one stone really.”
Expert energy management
“Utility costs are a big budgetary pressure for local government. So it’s my job to manage energy across the different sites as smoothly and efficiently as possible.”
“If I’ve got a query about our gas or electricity consumption, I know I can pick up the phone and call Michelle, our Account Manager. Her team is quick to resolve any issues and if necessary pass me on to the relevant resources within British Gas Business.”
“Michelle is always my first point of contact. She keeps me informed of what’s going on, even for things like new connections or meter installations where she’s not directly involved.”
“British Gas Business usually helps us with 3 or 4 new connections a year and we’re gradually replacing old style meters too. The next step will be to move to Smart Meters and get live, accurate readings from different locations so we can improve billing accuracy and spot usage patterns.”
“Any tools helping with energy management, such as Smart Meters, will really add value.”
Find out more about our Products & Services
Jane Parnell, The Fox Hotel
Read my story now
Noam Bleicher, British Gas Business
Read my story now
