How to Identify Businesses With High Energy Usage
Identifying businesses with high energy usage can help energy brokers focus their prospecting on organisations that are more likely to have substantial commercial electricity or gas requirements.
Actual energy consumption is not always visible before speaking to a business. However, brokers can use a combination of industry, company size, premises, business activities and number of locations to identify companies that are more likely to be significant energy users.
Useful indicators can include:
- Industry
- Type of premises
- Manufacturing or production activity
- Refrigeration requirements
- Operating hours
- Employee numbers
- Turnover
- Number of sites
- Size of facilities
- Energy-intensive equipment
Combining several of these indicators can provide a much stronger prospecting strategy than simply targeting large businesses.
Table of contents:
Start with Industry
Industry is one of the simplest ways to identify businesses that may have higher energy requirements.
Potential sectors include:
- Manufacturing
- Food production
- Engineering
- Cold storage
- Hospitality
- Care homes
- Healthcare
- Retail
- Warehousing
- Leisure
- Automotive
- Agriculture
However, businesses within the same industry can have very different energy requirements.
Industry should therefore be treated as the starting point rather than the only targeting criterion.
Look for Manufacturing and Production Businesses
Manufacturing can provide energy brokers with a large potential prospect market.
Manufacturers may use energy for:
- Production machinery
- Heating
- Cooling
- Ventilation
- Compressed air
- Lighting
- Processing
- Packaging
- Warehousing
Potential targets include:
- Metal manufacturers
- Plastics manufacturers
- Machinery manufacturers
- Packaging manufacturers
- Chemical manufacturers
- Furniture manufacturers
- Building product manufacturers
- Electrical equipment manufacturers
The nature of the manufacturing process can be more important than employee numbers alone.
Identify Food Manufacturers
Food production can involve several energy-intensive processes.
These can include:
- Refrigeration
- Freezing
- Cooking
- Baking
- Heating
- Cooling
- Cleaning
- Packaging
- Cold storage
Potential businesses include:
- Bakeries
- Meat processors
- Dairy producers
- Drinks manufacturers
- Prepared food manufacturers
- Frozen food companies
- Food processing businesses
Businesses operating production facilities alongside cold storage may be particularly relevant prospects.
Look for Cold Storage and Refrigeration
Continuous refrigeration can be a useful indicator of significant electricity requirements.
Potential prospects include:
- Cold storage operators
- Food wholesalers
- Food manufacturers
- Supermarkets
- Distribution centres
- Hospitality businesses
- Temperature-controlled logistics companies
These organisations may require refrigeration throughout the day and night.
When combined with large premises or multiple locations, this can indicate a potentially stronger commercial energy opportunity.
Target Businesses Operating Large Premises
The type and scale of premises can provide another useful indication of energy requirements.
Potential sites include:
- Factories
- Warehouses
- Distribution centres
- Hotels
- Hospitals
- Care facilities
- Leisure centres
- Large retail stores
- Commercial kitchens
- Workshops
Larger premises may require more energy for heating, lighting, ventilation and other building services.
However, floor space alone doesn’t determine consumption. The activities taking place within the building are equally important.
Look at Operating Hours
Businesses operating for long periods can have higher energy requirements than companies following standard office hours.
Examples include:
- Hotels
- Care homes
- Hospitals
- Manufacturing plants
- Distribution centres
- Convenience stores
- Leisure facilities
- Some food production businesses
Businesses operating 24 hours a day may require continuous:
- Heating
- Lighting
- Refrigeration
- Machinery
- IT systems
- Ventilation
- Hot water
Operating patterns can therefore provide useful context when prioritising prospects.
Identify Businesses Using Commercial Kitchens
Commercial kitchens can require substantial amounts of electricity and gas.
Potential prospects include:
- Hotels
- Restaurants
- Catering companies
- Care homes
- Hospitals
- Event venues
- Large educational establishments
Energy may be required for:
- Cooking
- Refrigeration
- Freezing
- Extraction
- Dishwashing
- Hot water
- Heating
Larger facilities and multi-site operators can be particularly interesting prospects.
Look for Businesses Using Heavy Machinery
Industrial machinery can be another indicator of potentially significant energy consumption.
Relevant businesses can include:
- Manufacturers
- Engineering companies
- Metal fabricators
- Printing companies
- Packaging businesses
- Automotive businesses
- Industrial processing companies
The number and type of machines will affect actual consumption, but industrial operations can provide a useful prospecting signal.
Consider Heating Requirements
Some businesses require significant heating throughout their premises.
Examples include:
- Hotels
- Care homes
- Hospitals
- Leisure facilities
- Schools
- Large offices
- Warehouses
- Manufacturing facilities
Heating requirements can be particularly important when identifying potential commercial gas customers.
The age, size and efficiency of the premises can also affect consumption.
Consider Cooling and Air Conditioning
Cooling requirements can also contribute significantly to electricity usage.
Potential businesses include:
- Hotels
- Offices
- Data centres
- Retail premises
- Leisure facilities
- Manufacturing plants
- Healthcare facilities
Businesses with extensive cooling, ventilation or air-conditioning requirements may be worth prioritising for further qualification.
Identify Multi-Site Businesses
The total energy requirement of a business may be spread across several locations.
Potential multi-site prospects include:
- Hotel groups
- Care home groups
- Retail chains
- Restaurant groups
- Automotive dealer groups
- Leisure operators
- Logistics companies
- Property businesses
An individual site may not appear particularly large, but the combined energy requirements across an estate can create a significant commercial opportunity.
Consider the Number of Locations
When researching a business, look for evidence that it operates:
- Multiple branches
- Multiple warehouses
- Several production facilities
- A portfolio of hotels
- Several care homes
- Multiple retail stores
- Regional depots
The number of sites can sometimes be more useful than employee numbers when assessing potential energy requirements.
Use Employee Numbers as a Proxy
Employee numbers can help indicate business scale.
Possible targeting bands include:
- 20 to 49 employees
- 50 to 99 employees
- 100 to 249 employees
- 250+ employees
However, employee numbers should not be treated as a direct measure of energy usage.
A highly automated factory with 40 employees could potentially consume more energy than an office business employing hundreds of people.
Use employee numbers alongside industry and premises information.
Use Turnover as an Additional Filter
Turnover can provide another indication of company scale.
For example, energy brokers could target:
- £1 million+ turnover
- £5 million+ turnover
- £10 million+ turnover
- £50 million+ turnover
Again, turnover does not directly determine energy usage.
Its value comes from combining it with other characteristics.
A £20 million manufacturer operating a production facility may be more relevant than a £20 million professional services company occupying offices.
Consider Energy Intensity, Not Just Business Size
Large companies aren’t automatically high energy users.
Consider what the company actually does.
An organisation may have relatively few employees but operate:
- Industrial machinery
- Refrigeration
- Production equipment
- Heating systems
- Large warehouses
- Data infrastructure
Conversely, a larger office-based company may have relatively straightforward energy requirements.
This is why industry and business activity should remain central to prospect selection.
Look for High Electricity Users
Businesses potentially using significant electricity can include those operating:
- Machinery
- Refrigeration
- Freezers
- Air conditioning
- Electric heating
- Data infrastructure
- Automated warehousing
- Production equipment
- Extensive lighting
Potential industries include manufacturing, food production, retail, warehousing and leisure.
Look for High Gas Users
Businesses with substantial heating or production requirements may also be significant commercial gas users.
Potential examples include:
- Food manufacturers
- Hotels
- Care homes
- Manufacturing plants
- Commercial kitchens
- Leisure facilities
- Large commercial buildings
Gas requirements will vary considerably depending on the processes and heating systems used at individual premises.
Identify Data Centres and Technology Infrastructure
Some technology operations can have significant electricity requirements despite not resembling traditional industrial businesses.
Data centres may require continuous energy for:
- Servers
- Networking equipment
- Cooling
- Ventilation
- Security systems
- Backup infrastructure
This makes them a potentially interesting specialist market for brokers able to serve their energy procurement requirements.
Consider Hotels and Hospitality
Hotels can have significant energy requirements due to the combination of:
- Guest rooms
- Heating
- Hot water
- Kitchens
- Refrigeration
- Lighting
- Laundry
- Leisure facilities
Hotels may also operate around the clock.
Larger hotels and hotel groups can therefore be particularly useful prospects to investigate.
Consider Care Homes
Care homes commonly operate 24 hours a day and may require continuous energy for:
- Heating
- Hot water
- Lighting
- Kitchens
- Laundry
- Equipment
- Communal areas
Care groups operating multiple facilities may represent larger commercial opportunities.
Consider Leisure Businesses
Some leisure facilities can have significant energy requirements.
Potential prospects include:
- Swimming pools
- Leisure centres
- Health clubs
- Gyms
- Spas
- Holiday parks
- Entertainment venues
Swimming pools and facilities with extensive heating, hot water and ventilation requirements can be particularly relevant.
Consider Retail Businesses
Energy requirements across retail vary considerably.
Potentially stronger prospects include:
- Supermarkets
- Food retailers
- Department stores
- Large retail stores
- Multi-site retailers
- Convenience store groups
Refrigeration, lighting, heating and long opening hours can contribute to higher energy consumption.
Consider Warehousing and Distribution
Warehouses can range from relatively low-energy storage buildings to highly automated or temperature-controlled facilities.
Look for businesses operating:
- Cold storage
- Automated warehouses
- Large distribution centres
- Temperature-controlled storage
- Multiple depots
Understanding the activity within the warehouse is therefore important.
Look for Business Expansion
Growth can indicate changing energy requirements.
Potential signals include:
- New factories
- New warehouses
- Additional branches
- New hotels
- New care facilities
- Larger premises
- Acquisitions
- Expanded production
These developments do not necessarily mean the company is currently looking for a new energy broker, but they can help identify businesses worth researching.
Build a High-Energy-Usage Prospect Profile
Rather than using one targeting criterion, combine several.
For example, a prospect profile could be:
- Food manufacturer
- 50+ employees
- £5 million+ turnover
- Production facility
- Refrigeration requirements
- UK-based
Another could be:
- Hotel group
- Multiple locations
- 100+ employees
- Commercial kitchens
- 24-hour operations
This provides a much stronger basis for prospecting than simply targeting “large companies”.
Build a Targeted Prospect List
Once you’ve defined the characteristics you want, build a database of matching businesses.
Useful information can include:
- Business name
- Contact name
- Job title
- Telephone
- Postal address
- Website
- Industry
- Employee numbers
- Turnover
- Postcode
You can then add additional research and qualification information as prospecting develops.
Identify the Right Decision-Makers
Within potential high-energy-usage businesses, relevant contacts may include:
- Business Owners
- Managing Directors
- Finance Directors
- Financial Controllers
- Operations Directors
- Procurement Directors
- Procurement Managers
- Facilities Managers
- Estates Managers
- Energy Managers
- Sustainability Managers
The appropriate contact will depend on company size and how energy procurement is managed internally.
Use Telemarketing to Qualify Energy Usage
B2B data can help identify businesses that are likely to have significant energy requirements.
Telephone qualification can then help establish more specific information.
Depending on the conversation, this might include:
- Who manages energy procurement
- Number of sites
- Current energy arrangements
- Whether a broker is used
- Contract renewal timing
- Whether there is interest in reviewing options
This can help separate potentially valuable prospects from businesses that only appeared suitable based on initial targeting.
Identify Contract Renewal Dates
High energy usage alone does not make a business an immediate opportunity.
Timing matters.
Where possible, identify:
- Electricity renewal date
- Gas renewal date
- Current supplier
- Existing broker
- Next review date
A high-usage business with an approaching renewal may deserve significantly greater priority than one that has recently entered a new contract.
Build a Renewal Pipeline
Once contract timing is known, prospects can be organised into groups such as:
- Renewal within three months
- Renewal within six months
- Renewal within 12 months
- Longer-term opportunity
- Renewal unknown
This allows your sales team to combine potential energy usage with buying timing.
Prioritise the Strongest Prospects
You can create simple prospect tiers.
Tier 1
Businesses displaying several strong indicators, such as:
- Energy-intensive industry
- Large premises
- Multiple sites
- Significant company size
- High potential consumption
- Approaching contract renewal
Tier 2
Businesses that appear suitable but require further qualification.
Tier 3
Businesses that meet broader criteria but have fewer indicators of substantial energy usage.
This helps sales teams concentrate their time on potentially stronger accounts.
Don’t Assume Every High-Usage Business Is a Good Prospect
High consumption is only one part of the opportunity.
Also consider:
- Whether you can serve the organisation
- Contract complexity
- Supplier relationships
- Existing broker relationships
- Procurement structure
- Contract timing
- Commercial value
The objective is to find businesses that combine meaningful energy requirements with a realistic opportunity for your brokerage.
Measure Which Indicators Produce the Best Customers
As your prospecting develops, compare results.
You may discover that:
- Food manufacturers generate larger opportunities
- Multi-site businesses have greater contract values
- Hotels are easier to qualify
- Care groups create longer-term opportunities
- Larger manufacturers produce stronger conversion
Use these findings to refine future targeting.
Build Lookalike Audiences
Once you know which customers perform well, find similar businesses.
For example, if your strongest customers are:
- Manufacturers
- 100+ employees
- Multiple premises
- Significant production activity
you can identify other UK businesses matching those characteristics.
This allows your prospecting strategy to become increasingly based on the types of companies already producing commercial value.
You can learn more about our Lead Generation for Energy Brokers services.
Summary
Identifying businesses with high energy usage requires more than simply looking for large companies.
Industry, premises, production activity, refrigeration, operating hours, equipment, employee numbers, turnover and number of locations can all provide useful indicators.
Manufacturers, food processors, hotels, care homes, cold storage operators, leisure facilities, retailers and other energy-intensive businesses can provide strong prospecting opportunities.
Combine these characteristics to identify likely high-energy users, then qualify the businesses to establish decision-makers, actual requirements and contract renewal timing.
This creates a more focused prospecting strategy and helps energy brokers concentrate their sales activity on businesses with stronger commercial potential.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which businesses typically have high energy usage?
Potential high-energy users include manufacturers, food processors, cold storage operators, hotels, care homes, leisure facilities, large retailers and businesses operating substantial or multiple premises.
How can energy brokers identify high-energy-usage businesses?
Useful indicators include industry, premises, production processes, refrigeration, operating hours, employee numbers, turnover and number of sites.
Does employee size indicate energy consumption?
It can provide an indication of business scale, but it should not be used alone. A small industrial business may consume more energy than a much larger office-based company.
Are multi-site businesses good prospects for energy brokers?
They can be. Multiple locations can increase overall energy requirements and create more complex procurement requirements.
Which industries are likely to use significant amounts of electricity?
Manufacturing, food processing, cold storage, retail, data centres, warehousing and some leisure businesses can have substantial electricity requirements.
Which businesses may have significant commercial gas requirements?
Manufacturers, food producers, hotels, care homes, commercial kitchens and businesses with substantial heating requirements may be relevant prospects.
Who should energy brokers contact within high-energy-usage businesses?
Relevant decision-makers can include Finance Directors, Operations Directors, Procurement Managers, Facilities Managers, Estates Managers and Energy Managers.
Data & Lead Generation Services
RD Marketing provides bespoke B2B data lists and fully managed lead generation services to help businesses build pipeline and drive revenue growth. These include:
- Automated Email Campaigns
- LinkedIn Automation
- Industry Databases
- Job Role Databases
- Email Lists
- Telemarketing Data
- Direct Mail Data
Follow the links above or get in touch for more information – [email protected] / +44 191 406 6399
