Which Industries Should Energy Brokers Target?

Identifying the best industries for energy brokers to target can help brokers focus their new-business activity on organisations with significant commercial electricity and gas requirements.

Not every business represents the same opportunity. A small office may have relatively straightforward energy requirements, while a manufacturer, hotel group or multi-site retailer could have much greater consumption and more complex procurement needs.

Potential industries for energy brokers to target include:

• Manufacturing
• Food manufacturing and processing
• Engineering
• Hospitality
• Care homes
• Healthcare
• Retail
• Wholesale
• Warehousing
• Transport and logistics
• Leisure
• Automotive
• Property
• Education
• Agriculture

The best sectors will depend on the type and size of customers your brokerage wants to win. Industry should therefore be combined with factors such as company size, premises, number of locations and likely energy consumption.

Start with Your Existing Customers

Your existing customer base can provide a useful starting point when deciding which industries to target.

Analyse your strongest customers by:

• Industry
• Employee numbers
• Turnover
• Number of sites
• Type of premises
• Energy requirements
• Contract value
• Length of relationship
• Profitability

Look for patterns.

If manufacturers consistently generate strong commercial opportunities, for example, finding similar manufacturing businesses could be more productive than entering a completely unfamiliar sector.

Consider Likely Energy Consumption

Energy brokers should consider the activities taking place within a business rather than targeting companies purely because they belong to a particular industry.

Businesses may have higher energy requirements because they operate:

• Production machinery
• Refrigeration
• Heating systems
• Commercial kitchens
• Air conditioning
• Large warehouses
• Multiple premises
• Extended operating hours
• Energy-intensive equipment

These characteristics can help identify potentially attractive prospects within individual sectors.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing can be one of the most obvious markets for commercial energy prospecting.

Manufacturers may operate:

• Production lines
• Machinery
• Heating systems
• Ventilation
• Lighting
• Warehouses
• Offices

Potential target businesses include:

• Machinery manufacturers
• Metal manufacturers
• Plastics manufacturers
• Packaging manufacturers
• Furniture manufacturers
• Chemical manufacturers
• Electrical equipment manufacturers
• Building product manufacturers

Manufacturing is also a broad market that can be divided into individual subsectors for more focused prospecting.

Food Manufacturing and Processing

Food manufacturing and processing businesses can have substantial electricity and gas requirements.

Energy may be required for:

• Refrigeration
• Freezing
• Cooking
• Heating
• Production
• Packaging
• Cleaning
• Storage

Potential prospects include:

• Food manufacturers
• Bakeries
• Meat processors
• Dairy businesses
• Drinks manufacturers
• Prepared food producers
• Cold storage operators

The combination of production and temperature-controlled environments can make this an interesting sector for commercial energy brokers.

Engineering

Engineering companies can operate machinery, workshops, production facilities and warehouses.

Potential prospects include:

• Precision engineers
• Mechanical engineering companies
• Fabrication businesses
• Electrical engineering companies
• Industrial engineering companies
• Component manufacturers

As with manufacturing, employee numbers, turnover and premises can help distinguish smaller workshops from potentially larger commercial energy users.

Hotels

Hotels can have substantial energy requirements because many operate throughout the day and night.

Energy may be used for:

• Guest rooms
• Heating
• Hot water
• Kitchens
• Restaurants
• Bars
• Leisure facilities
• Lighting
• Laundry

Larger hotels and hotel groups can therefore represent potentially valuable commercial energy prospects.

Multi-site operators may be particularly relevant.

Restaurants and Hospitality

The wider hospitality sector can also provide opportunities.

Potential businesses include:

• Restaurants
• Pubs
• Bars
• Event venues
• Conference centres
• Catering businesses

Commercial kitchens, refrigeration, heating and extended opening hours can all contribute to energy requirements.

Targeting larger operators or businesses with multiple locations can help brokers focus on potentially stronger opportunities.

Care Homes

Care homes can be an attractive target market because facilities commonly operate 24 hours a day.

Energy requirements may include:

• Heating
• Hot water
• Lighting
• Kitchens
• Laundry
• Medical equipment
• Communal facilities

Potential prospects include:

• Independent care homes
• Nursing homes
• Residential care providers
• Multi-site care groups

Groups operating several facilities may provide particularly interesting opportunities for energy procurement.

Healthcare

Private healthcare organisations can also operate energy-intensive premises.

Potential prospects include:

• Private hospitals
• Medical centres
• Clinics
• Dental groups
• Specialist healthcare facilities

The strength of the opportunity will vary considerably according to the type and size of premises.

Targeting should therefore go beyond simply identifying businesses as healthcare providers.

Retail

Retail contains a very large number of UK businesses, but energy requirements vary significantly.

Potentially stronger prospects can include:

• Supermarkets
• Large retailers
• Department stores
• Retail chains
• Convenience store groups
• Multi-site retailers

Energy may be required for:

• Lighting
• Heating
• Refrigeration
• Air conditioning
• Warehousing
• Customer facilities

Multi-site retail groups can be particularly relevant because they may have energy requirements across numerous locations.

Wholesale

Wholesalers can operate substantial warehouses, distribution centres and offices.

Potential target markets include:

• Food wholesalers
• Electrical wholesalers
• Building material wholesalers
• Industrial wholesalers
• Automotive wholesalers
• General distributors

Businesses using refrigeration or operating large warehouse facilities may have particularly significant energy requirements.

Warehousing

Warehousing and storage businesses can provide another identifiable commercial market.

Energy requirements may include:

• Lighting
• Heating
• Refrigeration
• Automation
• Material handling systems
• Offices
• Security systems

Cold storage facilities may have particularly high electricity requirements.

Brokers can use company size and business activity to separate larger facilities from smaller storage operations.

Transport and Logistics

Transport and logistics businesses may operate:

• Warehouses
• Distribution centres
• Depots
• Offices
• Vehicle facilities
• Workshops

Some businesses also operate multiple locations.

Potential targets include:

• Haulage companies
• Distribution businesses
• Logistics providers
• Freight companies
• Courier businesses

The size and nature of the premises can help determine whether an organisation is likely to represent a suitable energy prospect.

Leisure

Leisure businesses can have significant energy requirements, particularly where heating, lighting, water or specialist facilities are involved.

Potential prospects include:

• Gyms
• Health clubs
• Leisure centres
• Swimming pools
• Sports facilities
• Entertainment venues
• Holiday parks

Some facilities may operate for long hours and use substantial amounts of energy throughout the year.

Automotive

Automotive businesses can provide another potential target audience.

These include:

• Car dealerships
• Dealer groups
• Commercial vehicle dealers
• Garages
• Bodyshops
• Vehicle repair centres
• MOT centres

Larger dealerships and multi-site automotive groups may operate showrooms, workshops, offices and other facilities across several locations.

Property Companies

Property businesses can be relevant where they manage energy requirements across commercial buildings or portfolios.

Potential prospects include:

• Commercial property companies
• Property management businesses
• Serviced office providers
• Business centres
• Commercial landlords
• Managing agents

The responsibility for purchasing energy can vary considerably depending on lease structures and how individual buildings are managed.

This makes careful qualification important.

Education

Educational organisations can operate large buildings with significant heating and electricity requirements.

Potential prospects include:

• Independent schools
• Colleges
• Training centres
• Private education providers
• Multi-site education groups

Larger campuses and organisations operating several locations may represent stronger commercial opportunities.

Agriculture

Some agricultural businesses can have significant energy requirements.

Potential prospects include:

• Poultry farms
• Dairy farms
• Indoor growing operations
• Food production sites
• Agricultural processing businesses
• Large farming enterprises

Energy consumption can vary considerably between different agricultural activities, so more detailed targeting may be required.

Target Multi-Site Businesses

Multi-site organisations can be particularly interesting to energy brokers.

Potential examples include:

• Hotel groups
• Care home groups
• Retail chains
• Restaurant groups
• Automotive dealer groups
• Leisure operators
• Property businesses
• Logistics companies

These businesses may have energy contracts across several locations.

That can create more complex procurement requirements and potentially increase the overall commercial value of the account.

Consider the Type of Premises

Industry classification alone doesn’t tell you everything about a prospect.

Two businesses within the same industry can have completely different energy requirements.

Consider whether the company operates:

• Factories
• Warehouses
• Commercial kitchens
• Hotels
• Workshops
• Retail stores
• Distribution centres
• Care facilities
• Large offices
• Multiple locations

Premises can provide important additional context when prioritising prospects.

Use Employee Numbers

Employee numbers can help energy brokers identify businesses of an appropriate scale.

Potential targeting bands include:

• 10 to 19 employees
• 20 to 49 employees
• 50 to 99 employees
• 100 to 249 employees
• 250+ employees

Employee numbers are not a direct measure of energy consumption, so they should not be used alone.

However, combining employee size with industry and business type can help refine the target audience.

Use Turnover

Turnover provides another way to identify larger organisations.

Potential targeting criteria might include:

• £1 million+ turnover
• £5 million+ turnover
• £10 million+ turnover
• £50 million+ turnover

Again, turnover doesn’t necessarily correspond directly with energy consumption.

A relatively small manufacturing company may use considerably more energy than a much larger office-based professional services firm.

Use turnover alongside industry, premises and other business characteristics.

Identify the Right Decision-Makers

Once you’ve selected target industries, identify the people responsible for commercial energy procurement.

Potential contacts include:

• Business Owners
• Managing Directors
• Finance Directors
• Financial Controllers
• Operations Directors
• Procurement Directors
• Procurement Managers
• Facilities Managers
• Estates Managers
• Energy Managers
• Sustainability Managers

The most relevant role will depend on company size and structure.

Match Decision-Makers to Business Size

Within smaller businesses, energy purchasing may sit with:

• Business Owner
• Managing Director

Within medium-sized organisations, relevant contacts could include:

• Finance Director
• Financial Controller
• Operations Director
• Facilities Manager

And within larger organisations, you may need to target:

• Procurement
• Facilities
• Estates
• Energy Management
• Sustainability
• Finance

This can help ensure your campaign reaches people who are actually involved in commercial energy decisions.

Build Industry-Specific Prospect Lists

Rather than creating one large database of UK businesses, build separate lists around your priority industries.

For example:

Manufacturing Campaign

Target:

• Manufacturers
• 50+ employees
• £5 million+ turnover
• Finance Directors
• Operations Directors

Hotel Campaign

Target:

• Hotels and hotel groups
• Larger premises
• Multi-site operators
• Finance Directors
• Procurement Managers

Care Home Campaign

Target:

• Care homes
• Nursing homes
• Multi-site care groups
• Finance Directors
• Operations Directors

This gives each campaign a clearly defined audience.

Create Industry-Specific Messaging

Different sectors should not necessarily receive the same sales message.

A manufacturer may be interested in commercial energy procurement for production facilities.

A hotel group may have different concerns around multiple sites, heating and electricity usage.

A care provider may operate facilities continuously throughout the year.

Industry-specific messaging allows your outreach to reflect these differences.

Consider Contract Value

The largest number of prospects doesn’t necessarily represent the best target market.

Consider the potential commercial value of customers within each sector.

Factors might include:

• Likely consumption
• Number of meters
• Number of sites
• Contract complexity
• Business size
• Long-term customer potential

A smaller prospect audience containing higher-value energy users may be more commercially attractive than a much larger audience of low-consumption businesses.

Consider How Easy the Industry Is to Identify

Some target markets can be identified relatively easily using B2B data.

Examples include:

• Manufacturers
• Hotels
• Care homes
• Warehouses
• Logistics companies
• Retailers

You can then refine these businesses by employee numbers, turnover, geography and decision-maker role.

The ability to accurately identify a sector makes it easier to build scalable outbound campaigns.

Build Lookalike Audiences

Your strongest existing clients can help identify additional target sectors and businesses.

For example, suppose your best customers are:

• Food manufacturers
• 50 to 200 employees
• £10 million+ turnover
• Operating substantial production facilities

You could build a list of similar UK food manufacturers.

This gives your prospecting strategy a starting point based on existing customer performance.

Test Several Industries

You don’t need to commit your entire sales strategy to one industry immediately.

Test several promising sectors.

For example:

• Manufacturing
• Hotels
• Care homes
• Warehousing
• Logistics

Compare the opportunities generated by each.

This can help determine which industries deserve greater sales and marketing investment.

Identify Contract Renewal Timing

Industry targeting tells you who to approach.

Contract timing can help determine when to approach them.

Where possible, identify:

• Electricity contract renewal
• Gas contract renewal
• Current supplier
• Existing broker
• Next review date

A strong prospect with a known future renewal date can be more valuable than a company that has not been qualified.

Build Renewal Pipelines by Industry

Once renewal information is available, prospects can be grouped by both sector and timing.

For example:

• Manufacturers renewing within three months
• Hotels renewing within six months
• Care homes renewing within 12 months
• Logistics businesses with unknown renewal dates

This creates a more structured approach to prospecting.

Measure Results by Industry

Don’t judge an industry purely by response rates.

Track commercial results such as:

• Decision-makers reached
• Contract renewal dates identified
• Qualified opportunities
• Quotations
• Contracts won
• Average customer value
• Retention

You may discover that one sector produces fewer leads but significantly larger contracts.

Refine Your Target Industries

Campaign results can help you gradually identify your strongest markets.

You may find that:

• Manufacturers generate higher-value opportunities
• Hotels create strong multi-site opportunities
• Care groups provide consistent energy requirements
• Logistics businesses are easier to qualify
• Retail groups produce larger multi-location accounts

Use these findings to adjust your prospecting strategy.

You can learn more about our Lead Generation for Energy Brokers services.

Summary

The best industries for energy brokers to target are generally those containing businesses with significant, complex or multi-site commercial energy requirements.

Manufacturing, food production, engineering, hospitality, care homes, retail, warehousing, logistics and leisure can all provide potential opportunities.

However, industry should not be used in isolation. Combine it with company size, turnover, premises, number of locations and decision-maker targeting to identify stronger prospects.

Most importantly, measure which industries generate qualified opportunities and valuable customers. This allows your brokerage to gradually concentrate its prospecting resources on the sectors producing the strongest commercial results.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best industries for energy brokers to target?

Potential sectors include manufacturing, food production, engineering, hospitality, care homes, retail, warehousing, logistics and leisure.

Which businesses use the most commercial energy?

Energy requirements vary considerably, but businesses operating production machinery, refrigeration, heating, commercial kitchens, warehouses or multiple sites can have significant electricity or gas requirements.

Are manufacturers good prospects for energy brokers?

Manufacturers can be attractive prospects because production facilities may use substantial amounts of electricity and gas. Requirements vary significantly between different types of manufacturing.

Are multi-site businesses good prospects for energy brokers?

They can be. Hotel groups, retailers, care groups, restaurant groups and other multi-site organisations may have energy requirements across several locations.

How should energy brokers identify larger prospects?

Industry, employee numbers, turnover, type of premises and number of sites can all help identify businesses with potentially larger commercial energy requirements.

Who should energy brokers contact?

Potential decision-makers include Business Owners, Managing Directors, Finance Directors, Operations Directors, Procurement Managers, Facilities Managers, Estates Managers and Energy Managers.

Should energy brokers target several industries?

Yes. Testing several suitable sectors and measuring the commercial results can help identify which markets provide the strongest opportunities.

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

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