The Virtual Energy Manager service supports ongoing energy management through regular review, technical assistance and executive reporting. It helps turn site data into a prioritised improvement program and track what changes over time.
We provide you with access to the skills of an experienced energy management team without the associated costs. We assist you and your management teams to set and achieve energy productivity goals, comply with energy or greenhouse gas regulations, and create and implement a program of works.
What's Included
Virtual Energy Manager customers benefit from Northmore Gordon's specialist consultancy services for a fixed annual fee including the following as standard:
Regular schedule
Accountability
Motivation
5 hours per month per site access to phone support from any member of the Northmore Gordon team
What are the key benefits of Northmore Gordon's Virtual Energy Manager service?
The Virtual Energy Manager service combines weekly accountability calls, 5 hours per month of technical phone support, monthly in-person site visits, and executive reporting into a fixed-fee package. The service guarantees quick wins within three months and shares risk and rewards over the program's life. This integrated approach turns energy assessments into ongoing operational improvement by maintaining consistent focus on implementation, monitoring performance changes, and adjusting strategies based on real operating conditions rather than one-time audit findings.
How does the Virtual Energy Manager service support ongoing energy management?
The service establishes continuous responsibility and accountability through weekly calls, routine monthly visits, and regular progress reporting. This aligns with energy-management principles of assigning ownership, maintaining an opportunity register, reviewing performance measures, and closing the loop after changes. By embedding a dedicated consultant into your team's routine, the service ensures that energy decisions are implemented, staff understand new procedures, and performance is checked against forecasts—converting one-time opportunities into sustained improvements.
What should organizations expect from the monthly visits under Virtual Energy Manager?
Each monthly site visit involves one full day of in-person work during which the Northmore Gordon consultant gathers data, discusses emerging opportunities with your operational teams, and attends relevant meetings. This routine schedule builds familiarity with your site's actual constraints, equipment behavior, and organizational context. The visits support the evidence gathering and opportunity identification that underpin energy audits while maintaining continuity with implementation work, making it easier to separate technical merit from funding eligibility and to track whether completed projects deliver their forecast benefits.
How does Northmore Gordon provide technical support under the Virtual Energy Manager program?
Customers receive 5 hours per month of phone access to any member of the Northmore Gordon team, with questions answered within 48 hours. This support covers any energy-related topic without predetermined scope boundaries. The accessible, responsive support model encourages teams to raise real operational questions—such as unexpected bill changes, equipment concerns, or measurement uncertainties—rather than waiting for formal investigations. This practical engagement helps identify problems early and supports the decision ownership and measurement discipline that energy management systems require.
What does the executive support component of Virtual Energy Manager include?
Executive support comprises monthly progress reports, attendance at stakeholder meetings as required, and a monthly improvement score per site. These outputs help management track whether energy opportunities are being implemented, understand business benefits alongside consumption changes, and maintain visibility of the program's contribution to organizational objectives. This reporting approach separates energy consumption from operating context, allowing stakeholders to interpret performance changes accurately rather than misinterpreting external factors as efficiency improvements or deterioration.
Why is a fixed annual fee structure important for the Virtual Energy Manager service?
The fixed-fee model aligns our commercial interest with sustained performance improvement rather than transaction volume. By committing to a fixed price for weekly calls, technical support, site visits, and reporting, the service encourages genuine implementation and accountability. This contrasts with project-based pricing that ends once equipment is installed. The risk-and-reward sharing arrangement further incentivizes the consultant to identify realistic opportunities, verify actual savings, and address barriers to implementation—supporting the business case building and measurement discipline that energy projects require.
How does Virtual Energy Manager help identify and prioritize energy opportunities?
Through routine monthly visits and ongoing team engagement, the service gathers real operating data, discusses equipment performance with staff, and builds an opportunity register that tracks each proposal's boundary, evidence quality, implementation dependencies, and next decision. This continuous approach avoids the common problem where a one-time audit produces a long list that becomes outdated as operating conditions change. By maintaining regular contact, the consultant can update assumptions, test feasibility before major commitments, and separate ideas from assessed options, helping management make informed investment decisions aligned with actual operational constraints.
Can the Virtual Energy Manager service support measurement and verification of energy savings?
Yes. The routine data gathering, monthly visits, and technical support provide a foundation for establishing baselines, monitoring performance post-implementation, and investigating unexpected changes. By maintaining regular contact with operational teams and tracking relevant variables over time, the service helps establish the pre- and post-project conditions needed for credible savings verification. This supports both internal performance tracking and formal certificate schemes that require baseline documentation, implementation records, and measurement boundaries to be established before or during early project stages.
How does Northmore Gordon's Virtual Energy Manager integrate with broader energy optimization services?
The Virtual Energy Manager provides the ongoing management layer that turns one-time energy audits into sustained performance improvement. It maintains the opportunity register, assigns ownership, reviews performance measures, and closes the loop after changes—aligning with energy-management best practice. Where deeper analysis is needed, the service can commission targeted feasibility studies, investment cases, or measurement-and-verification projects, with the ongoing relationship providing the project context and continuity necessary for informed decisions. This tiered approach allows organizations to match assessment depth to real business decisions rather than committing to comprehensive audits before understanding their priorities.
