Green energy switch: E-Merge makes it affordable and reliable for firms | City & Business | Finance

As companies look to reap the advantages of renewable energy and EV charging, the E-Merge Group is aiming to be their greenest link, reliably navigating their transition with bespoke and affordable end-to-end solutions.

Founded by transport and business strategy experts Charlotte Ward and Marc Haley in Leeds last year, strong demand for its services has prompted expansion with a second office in Northampton, and expectations of a £1million plus turnover in its first year.

Catering primarily for commercial clients helping them with informed decisions, the company now operates three, specifically targeted divisions.

E-Merge Renewables covers solar PV and battery storage with support on how to achieve energy resilience and demand flexibility, E-Merge EV provides customised charging systems and E-Merge Power Infrastructure offers solutions that reduce dependency on the grid or support energy demand increases when required.

The group can also advise about heat pumps and complementary measures such as LED lighting and destratification fans that prevent wasted heat.

In a technically complex, fast changing but fragmented market with its share of misselling and poor workmanship horror stories, “many businesses don’t know where to start,” says Ward.

“We saw a gap we could fill with an all-encompassing energy and EV specialist acting with integrity. Transition in a hugely complex field involves many variables and liaison from supply capabilities and particular site demands to all the different hardware. Whether it is one property or a solar farm, we arrange and project manage the whole thing from design to installation.”

E-Merge’s sub-contractors are heavily vetted and have the highest industry accreditations while the company itself is signed up to the Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC).

“We make everything as a transparent and simple as possible,” Haley explains. “By delivering profit for purpose we help clients reduce energy costs with technologically advanced, sustainable alternatives that are affordable and revolutionise their credentials.”

The process looks at each business as a whole, assessing what is achievable in terms of supply, usage and purchasing options. “Biggest is not always the best, for instance optimising a smaller solar system can be more effective,” explains Ward.

“When a project has been completed clients know exactly what they have and how it operates. They get a pack with all the suppliers and guarantees, no one is uncontactable and relationships are long term.”

Now with clients in areas ranging from haulage and health to property and the public sector, recent installations include an Iveco truck business franchise. “This four-site project was completed within six weeks of order, with payback from two to three years,” says Ward. Another for financier JP Morgan involved 12 BP Pulse AC charging stations achieved in four days.

Recognition from the education sector lags behind however, “yet this is a sector full of potential,” she adds. E-Merge is now developing its first product, a box using telematics technology to monitor battery health and the next step say Ward and Haley is to grow its nation-wide footprint “using local businesses with the same ethos as us”. www.emerge-renewables.com