Utility Aid and TEAM began working together in April 2011, and during the first year have recouped £230,000 on utility charges through services provided to organisations from the UK charity sector. Utility Aid provides the opportunity for hundreds of charities in England, Scotland, Wales and Eire, to receive an industry specific professional energy procurement service.

Utility Aid supports charities in the UK by ensuring that their utility spend is accurate. Investigating potential billing errors, assessing current supplier tariffs, negotiated rates and more, allows Utility Aid to avoid overcharges on energy costs on behalf of their customers and help them make better purchasing decisions. With 21 staff supporting their customers, Utility aid has grown rapidly since starting up in 2002 and is now an official energy partner of the Charities buying Group. Saving money and reducing energy use for their clients are not the only aims of Utility aid. They also provide flexible employment opportunities and training for ex-military personnel, the disabled and the long term unemployed, who can move into the role of Energy Efficiency Managers.

TEAM and Utility Aid joined forces in 2011. William Campbell, national Sales Director at Utility Aid said, “We chose TEAM as a way forward in supporting our remote workers. Previously we’ve undertaken the bill validation ourselves in-house, but we felt having a partner on board would enhance our offering to clients. Working with TEAM allows for a more robust service to the charity sector that we that we represent. By working with TEAM Bureau we can speed up the process which helps our clients energy efficiency.

Responsible for setting up partnerships to benefit customers, William ensures the ongoing streamlining of service offerings to Utility Aid’s customers. William Campbell goes on to explain how the relationship works, “We have Energy Efficiency managers who collate all the client information, take care of contract management and ensure that the utility bills are sent to TEAM for validation. TEAM supplies us with a report, which highlights any issues, and Utility Aid liaise directly with the utility supplier to resolve any problems on the client’s behalf.”