Public Sector
Energy Strategy for Councils and Public Sector Estates
Independent feasibility, investment-grade business cases and Green Book appraisals. No supplier ties, no framework conflicts, no commercial pressure to recommend the wrong answer.
30 minutes, no obligation.
Energy Projects That Fail at Financial Scrutiny, Not at the Technology Stage
Most councils have declared a climate emergency. Most have net zero targets. Most have car parks, roofs and buildings that could be generating revenue or cutting electricity costs.
What's missing isn't ambition. It's an evidence base that survives committee.
Officers are asked to recommend projects to cabinet with payback numbers that don't hold up, business cases built on optimistic self-consumption assumptions, and feasibility studies written by the same firm that wants to install the kit. The result is either a project that stalls at approval, or one that gets built and quietly underperforms.
Independent advice, proper Green Book appraisal and honest commercial modelling are what turn a good idea into a funded project.
Deliverable. Commercial. Independent.
Feasibility That Stands Up to Scrutiny
Solar carport, rooftop, battery storage and EV charging feasibility. Hourly generation matched to half-hourly consumption. Self-consumption modelled from real data, not rules of thumb. Constraints register covering planning, structural, grid and operational risks.
Business Cases Built for Committee
30-year financial appraisal using HM Treasury Green Book methodology at 3.5% real discount rate. Unlevered NPV, IRR and simple payback. Sensitivities on electricity prices, degradation and export tariffs. Everything your finance team needs to challenge or approve.
Procurement That Protects Value
Specification drafting, tender management and bid evaluation. Contract review, redlines and commissioning sign-off. Value-for-money evidence packs aligned with PSDS reporting and audit requirements.
Recent Work: Surrey District Council, Six Car Parks
A district council in Surrey now has an evidence-based plan to install up to 1,782kWp of solar carports across six car parks, generating around 1,575MWh a year and avoiding 308 tonnes of CO2e annually.
Three sites sat next to council buildings with year-round electricity demand. The other three were remote car parks running little more than lighting and CCTV. Same technology brief, two completely different commercial models.
The strongest case returned a nine-year payback and a 30-year NPV above £500,000 on a solar-only basis. The remote sites shifted from marginal to viable under a fixed-rate export PPA, with further upside identified through sleeved PPA structures and behind-the-meter EV charging integration.
The lesson generalises. Council estates rarely have one right answer. A mixed estate of offices, leisure centres, depots and car parks needs the right technology matched to the right site, and a business case that holds across the portfolio.
The council now has the evidence base to prioritise sites, secure capital and move to procurement.
Framework Consultants, Installer-Led Advice, and Why Neither Works
Most council energy advice comes through one of two routes. Framework-appointed consultants, often bundled with delivery contractors, where independence is structurally compromised. Or installer-led "free" feasibility work, where the answer is decided before the study begins.
Neither survives proper challenge. Framework advice often lacks commercial specificity. Installer studies usually overstate self-consumption and understate risk.
Tipio Energy is deliberately outside both. We have no ties to installers, OEMs, utilities or financiers. We take no referral fees. Our only commercial interest is giving you advice that's right for your council, your estate and your 30-year view.
Built Around Public Sector Procurement, Not Against It
- Procurement compliance: we can work under existing frameworks or direct commission within PCR thresholds.
- Audit-ready outputs: every assumption sourced, every sensitivity tested, every risk registered.
- Report structures aligned to committee papers and funding applications (PSDS, Salix, UKSPF where relevant).
- Clear scope, fixed fee, defined deliverables. No open-ended hours, no scope creep.
Free Energy Opportunity Assessment for Councils
We're offering a free 30-minute energy opportunity assessment for councils. It covers the estate as a whole, not one asset in isolation.
Ahead of the call we'll do a desktop review covering:
- Rooftop solar potential across council-owned buildings (offices, leisure centres, depots, libraries, community buildings)
- Car park solar carport potential where the footprint supports it
- Indicative battery storage co-location opportunities
- EV charging integration with on-site generation
- Three to five priority sites flagged across the portfolio
On the call we'll walk you through what we've found, and you'll get a written one-page follow-up within 48 hours.
No obligation, no sales pitch, no supplier pass-throughs. If there's a case to take forward, we'll tell you. If there isn't, we'll tell you that too.
Prefer to send a message first? Get in touch via our contact page.
About Tipio Energy
Tipio Energy is an independent UK commercial energy consultancy, founded by Todd Hill after 25+ years in low carbon energy. We work with councils, NHS trusts, universities and private sector organisations across the UK to reduce energy costs, accelerate decarbonisation and build business cases that get funded.
Deliverable. Commercial. Independent.