Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
Website: https://www.utilitywise.com/
Utilitywise was a British energy consultancy and brokerage firm that played a significant role in the UK energy services market in the 2010s. Founded in 2006 by Geoffrey Thompson in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, the company originally operated as Commercial Utility Brokers before rebranding as Utilitywise a few years after its launch. It quickly grew by helping commercial and public‑sector customers manage their energy and water contracts, aiming to secure competitive supply deals and reduce costs for businesses across the UK and Europe. At its peak in the mid‑2010s, Utilitywise employed hundreds of staff and had a market valuation above £200 million after listing on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) in 2012, with one high‑profile investor holding nearly a third of its shares.
Utilitywise wasn’t just about contract brokering; it developed proprietary tools and services intended to give clients deeper insight into their energy use. For example, the company launched platforms that analysed consumption data from meters and provided tailored reports with recommendations to improve efficiency and cut waste. It also expanded its portfolio through acquisitions — notably buying Energy Intelligence Centre (EIC) in 2013 for £15.5 million and integrating additional technology services like T‑Mac Technologies. This broadened its capabilities into areas such as energy management systems and intelligent building monitoring.
Despite its rapid growth and ambitious strategy, Utilitywise encountered serious financial and operational difficulties towards the end of the decade. Challenging market conditions, accounting issues related to revenue recognition, and losses in parts of its business made continued independent operation untenable. In early 2019 the firm sought additional investment and explored a sale, but the attempts to secure the necessary capital failed. This resulted in the company entering administration in February 2019, leading to the immediate loss of a large portion of its workforce and the cessation of trading in its enterprise division.
Following its collapse, parts of Utilitywise’s business were sold off. The Monarch Partnership, an energy consultancy group, acquired the Energy Intelligence Centre (EIC) and T‑Mac Technologies divisions later in 2019, preserving expertise and services from those segments under new ownership. Although Utilitywise itself no longer operates and its original AIM listing has been closed, its legacy remains through these successor businesses and the impact it had on the way many UK organisations approach energy procurement and management.
Overall, Utilitywise’s story is one of rapid rise and fall — a company that capitalised on growing demand for outsourced energy services, expanded ambitiously, but ultimately could not sustain profitability in a volatile market environment.