CHALLENGE

Keen to partner with an energy specialist with shared values, Omnicom appointed Kinect Energy Group as their total energy solutions provider. With a diverse and evolving property portfolio and unique energy requirements, Omnicom required support in the following key areas: procurement, invoice assurance, and carbon compliance.

OVERVIEW

Omnicom was looking for a way to optimize their complex, multisite procurement process. But also needed to keep cost and consumption under control, whilst remaining compliant with the ever changing EU and regional regulations.

SOLUTION

With an annual electricity bill of approximately £3m, Omnicom wanted to reduce their overall costs and streamline energy procurement. Kinect successfully extracted £100,000 in incremental fixed cost savings through a comprehensive procurement exercise. This final contract then enabled Kinect’s trading team to also capture the benefits of a prevailing fall in wholesale prices. And, through forensic bill auditing, identified and rectified more than £50,000 in incorrect charges and overpayments.Kinect also delivered Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) Phase 1 compliance to protect against financial and reputational penalties, identify energy, cost and carbon emission savings. Kinect manage Omnicom’s mandatory participation in the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) legislation, ensuring all reporting, carbon purchase, and allowance surrender deadlines are met annually, safeguarding against the stringent penalties imposed for non-compliance. After a deep-dive energy audit within Omnicom HQ for the first phase of ESOS, Kinect engineers identified that the site-wide uninterruptible power supplies and backup generating facilities could be employed to support the National Grid’s Demand Side Response (DSR) programme. DSR supports the nation’s transmission system during times of high stress; guaranteeing generation capacity when margins are tight; and reduces the need for investment in new, large, infrequently used generating plants. Kinect worked with Omnicom to prepare and enable Omnicom to take advantage of the programme, offering them the ability to manipulate the quantity of power drawn from the grid when UK demand is high. Offering flexibility to the country’s transmission system to support with grid balancing provides Omnicom with an additional revenue stream. Whilst the setup required to provide flexibility also allows for load reduction during times of high cost such as the TRIAD periods, substantially reducing invoiced electricity costs.