Same Business. Similar Buildings. Very Different Energy Bills. What's Going Wrong?

Two hotels from the same group. Similar room numbers, comparable facilities and broadly the same operating hours.

Yet one consistently consumes significantly more energy than the other.

The same situation can arise across restaurant chains, leisure centres, retail estates and other multi-site businesses.

It is tempting to attribute the difference to building age, occupancy or equipment. And sometimes those factors explain it.

But not always.

The real question is whether the difference is justified—or whether one building is using energy it simply doesn't need.

For businesses managing multiple properties, understanding that distinction can reveal opportunities to reduce operating costs without immediately investing in new equipment.

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Why Similar Buildings Don't Always Perform the Same

On paper, two properties can appear almost identical.

Both may have similar heating systems, refrigeration equipment, lighting and opening hours. They may even operate under the same maintenance contracts.

However, how those systems are used can differ considerably.

For example:

• Heating schedules: One building's heating starts two hours before staff arrive. Another starts four hours before.
• Ventilation controls: One location has properly configured ventilation controls. Another runs its ventilation continuously.
• Refrigeration performance: One site's refrigeration equipment is maintained and operating efficiently. Another has deteriorating door seals, dirty condensers or unsuitable settings.
• Conflicting systems: One building's heating and cooling systems operate independently. Another has periods when they work against each other.
• Out-of-hours consumption: One site actively manages energy use outside business hours. Another has never examined its overnight energy profile.

None of these differences necessarily appears on an electricity bill.

Yet repeated across every day of the year, they can contribute to a substantial difference in operating costs.

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The Problem With Comparing Energy Bills Alone

Many organisations monitor energy costs by site.

This provides a useful financial overview, but it does not necessarily reveal how efficiently each building operates.

A hotel with higher occupancy will naturally use more energy than one with fewer guests. A restaurant serving twice as many customers may have greater cooking, refrigeration and ventilation demand.

Comparing total expenditure without considering these factors can lead to misleading conclusions.

A more meaningful assessment looks at several measures together:

1. Energy Consumption

How many kilowatt-hours does the site use, rather than simply how much does it spend?

2. Operating Conditions

How do occupancy, trading hours, weather and production volumes influence consumption?

3. Equipment Performance

Are heating, cooling, refrigeration and electrical systems operating as intended?

4. Out-of-Hours Demand

How much energy is being consumed when the building is closed or operating at reduced capacity?

5. Controls and Maintenance

Are systems correctly configured, maintained and regularly reviewed?

By examining these factors, organisations can begin separating unavoidable operational demand from potentially unnecessary consumption.

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What Could a Small Improvement Mean Across an Entire Estate?

Consider a hypothetical hospitality group operating 40 locations.

If a properly assessed and verified improvement reduced electricity consumption by 15,000 kWh per site annually, the estate-wide reduction would be:

600,000 kWh of electricity per year.

At an illustrative electricity cost of 22p per kWh, that equates to:

£132,000 in annual avoided electricity expenditure.

That is before considering any additional heating-related opportunities.

These figures are illustrative, not a forecast or guaranteed saving. The actual opportunity depends on each site's existing performance, energy tariffs, operational requirements and suitability for improvement.

The important point is that relatively modest, repeatable improvements can become commercially significant when applied across multiple locations.

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Why the Highest-Consuming Site Isn't Always the Best Place to Start

When reviewing an estate, it might seem logical to investigate the building with the largest energy bill first.

However, the highest-consuming site may already be operating efficiently relative to its size and activity.

Meanwhile, a smaller building could have avoidable consumption that is easier and less expensive to address.

This is why a useful energy improvement programme should consider more than total consumption.

It should establish:

1. Where the strongest evidence of avoidable waste exists.
2. Which improvements can be achieved through operational adjustments or maintenance.
3. Which opportunities require additional monitoring or investment.
4. How quickly an intervention could deliver a measurable benefit.
5. Whether a successful improvement can be replicated across other sites.

The objective is not necessarily to find the biggest project.

It is to identify the most commercially sensible starting point.

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From Individual Buildings to an Estate-Wide Improvement Programme

One of the advantages of managing multiple properties is the opportunity to learn from comparable sites.

An initial assessment may identify a control setting, operating practice or equipment issue worth investigating elsewhere.

However, repeating the same intervention without checking site conditions can be just as problematic as ignoring the opportunity altogether.

A change that works well in one building may not be suitable for another with different plant, occupancy or operating requirements.

A structured approach therefore involves:

• Assessing the opportunity: Understanding the building's current energy performance and identifying potential inefficiencies.
• Establishing a baseline: Recording consumption and relevant operating conditions before changes are made.
• Implementing improvements: Making suitable adjustments or introducing appropriate solutions.
• Verifying the outcome: Measuring performance after implementation to establish whether the expected improvement has been achieved.
• Considering wider implementation: Determining whether the results justify investigating similar opportunities across other locations.

This allows businesses to build an evidence-based programme rather than relying on generic savings assumptions.

It also provides finance and operations teams with clearer information when deciding where future investment should go.

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How Green Wing Energy Solutions Can Help

At Green Wing Energy Solutions, we help businesses understand what is happening behind their energy bills.

Our Onsite Discovery Assessment examines the equipment, controls and operating practices that influence energy consumption within commercial buildings.

The findings are developed into a Discovery Assessment Report and Roadmap, helping organisations distinguish practical operational improvements from opportunities that may require further investment.

For multi-site businesses, this approach can help identify:

• Which locations warrant closer attention.
• Where unnecessary energy consumption may be occurring.
• Which improvements can be achieved through better operational management.
• Where additional technology or investment may be appropriate.
• Whether successful improvements could be replicated across other sites.
• How proposed energy savings should be measured and verified.

Rather than recommending technology simply because it is available, we focus on establishing whether an intervention is appropriate for the individual site.

The aim is to help businesses make informed decisions, prioritise investment and achieve measurable improvements in energy performance.

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The Question Every Multi-Site Operator Should Be Asking

If two of your buildings perform differently, do you know why?

And more importantly, do you know whether that difference is costing your business more than it should?

Understanding the answer could be the starting point for a more effective energy management strategy across your entire estate.

Small inefficiencies may seem insignificant when viewed individually. Across dozens or hundreds of locations, however, their combined impact can become much more substantial.

The opportunity begins with understanding where energy is being used, where it may be wasted and what can realistically be improved.

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Start With a Clearer Picture of Your Energy Performance

If your organisation operates multiple commercial properties, Green Wing Energy Solutions can help you investigate potential inefficiencies and identify practical opportunities for improvement.

Through our Discovery Assessment and Roadmap, we help businesses move beyond assumptions and take a more structured, evidence-led approach to energy efficiency.

Contact Green Wing Energy Solutions to arrange an initial Energy Review and explore opportunities across your estate.

Website: https://greenwingenergysolutions.com

Arrange an Energy Review Start with a free 15-minute discovery call.