Property & Multi-Site Utility Management

Managing properties is complicated enough without having to deal with multiple energy suppliers every time something changes.

Orbital can become your central utility contact.

Depending on your requirements, we can help manage:

• Electricity supplies
• Gas supplies
• Commercial water
• MPANs
• MPRNs
• SPIDs
• Current suppliers
• Energy contracts
• Contract end dates
• Renewal dates
• Meter information
• Consumption
• Utility bills
• Billing disputes
• Change of tenancy
• Vacant properties
• New properties
• Properties leaving the portfolio
• Metering and site works
• Re-energisation
• Supplier communication

Instead of each property becoming a separate utility problem, we help you manage the portfolio as a whole.

One of the biggest problems with multi-site utilities is simply keeping track of everything.

A property portfolio can contain dozens or hundreds of meters, each with different suppliers, account numbers, contract terms and renewal dates.

Orbital can help create and maintain a clearer picture of your utility estate.

For each property or supply, this can include information such as:

• Property address
• Electricity MPAN
• Gas MPRN
• Water SPID
• Meter serial number
• Current supplier
• Contract start date
• Contract end date
• Renewal date
• Annual consumption
• Current rates
• Account information
• Occupancy status
• Tenant information where relevant
• Outstanding issues
• Site works
• Next action required

This gives you greater visibility over what needs attention today and what needs action in the future.

Change of tenancy can be one of the biggest sources of utility problems within a property portfolio.

When a tenant moves in or out, suppliers need the correct information so responsibility for future energy charges can be established.

Orbital can help coordinate the utility side of tenant changes.

This may include:

• Tenant move-ins
• Tenant move-outs
• Landlord responsibility periods
• Vacant properties
• Opening meter readings
• Closing meter readings
• Supplier notification
• Change-of-tenancy documentation
• Establishing existing suppliers
• New tenant contracts
• Landlord supply arrangements
• Resolving incorrect occupancy information

Where authorised, Orbital can communicate with suppliers and help manage the process.

When a commercial property becomes vacant, electricity and gas accounts still need to be managed.

A vacant site may still have:

• Standing charges
• Deemed or out-of-contract rates
• Existing meters
• Supplier accounts
• Previous tenant issues
• Meter-reading requirements
• Re-energisation requirements
• De-energisation requirements

Orbital can help establish the utility position and identify what action may be required while the property is vacant.

When a new tenant moves in, we can also help manage the next change of tenancy.

When a new property enters your portfolio, we can help establish its utility position.

This may include identifying:

• Electricity supply
• Gas supply
• Water supply
• Current suppliers
• MPANs and MPRNs
• Existing contracts
• Meter information
• Current occupancy
• Outstanding utility issues
• Contract end dates

Where required, we can then help arrange new contracts, manage change-of-tenancy requirements or coordinate metering and site works.

The property can then be added to your wider Orbital utility portfolio.

When a property is sold, transferred or leaves your management, the utility accounts also need to be dealt with correctly.

Orbital can help identify what information suppliers require and support the closure or transfer process where authorised.

This may include:

• Final meter readings
• Change-of-tenancy information
• Supplier notifications
• Closing account information
• New owner or managing-agent details where appropriate
• Outstanding billing issues

Keeping proper records when properties leave the portfolio can also help reduce future disputes about responsibility for charges.

Multi-site organisations can inherit properties with completely different electricity and gas arrangements.

Orbital can review each supply individually and help establish:

• Current supplier
• Existing contract
• Contract end date
• Current rates
• Annual consumption
• Renewal position
• Out-of-contract supplies

When contracts become available for renewal, we can compare business electricity and gas options through our supplier panel.

Where appropriate, we can also explore opportunities to make the portfolio easier to manage in future through:

• Aligning contract end dates
• Consolidating suppliers
• Coordinating renewals
• Grouping appropriate sites
• Improving visibility of future procurement requirements

The aim is not simply to arrange the next contract.

It's to make future utility procurement easier to manage.

Within a large property portfolio, it can be easy for a supply to reach the end of its contract without being noticed.

Properties acquired from another owner or occupied between tenants may also end up on deemed or out-of-contract arrangements.

Orbital can help identify supplies that may require attention and review the options available.

This is another reason why maintaining accurate contract end dates across the portfolio is so important.

One incorrect bill is frustrating. Across multiple properties, it becomes a major administrative problem.

Orbital can help investigate utility billing issues across your portfolio.

Problems may include:

• Incorrect meter readings
• Estimated bills
• Incorrect contract rates
• Unexpected standing charges
• Incorrect VAT
• Climate Change Levy queries
• Historic billing
• Incorrect occupancy information
• Duplicate accounts
• Unexpected adjustments
• Incorrect meter information
• Bills relating to previous tenants

Where something appears wrong, we can investigate and, where authorised, communicate directly with the supplier on your behalf.

Properties regularly change.

Meters may need installing, removing, upgrading or re-energising.

Orbital can help coordinate:

• New meter installations
• Meter exchanges
• Smart meters
• Half-hourly metering
• Meter removals
• Re-energisation
• De-energisation
• New connections
• Supply capacity enquiries
• DNO liaison
• Supplier liaison
• Meter operator coordination

For property managers, this means you don't need to work out which industry organisation is responsible every time a problem appears.

Tell Orbital what needs doing and we'll help establish the next step.

 Water is often managed separately from electricity and gas, creating another set of suppliers, account numbers and bills.

Orbital can help incorporate commercial water into the wider utility-management process.

Depending on the portfolio, this may include:

• Identifying water supplies
• SPID information
• Current retailer
• Billing enquiries
• Contract review
• Consumption
• Change of tenancy
• Multiple-site water accounts

This helps provide a more complete view of the utilities attached to each property.

Your team can contact Orbital when:

• A tenant moves out
• A new tenant moves in
• A bill looks wrong
• A new property is acquired
• A property is sold
• A contract needs renewing
• A meter needs changing
• A site is disconnected
• A supplier needs chasing
• A water account needs reviewing
• Nobody knows who currently supplies the property

You tell us what's happening.

We help work out what needs to happen next.

Our Property & Multi-Site Utility Management service can support organisations including:

Support with utility administration across managed property portfolios.

Help managing landlord supplies, vacant units, tenant changes, contracts and utility issues.

Central utility management for businesses operating across multiple branches, offices or premises.

Utility management across multiple shops, restaurants, pubs, hotels or other locations.

Managing utility information across multiple healthcare, pharmacy or care sites.

Supporting organisations responsible for several buildings and utility accounts.

Helping centralise utilities across schools, offices and other managed locations.

Your portfolio may start with only a few properties.

Or it may contain hundreds of supplies.

Either way, we can build the utility-management service around what you actually need.

You might ask Orbital to help with:

Procurement only

or:

Procurement + renewals + COTs

or:

Full utility portfolio support

The level of support can be discussed based on the size, complexity and requirements of your organisation.

One Orbital relationship instead of repeatedly dealing with different supplier departments.

Understand which properties, meters, suppliers and contracts you are responsible for.

Keep important contract dates visible before they become urgent.

Our relationship doesn't end when an energy contract is signed.

Where authorised, we'll communicate with suppliers and other utility organisations on your behalf.

Utility management designed around the constant changes that happen within property portfolios.

Technology helps us organise information, but our customers can still speak directly to people who understand their account.

You don't need a huge property portfolio to use Orbital Utility Management.

Whether you manage:

2 properties

20 properties

200 properties

or more, the principle remains the same.

Bring the utility information together.

Identify what needs action.

Keep track of what happens next.

And have one company to call when something changes.