Gemserv has announced its purchase of the energy consultancy Ecuity Advisory for an undisclosed sum.
The Birmingham-based firm has clients across the private and public sectors, including government departments and trade associations, and is active in areas such as hydrogen, heating, energy efficiency and transport.
Its acquisition by Gemserv, which administers the Smart Energy Code as well as the Master Registration Agreement that is being merged with the Supply Point Administration Agreement to form the new Retail Energy Code, will create a combined group with around 220 staff and annual revenues of roughly £30 million.
The two companies are already working together on the government-funded Heat Networks Investment Project. Among other things, Ecuity also helps to run the Hydrogen Taskforce.
Gemserv chief executive Alex Goody said Ecuity will form half of its new low-carbon business unit comprising around 40 people in total: “In a market which is quite fragmented it gives us some scale. They will be fully merged into our business… They’re not going to be run as an arm’s length company.”
“Climate change is an existential threat to our way of life,” said Goody. “Organisations must adapt, bringing forward progressive policy and new business models, and acquiring Ecuity reinforces Gemserv’s position as a leader in supporting clients with the transition to net zero.
“We have been looking for the right match to meet our growth ambitions and to support our purpose of tackling social and environmental challenges. Ecuity is a great fit in terms of services, clients and the impact we want to have in transforming markets in the face of dangerous climate change”.
Ecuity partners James Higgins, Ilias Vazaios and Dave Sowden will all take up senior positions within the group. They said: “Becoming part of Gemserv offers an incredible opportunity to see evidence-based insight delivered through new transformational programmes and interventions.
“Over the last ten years, we have helped clients across many sectors grow their businesses and position themselves better for policy and regulatory change. That has given us valuable insight which we can now deploy at scale by joining forces with Gemserv.”