We want every building to perform the way it was designed. Energy Synergy® is how we helped ensure it does, and that commitment has just been recognised at the highest level in our industry.
Our building performance service won two categories at the CIBSE Building Performance Awards:
- Building Performance Evaluation: Practice
- Next Generation of Building Performance.
Why post occupancy performance matters for our customers
Across the construction industry, more than 80% of new buildings use significantly more energy than predicted at design stage, on average, 34% more. That gap costs customers money. With new regulations like the UK Net Zero Carbon Buildings Standard and NABERS UK now pushing for proof of real-world energy efficiency, customers increasingly need assurance that their buildings deliver what was promised.
That’s exactly what Energy Synergy® does. It tracks actual energy use for three years after handover, with our dedicated experts providing monthly analysis and actionable recommendations, not just data on a dashboard, but a genuine partnership that turns numbers into savings.
The results speak for themselves
The service is currently monitoring 16 projects representing £1.27bn of our work. Buildings with 12 or more months of monitoring are averaging 15% better energy performance than predicted, nearly halving the typical industry performance gap. Across the portfolio, that has already delivered £460,000 in customer savings, with a further £700,000 in additional savings identified and ready to implement.
One standout example is Bassaleg School in South Wales, which is performing 21% better than its energy target, far ahead of typical UK schools, where performance gaps of 70–80% are common. That translates to annual savings of over 327,000 kWh, 65 tonnes of CO₂e, and nearly £100,000 — a 7:1 return on the £14,000 Energy Synergy® package.
What the judges said
The CIBSE judges highlighted the transparency and honesty of our approach, the scale of projects being assessed, and our team’s willingness to share what we’ve learned with the wider industry. They described Energy Synergy® as a scheme showing best practice in a reliable, replicable and scalable way, and praised the team’s investment in upskilling and knowledge-sharing.
That last point matters. This isn’t a service we keep behind closed doors. By sharing findings through industry networks and customer case studies, we’re helping raise the bar across the sector, while making sure the learning feeds back into our own design and commissioning processes.
Where this is heading
As the regulatory landscape shifts and customers expect more accountability beyond handover, building performance verification is set to become standard practice across the industry. These awards confirm that we’re already leading that change. Our target is to eliminate the energy performance gap across all non-domestic new builds and major refurbishments by 2030, and Energy Synergy® is how we’ll get there.
Want to know more?
Speak to our energy experts Doug Drewniak and Tom Roberts:
Doug Drewniak: Doug.Drewniak@willmottdixon.co.uk
Tom Roberts: Tom.L.Roberts@willmottdixon.co.uk
Find out more at willmottdixon.co.uk/energysynergy