HTEC Cuts Energy Costs and Improves Tenant Billing with Data-Driven Energy Monitoring

Overview

HTEC is a long-established technology business specialising in secure chip-and-pin terminals for petrol forecourts, alongside software for loyalty, cash and gift card schemes. Operating from a 46,000 sq ft headquarters in Southampton, the business also sub-lets office space to third-party tenants.

As energy costs continued to rise, HTEC needed greater clarity over how electricity was being used across the site, and how costs should be fairly allocated between tenants, without disrupting day-to-day operations.

The challenge

HTEC had already begun questioning why its monthly electricity bills were so high. This became more urgent as the business considered sub-letting additional space within the building.

Key challenges included:

• • Limited visibility into where and when energy was being consumed
  • No clear way to distinguish usage between core operations and sub-tenants
  • Rising costs with no evidence-led route to savings
  • A requirement to reduce consumption without impacting staff or tenant activity

Without accurate data, effective facilities energy management across shared and tenanted spaces was impossible.

The solution

Optimal Monitoring carried out a full site survey to support a more structured approach to facilities energy management, reviewing HTEC’s existing energy usage alongside future operational needs.

A live, data-led energy monitoring solution was deployed, combining wireless hardware with a web-based energy management platform. This provided real-time visibility of consumption across the building.

Initial monitoring focused on 11 key areas, including:

• Production lighting
• IT equipment
• Tenanted office areas
• Air-conditioning plant

The system was designed to deliver clear, accessible data that facilities teams and tenants could easily understand and act upon.

The results

Within the first month of operation, the impact was immediate.

Key outcomes included:

• £5,000 in annual energy savings identified in the first month
• Immediate cost recovery through accurate sub-tenant billing
• Clear identification of out-of-hours and weekend energy waste
• Improved accountability across shared spaces.

Driving Behavioural Change

Beyond cost savings, access to clear energy data helped drive lasting behavioural change across the site.

Half-hourly consumption reports showed exactly when electricity was being wasted — including overnight, out-of-hours and non-weekend working periods. By sharing this information, both staff and tenants could see the direct impact of their actions.

Simple adjustments, such as switching off unused lighting, correcting HVAC schedules and introducing timers, led to measurable reductions in consumption. In some cases, tenants reduced their monthly electricity costs by several hundred pounds.

Visual “before and after” graphs helped reinforce these changes, making savings easy to understand and sustain.

Why It Matters

This project demonstrates the value of effective facilities energy management in complex, multi-use environments.

By providing accurate, real-time insight into consumption patterns, HTEC was able to:

• Take control of rising energy costs
• Improve transparency and fairness in tenant billing
• Empower teams to make informed, practical changes
• Deliver measurable savings without capital-intensive upgrades
  

About Optimal Monitoring

Optimal Monitoring designs and delivers automated energy management solutions for organisations with complex energy requirements.

With decades of industry experience, Optimal Monitoring helps businesses gain visibility, control and confidence in their energy data — enabling smarter decisions, lower costs and sustained performance improvements.

Looking to gain control over energy costs across complex sites?

Get in touch to talk about data-led energy management built around real operational insight.