The one thing stopping your energy projects - and how we solved it over the last decade. Capital. Or rather, the lack of it.
The real barrier is never the technology
Most organisations know what they should do. They know LED lighting pays back in two years. They know solar makes sense for their roof. They know the HVAC system is costing them a fortune. The problem is not knowledge. It is capital.
Boards approve the logic but reject the spend. Finance teams see the payback but cannot release the funds. And so the opportunity sits there, year after year, while energy bills climb and carbon targets slip further out of reach.
What we have learned over a decade
Before doing anything else, here is what we would recommend: separate the decision to act from the decision about how to fund it. They are two different conversations, and conflating them is the reason most energy projects never happen.
Once you decide the project makes sense on its merits - based on independent, evidence-led analysis - the question of funding becomes a practical one with several good answers. Not a reason to delay.
The three funding routes that work
Hire purchase
Fixed monthly payments over an agreed term - typically two to seven years. You own the asset at the end. The payments are predictable, the interest is often tax-deductible, and the energy savings frequently cover the monthly cost from day one. This is the most common route for LED, HVAC, and smaller solar projects.
Pay-per-kWh
The funder installs the equipment. You pay only for the energy it generates or saves. No upfront cost, no ownership risk, no maintenance responsibility. The savings are built into the arrangement from the start. Best suited to larger solar installations and heat pump projects where the generation profile is predictable.
Zero-upfront lease
The equipment is leased rather than purchased. Off-balance-sheet treatment is possible depending on your accounting standards. Monthly service fees replace capital expenditure. Useful for organisations with strong operational cash flow but constrained capital budgets - particularly public sector and not-for-profit operators.
Why independence matters in finance too
Make sure whoever you speak to is truly independent and does not benefit from the financing route you choose. Some consultants have preferred finance partners. Some technology suppliers bundle their own financing at rates that suit them, not you.
We work with a range of funders and structure each arrangement around what delivers the best outcome for your organisation - not what generates the best margin for us. The arrangement fee is transparent. The terms are yours to review. There are no hidden costs.
The numbers that change the conversation
Here is a simplified example that illustrates why financing changes the decision entirely:
Illustrative Example
Without financing
£120,000 upfront
Capital required today. Board says no.
With hire purchase
£2,100/month
Energy savings: £2,600/month. Net positive from month one.
The project is the same. The technology is the same. The savings are the same. The only thing that changed is how it is funded - and that is the difference between it happening and it not happening.
What PowerPacks does differently
PowerPacks is our approach to energy finance. We do not just point you at a lender. We structure the arrangement around your specific project, your balance sheet position, and your appetite for risk. We then stay alongside you through delivery and into the monitoring phase - making sure the savings that justified the finance actually materialise.
Because a finance arrangement is only as good as the project it funds. And the project is only as good as the data behind it. That is why PowerPacks works best when it sits alongside Enerlyse monitoring and our Projects delivery team - one seamless outcome, not three separate conversations.
Remove the Barrier
Ready to act without the capital barrier?
Find out which financing route works best for your project and your organisation.