09 September 2026
For energy managers at retail chains and hotel groups, managing costs across multiple sites is one thing, yet knowing which sites are the problem (and why), is another.
For example - a bill comes in higher than expected, you suspect one or two locations are responsible, but without site-level consumption data, confirming it can take weeks. By then, the month has passed and the opportunity to address the issue proactively may have been missed.
Our research last year found that energy costs are the number one concern for retail and hospitality operators, cited above labour costs and the broader economic environment. Only 27% have implemented energy-saving policies. For most retail and hospitality energy managers, having the visibility to act consistently across multiple sites is where it gets challenging.
A retailer managing 30 stores across different regions doesn't have one single energy management challenge. Each site has its own demand profile, its own tariff history, and its own operational patterns. Some will be consistently high-consuming, while others will show seasonal spikes. A few will have anomalies that don't reflect how the site should be performing.
Hotel groups face the same challenge. A city-centre property running events, gym facilities and a restaurant has a very different consumption profile from a roadside hotel with minimal amenities. Managing both from atop-level view, without granular data on each, makes it difficult to identify which sites are performing well, which aren't, and why.
Without ongoing monitoring, these differences stay invisible until they appear on a bill, at which point decision making is reactive rather than informed.
The key value of accurate data is how much sooner problems surface. A hotel expending significantly more energy per occupied room than comparable properties in the portfolio is worth investigating, but the benefits can only be achieved if someone can see the relevant data in time to act. A retail unit where base load doesn't drop outside trading hours is running up costs overnight that may not become apparent through standard billing reviews until weeks later.
Demand anomalies are where this matters most. A spike in consumption on a quiet trading day, or a gradual upward drift that doesn't map to any operational change, are exactly the kind of signals that get lost in billing cycles. Monitoring surfaces them quickly, so operations teams have something specific to look into rather than an unexplained number to absorb at month end.
That responsiveness also changes what's possible during the procurement process. Operators considering flexible contracts are often better placed to make informed purchasing decisions when they have a clear understanding of site-level usage patterns, and that requires consumption data that reflects reality rather than estimates.
Ongoing monitoring is an operational tool, but centralised reporting serves a different purpose: giving finance teams, procurement leads and senior management a consistent view of how the portfolio is performing over time.
For a retail group or hotel chain, that means being able to track energy spend and consumption against targets across all sites from one place, without consolidating data manually from multiple billing formats. Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) submissions become much less burdensome when consumption figures, greenhouse gas emissions data and efficiency actions are already structured and attributable to individual sites. Reconstructing that from billing records at year end is a job nobody wants.
The procurement case is stronger too. An operator who can show structured, site-level consumption tracking and a clear performance baseline is better placed when negotiating contract terms than one working from annual averages.
Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS) is an Ofgem-led reform that changes how electricity consumption is measured and billed across the UK. Migration began in October 2025 and is set to complete by July 2027. When fully rolled out, all electricity meters will be settled using half-hourly data rather than estimates or daily averages.
For multi-site retail and hospitality portfolios, this means more accurate billing and a clearer picture of when and where electricity is being used across the estate by default. Sites with smart or advanced meters already in place are better positioned for the transition. Those still running older non-half-hourly meters may need to upgrade to participate fully.
For operators managing a large number of sites, understanding which are MHHS-ready is a practical step worth taking now, ahead of the migration window.
Data is only useful when it's connected to the right procurement structure and account support. Having consumption data that shows a problem at one site is useful. Having a contract flexible enough to respond to it, and an account management team that understands the operational context behind the numbers, is what makes it commercially actionable.
SEFE Energy works with retailers and hospitality operators across the UK, providing gas and power supply alongside demand profiling, flexible contract options and dedicated account management from specialists who understand the sector. To find out more, visit our retail and hospitality sector page.