Case study
Childwall Golf Club asked for a second opinion on its energy contracts
An independent review and ongoing account monitoring for a member-owned Liverpool golf club. No rescue job, no billing error to unwind. A plan confirmed, and oversight added between renewals.
Childwall at a glance
Childwall came to us with a contract direction already in mind and wanted an external check before committing. The review confirmed the club’s thinking, the deals were signed, and the engagement extended into ongoing bill monitoring and usage forecasting between renewals.
Client overview
Childwall Golf Club is a member-owned golf club in Liverpool, Merseyside. The club approached Clearsight for an independent review of its existing gas and electricity position. The manager already had a preferred direction for the next contract and wanted a second, external opinion before committing.
The scope quickly extended to include ongoing account monitoring and usage forecasting between renewals.
The brief
This was service-led rather than savings-led. There was no rescue job to run and no obvious billing error to unwind. The value sat in confirming a plan the club had already put together.
A small team can’t watch everything. Reading every bill, tracking rate movements and forecasting usage is a layer of oversight a small management team can’t reasonably do alongside running the club. That layer is what the engagement added.
How we approached it
The club’s preferred contract direction was checked against live supplier pricing that week, current market conditions, and site-specific factors including DUoS band and supply capacity. Any point where a different route would have delivered a better outcome was flagged with the reason attached. Where the club’s original thinking held up, that was confirmed in writing.
An independent review isn’t there to find fault. It’s there to make sure a decision is being made on current information, whichever way it goes.
What the engagement includes
Ongoing account monitoring. Each bill is reviewed on receipt. Anything unexpected, a rate movement outside contract terms, an apparent supplier billing error, an unusual standing charge line or a change in consumption pattern, is flagged to the club. The monitoring sits inside the standard broker relationship.
Usage forecasting. Ahead of budget-setting, renewal season and any capital investment discussion at committee level, an updated forecast of gas and electricity spend is issued, so the committee can weigh decisions against a documented projection rather than a percentage uplift on last year.
Contract renewal. When the current contracts approach expiry a full market comparison will be run again, on the same terms as any new engagement. Ongoing monitoring does not replace or substitute for a proper renewal process.
Response times. Ad-hoc queries, a bill query, a rate question, a check on what a supplier has proposed, are answered inside the same working day where the answer is available, and within one working day otherwise.
The outcome
The club’s contract direction was confirmed and the deals were signed. Between renewals, bills are read and forecasts are issued by Clearsight rather than absorbed into internal admin time. Committee-level energy decisions are made against a stated projection.
The value here is not a headline saving. It is confirmation that contract decisions are being made on current information, oversight of the bills between contracts, and forecast numbers in the room at the moments they are needed.
“Confirmed our thoughts. Efficient, friendly and quick service. Monitor and forecast usage to enable better decision making, and answered questions as required quickly.”
Gavin, Manager, Childwall Golf Club
Key insight
A second opinion has value even when it changes nothing. Childwall’s plan held up, and the club signed knowing it had been tested against the live market rather than hoping it would have been fine. That certainty travels well into committee meetings.
The other half is what happens between contracts. Most energy problems don’t announce themselves at renewal. They accumulate quietly on bills nobody has time to read. Monitoring closes that gap.
Does this look like your club or business?
If you have a contract decision in front of you and want it checked independently, or you simply don’t have anyone reading your bills between renewals, the same engagement applies. Golf clubs, member organisations and small management teams get the most from it, because the oversight lands where internal time is scarcest.
Industry terms used on this page
- Standing charge
- A daily fixed charge from a supplier for keeping the meter connected. Paid whether energy is used that day or not.
- Unit rate
- The price per kWh of gas or electricity consumed.
- Contract term
- The length of the supply contract. Typically 12 to 60 months for business energy. Longer terms lock rates in for longer but reduce future flexibility.
- DUoS charges
- Distribution Use of System charges. Regional charges from the local Distribution Network Operator that vary by area and, for larger meters, by time of day. Feed into the electricity unit rate.
- Letter of Authority
- A short signed document that gives Clearsight permission to speak with suppliers on the client’s behalf. Remains in place until the next contract is signed.
- Account monitoring
- Ongoing review of bills and usage on a rolling basis, flagging any rate changes, billing errors or unusual consumption patterns.
Common questions
What does an independent contract review actually check?
It checks the client’s preferred contract direction against live supplier pricing at the time of the review, against current market conditions, and against site-specific factors such as DUoS banding and supply capacity. Where the preferred route holds up it is confirmed. Where a different route would have delivered a better outcome, that is flagged with reasons.
How does ongoing account monitoring differ from a renewal comparison?
A renewal comparison is a one-off exercise run when a contract approaches expiry. Ongoing account monitoring is the between-contract service, reading each bill on receipt, watching for supplier billing errors, unexpected rate movements and unusual consumption. The two are separate and one does not replace the other.
How is Clearsight paid for the monitoring?
Clearsight is paid by a commission built into the unit rate, disclosed on the Letter of Authority and on any quote issued. That commission funds the ongoing monitoring, forecasting and query handling.
What kinds of decisions does usage forecasting support?
Budget-setting is the most common use, followed by capital investment decisions such as LED retrofits, heat pump conversations and floodlight upgrades. A stated forecast of next year’s spend allows those decisions to be made against real numbers rather than a percentage adjustment to prior-year figures.
Does using Clearsight for monitoring lock the club to a particular supplier?
No. At renewal a full market comparison is run again on the same terms as any new engagement. The client retains full choice of supplier and contract length at every renewal cycle.
Published with permission
This case study is published with the written consent of Childwall Golf Club. Want your business featured? Get in touch
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