Casestudy:Promotingthewin-winsofgreenandcleanenergy

Glenfield Electrical came to us with a problem its customers knew well.

Rising energy bills were squeezing businesses across Leicestershire, and the Glenfield, Leicester-based contractor, formed in 2013 and now working across the Midlands in solar and battery storage as well as electrical work, was well placed to help.

The challenge

To move the company beyond its reputation as a capable installer and establish it as an authority and advocate on one of the defining issues facing local firms.

Our approach

To create high quality content that positioned the company as thought leaders worth listening to. Working with the team, we designed and ran a survey of 40 small and medium-sized businesses across the county, conducted online between September and December 2025 and followed up with in-depth interviews. The findings became A Sustainable Future for Leicestershire Business, the firm’s first report, and gave it a genuine evidence base from which to speak.

The picture that emerged was a compelling one. Half of the businesses surveyed reported rising energy bills, three in five were worried about the impact on their operations, and more than four in five wanted to cut their carbon footprint. Yet only 17.5 per cent had firm plans to install renewable technology in the coming year, held back by upfront costs, a lack of clear advice on grants, and restrictions imposed by landlords on rented premises. Here was a company prepared to name the barriers its own customers faced and to argue for the support they needed. We built a campaign around that authority.

The results

The report launched to coincide with the International Day of Clean Energy, framing Glenfield Electrical as part of a national conversation while keeping the story firmly local. Press releases carried the voices of Managing Director Phil Houlder alongside the business owners who had taken part, lending the findings credibility and human weight. We secured trade coverage, including a white paper feature in Electrical Contracting News and a series of articles in business and environmental media, in which the firm set out the role contractors must play in helping companies cut consumption before it is too late.

As the issue gained national prominence, with a Make UK report warning that UK industrial electricity prices were four times higher than those in the United States, we kept Glenfield Electrical in the frame. The campaign culminated in a visit from Mid-Leicestershire MP Peter Bedford, who praised the firm for raising awareness and sharing advice on one of the major challenges facing business today, and for helping others in his constituency cut costs and survive in turbulent times.

The result was a company recognised not only for the quality of its work but for its willingness to stand up for the businesses around it. Glenfield Electrical is now using the survey insights to produce practical guidance for local firms, and its standing as a force for good in the Leicestershire business community is firmly established.

You can read the report on the Glenfield Electrical website here.

Photo credit: Pete Martin Photography