Vayu set for UK gas market move

Vayu is set to become the first Irish energy provider to expand into the UK gas market, where it plans to become a leading provider to corporate customers.

The Dublin-based firm — which became the first independent supplier to be awarded a gas shipping and supply licence in Ireland, in 2003 — commands a 22% share of the large corporate gas market here and acts as provider to 15% of the mid-sized gas user segment.

Its Irish customer base includes the likes of IBM, Debenhams, DHL, and Tesco.

The company is now looking to establish an equally impressive client roster in the €8.6bn UK market.

“We believe there remains a large untapped opportunity to deliver new services into the UK market.

“Vayu will be investing heavily in winning customers by changing the way UK businesses view their energy-related decisions and empowering customers to become more active in the area of energy procurement and demand management,” said the company’s commercial director, Liam Faulkner.

“We have established a business model that has worked exceptionally well in Ireland, creating flexibility for gas users that wasn’t there previously.

“Our model is highly transferable — similar to the approach used by telecoms — which means we can follow our existing customers into the UK, while also pursuing new business wins in this market,” he added.

One of the differentiations that Vayu will offer its UK customers will be energy management services — with it being able to monitor ‘real time’ energy consumption in order to improve performance, and reduce cost and emissions.