National Express Bus is changing its UK energy procurement model, enabling the company to reduce costs, manage risk and cut emissions.

Partnering with SQE and Zenobē, the two-year agreement provides National Express Bus with an end-to-end power management solution for its electric fleet. SQE’s dynamic procurement model will enable Zenobē to manage 47GWh of renewable energy, supporting National Express Bus’s ambition to achieve a zero-emission fleet.

The power supply solution has enabled National Express Bus to move away from a traditional fixed-price energy contract, which can expose organisations to significant cost risk during periods of market volatility.

Instead, this new model, facilitated by SQE’s platform, allows National Express Bus to purchase electricity through Zenobē’s power procurement team at live wholesale prices, and sell unused energy back to the grid when consumption is lower than forecast. Together, SQE and Zenobē protect the fleet’s energy budget against market volatility, while ensuring energy is purchased, managed and reconciled efficiently.

The approach is particularly well suited to National Express Bus’s operational profile, with 80-90% of energy consumption occurring overnight as vehicles return to depots for charging. By aligning procurement with actual usage patterns, SQE and Zenobē’s approach ensures National Express Bus’s energy is purchased and reconciled efficiently.

Roy Brewer, Head of Strategic Sourcing at Mobico Group - parent company of National Express Bus - says, “As volatility in the energy market continues, we need to be smarter about how we buy energy. SQE and Zenobē’s approach is a breath of fresh air in corporate energy procurement.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with SQE - a market disruptor who genuinely understands our needs and has given us the most cost-effective route to energy procurement. Corporate energy procurement is historically complex, but its line-by-line, transparent invoicing - which gives us access to site-specific half-hourly data - has enabled us to truly understand, and report on, where and how we’re using energy.”

Chris Bowden, founder and CEO, SQE, said: “There’s an urgent need for businesses to abandon a passive, analogue approach to energy consumption to establish a strategy that manages risk exposure and generates revenue - turning energy into a competitive advantage."

Al Wilson, Power Procurement and Renewable Solutions Director at Zenobē, said: "Zenobē's coordinated approach with SQE is market-leading in the transport sector and will protect the long-term financial viability of electric bus operations into the future.

“With National Express Bus we are delivering renewable power for 467 electric buses, grounded in a unique new strategy utilising SQE’s innovative supply products and hourly markets, delivering significant savings when compared to more traditional approaches."