Sustainability consultancy puts its energy into future growth

A Yorkshire sustainability consultancy has secured more than £24m worth of funding for its clients to invest in green energy projects since the start of 2024 and plans to double the size of its team.

C3 Group, which operates nationally from its Hull headquarters, was founded following a chance meeting on LinkedIn. The business celebrated its second anniversary in August.

In addition to securing funding and grants for organisations to invest in reducing their carbon footprint, the company specialises in creating and implementing energy strategies, decarbonisation plans, low carbon feasibility studies, sustainable building designs, energy efficient retrofits and net zero schemes.

C3 Group also supports clients to embrace green energy solutions, low carbon technologies and sustainable practices.

The company was founded in 2022 by co-directors Daniel Haley and Ash Wray.

Haley is also managing director of Hull-headquartered building services engineering company, GW Power-Safe, which offers renewable energy, mechanical and electrical solutions.

In recent years, GW Power-Safe has diversified into decarbonisation and the renewables sector. Two years ago Haley saw a post that Wray had written on LinkedIn about building sustainability.

After Haley messaged Wray, who had a background in construction site management and is a chartered engineer, the pair met up in Hull and C3 Group – named in recognition of the three scopes of carbon emissions – was born.

In addition to the founders, C3 Group now employs a team of three sustainability consultants and designers. It is recruiting for more sustainability consultants, as well as mechanical and electrical building services design engineers.

Wray said: “From meeting Daniel two years ago and starting C3 Group, we’ve grown into a leading sustainability consultancy with a superb track record of successfully navigating the Salix Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme Funding, which is designed to support public sector bodies in reducing their carbon footprint.

“The £24m we’ve bid for in funding for our clients since January has largely been invested in NHS buildings, schools, colleges and social housing schemes throughout the UK, from the Scottish borders in the north to Plymouth in the south.

“We’ve also completed work on a district heating system in the North East that’s feeding approximately 1,000 homes and several large-scale battery storage developments.

“We’re now looking forward to welcoming new faces to our team in the coming months as we continue to grow both our client base and the areas we operate in.”

Haley added: “Over the past few years GW Power-Safe had evolved into a renewables specialist but we were outsourcing the technical and consultancy side of the work and knew we needed to find a reliable and permanent partner business to work with.

“After meeting Ash, it was immediately apparent that we both shared the same vision and interests, as well as both having a passion for driving a greener and more sustainable future.

“We’ve enjoyed a successful two years and now that C3 Group and GW Power-Safe can provide a full turnkey, end-to-end solution, it gives us a compelling offering with both public and private sector clients.”