From Accounting for Energy to Lumify Energy: Brand Evolution
 Author: Freccia Benn |  Read time: 10 mins |
 Client type: All |  Technology: all |
Back in 2014, we set up Accounting for Energy (our former name) with one guiding principle: to create a more transparent renewable energy sector; and that remains true today.
But like all growing businesses, over the years Accounting for Energy came into its own. As our guiding principle evolved into our core ethos, our services expanded and our relationships grew and thrived, 2014 began to look very different to the present-day company.
So, we decided it was time to look at our evolution, who we are, what we do, how we sound, look, and where we’re headed.
Our roots
With Travis’ background as a chartered accountant, Accounting for Energy felt like a natural, true-to-brand name that reflected our early single-service offering—an audit for landowners to check their renewable energy payments.
That’s why last year we decided to carry out some market research to give us some initial reality checks and insight into how our clients perceive us. Our hunch was right: for many, we were forensic accountants, meticulous in making sense of the numbers and delivering the results in plain English.
Yet what we hadn’t acknowledged were all the other ways in which we were servicing our clients. See, it wasn’t just about numbers, but rather, we received overwhelming feedback about how critical a role we had played in helping our clients understand the performance of their sites.
That’s when the penny dropped: the Accounting for Energy brand didn’t convey our evolution, the breadth of our offer, or the benefits we provide to landowners and the industry at large.
With that in mind, we began to ask our clients, ‘How can we serve you better?’ which incited a year of refining our services to support landowners throughout their renewable energy journey and extending our relationships with site operations and professional landowner advisers.
When we had the privilege of speaking with our clients in-depth about their renewable energy experiences, we wanted to see our solutions through their eyes and really get under the skin of why they’ve come to see us as an invaluable and trusted partner. Here’s what emerged.
We bring light to a murky market
Despite all the advances in renewable energy, many people still feel like they’re in the dark. “Will subsidies come or go?” “Are our renewable projects fulfilling their potential?” “Is the outlook still bright for renewable energy?” are the kinds of questions that kept coming up again and again.
And many feel unequipped when it comes to understanding the industry, expressing sentiments like these: “I’m a farmer negotiating with a big energy company” “I don’t fully understand the area” “I know our project, but I don't know about the new subsidies” “I’m not close enough to understand the new regulations and changes.” The reality is, there is no manual for monitoring your site’s performance. And unfortunately, the language of energy is often convoluted, peppered with jargon and difficult to comprehend let alone make informed business decisions about. That’s why we do the work we do—to help our clients think differently about their projects, shining a light on their personal renewable situation with insights, guidance, and professionalism.
There is no manual for monitoring your site’s performance. And unfortunately, the language of energy is often convoluted, peppered with jargon and difficult to comprehend let alone make informed business decisions about."
We place value in building trust like no other
It can be hard to know who and what information to trust. Our clients look to us for help in gaining an accurate, practical, and impartial understanding of their renewable energy projects so they can feel in control. Essentially, knowledge is power. But from our landowners’ perspective, there’s a power imbalance in the industry created by a lack of transparency.
Our specialist knowledge is unrivalled
Even though many landowners have trusted relationships with their advisers, sometimes these advisers just don’t have all the answers when it comes to renewables because it’s such a specialised field. For our clients, we are “the missing link, providing what others cannot – an invaluable ‘third leg.’”
When it comes to site operators, they often seem to “hold all the cards, [but] the reality is [they] don’t always have a complete picture when it comes to site-specific data” making it difficult to accurately capture site performance.
“Agreements are often tied down by confidentiality, so it’s hard for the landowner to find out what rates are available. It requires specialist knowledge to research and find the information needed to advance negotiations.” It’s in situations like these where we work our magic.
We solve problems our clients didn’t even know existed
We’ve been described as one of the industry’s best-kept secrets. In many cases, customers never realised that a service like ours existed. What’s more, they’re often unaware that they even needed our help. But once they discover the kinds of insights we can uncover, they quickly realise the value in gaining a full 360-degree perspective of their site.
There is no one-size-fits-all. That’s something to shout about.
We’ve always taken a personalised approach with our customers, but in speaking with our clients, it was clear that we needed to be more visible in the marketplace, and shout a little louder about the kinds of positive experiences and outcomes clients have when working with us.
Our lightbulb moment
Through all our conversations, we were able to distil three important learnings that would guide our rebrand efforts.
We are lighting the way for customers in what’s an otherwise dark space
By simplifying how energy information is understood, we are able to empower our clients and instil confidence in their decisions with our expert knowledge and impartial advice. We delve into the details—way beyond just numbers. And with a meticulous, down-to-earth approach, we’re here to ensure that our clients can always maximise returns for their projects and our planet.
We needed to shine a light on our brand
Just as we light the way forward for our customers and the industry, in order to build a brighter energy future, we needed to draw our brand out from the shadows into the spotlight. Our brand refresh needed to articulate all of our offerings, shake up our visual identity, and attract eyeballs. Being the industry’s best-kept secret might be a huge compliment, but we can’t be accessible to everyone if we aren’t seen.
We needed a name that embodies everything we do
It was clear that our services illuminate a tricky-to-navigate market, that our team brings energy and positivity, and that everything we do is simplify renewables. But it became quickly evident that ‘Accounting for Energy’ didn’t reflect any of the above. As one of our clients astutely put it, “Without knowing what they do, I’d think they were an accountancy company”; “Accounting for Energy is quite a limiting name since they are capable of so much more than Accounting.”
From Accounting for Energy to Lumify Energy
Our customer research formed the building blocks of our new brand story. Lumify Energy was selected because it’s unique, simple, clear, and easy to say and spell, and most importantly, encapsulates everything we are in a couple of words. But it also allows us the room to continue evolving as a business, encompassing the innovations that are in our pipeline.
We’ve also re-named our core products and services, and added a few others designed to meet the changing needs of our customers. Take a look at our new solutions.
Plus, we have a bunch of new things in the pipeline developing our software solution and partnerships to bring light and transparency into this new and essential part of our economy.
Meet the founders behind Lumify energy in our spotlight interviews with Travis and Freccia.
