Energy Strategy in Practice: Lessons from Patrick Berry’s Approach at Together Housing

1. Start with mindset, not technology 

Patrick’s starting point was simple but radical: 

If you manage tens of thousands of homes, energy is not a “nice to have”. It is fundamental to asset management. 

Key reframing: 

• Social housing organisations manage long-life assets 

• Energy investment rewards long-term thinking 

• This aligns naturally with housing’s business model, if leaders allow it to 

Many organisations struggle because they approach energy as: 

• A retrofit programme 

• A grant-led initiative 

• A response to regulation 

Together approached it as strategic infrastructure investment.  

2. The advantage of an “outsider’s perspective” 

Patrick wasn’t career-social-housing. His background included: 

• Economic development consultancy (UK and Europe) 

• Director of Regeneration in a global architectural practice 

• Early involvement in Feed-in Tariff solar PV via joint ventures 

That mattered because: 

• He wasn’t constrained by “how we’ve always done it” 

• He understood investment logic, not just housing logic 

• He recognised early that a quiet energy revolution was underway 

This outside lens helped Together spot opportunity before it became mainstream. 

3. Early proof builds long-term trust 

Before net zero strategies were fashionable, Together: 

• Entered a joint venture with Patrick’s company 

• Installed ~5MW of solar PV on homes 

• Retained long-term ownership benefits 

That investment: 

• Still generates ~£2m per year 

• Delivered tenant benefit and landlord return 

• Built board confidence that energy investment works 

This matters because later strategy was built on credibility, not theory.  

4. Strategy before funding (this is critical) 

One of the most important lessons: 

Together did not wait for government funding to decide what to do. 

Instead, they: 

• Wrote a 15-year energy and carbon strategy 

• Broke it into three clear phases 

• Secured a five-year internal capital commitment (£125m headroom) 

Why this works: 

• Funding becomes an accelerator, not a driver 

• Grant money scales existing programmes instead of distorting them 

• Procurement, data and delivery pipelines already exist when funding appears 

This avoids the stop-start, hand-to-mouth cycle many providers are stuck in. 

5. Board and executive buy-in: what actually worked 

There was no magic script. 

Success came from: 

• The right moment (early climate pressure, rising awareness) 

• The right access (presenting at a board strategy away day) 

• The right framing (long-term risk, opportunity and realism) 

Crucially: 

• The Chair and Chief Executive actively supported the work 

• The strategy was treated as a business decision, not an environmental one 

• Progress is still measured against the original strategic intent, not headlines 

This wasn’t about persuasion tricks – it was about clarity and confidence. 

6. Scale beats perfection 

A defining principle of the strategy: 

Doing a small number of homes brilliantly changes very little. Scaling steadily across the whole stock changes everything. 

Together focused on: 

• Programmes that can reach tens of thousands of homes 

• Standardisation over bespoke solutions 

• Learning quickly and adapting at pace 

Energy investment was used as a catalyst to: 

• Improve asset data 

• Rethink repairs and maintenance 

• Understand tenant behaviour better 

• Drive organisational efficiency 

Energy wasn’t isolated – it was integrated. 

7. Solar beyond Feed-in Tariffs: evolving the model 

When Feed-in Tariffs ended, Together didn’t stop. 

Instead they asked: 

• How do we keep delivering triple bottom line benefits? 

  • Tenant benefit 

  • Carbon reduction 

  • Long-term landlord income 

What they did: 

• Ran a 250-home solar + battery pilot 

• Collected 12 months of real performance data 

• Built a business model from evidence, not assumptions 

They recognised early: 

• Solar assets are commodity-producing infrastructure 

• Demand for electricity will only increase as homes electrify 

• Ownership of generation creates future optionality 

8. The Octopus model: structure, not shortcuts 

Together’s approach with Octopus Energy is deliberate: 

• Together funds and owns the assets 

• Octopus acts as the licensed supplier 

• Tenants get: 

  • A single bill 

  • Discount vs standard tariff 

• Together avoids: 

  • Billing complexity 

  • Collection risk 

  • Regulatory burden 

Why this structure matters: 

• Assets remain unencumbered (important for lenders) 

• Banks are comfortable 

• The model is scalable and repeatable 

This is patient capital thinking applied properly. 

9. Batteries: practical realism over ideology 

Battery strategy evolved as guidance changed. 

Key lessons: 

• Battery chemistry matters (not all batteries are equal) 

• PAS guidance forced a move to external battery enclosures 

• Health and safety buy-in is non-negotiable 

• Government funding logic doesn’t always align with landlord economics 

Together’s solution: 

• Use batteries to benefit tenants and generate revenue 

• Trade flexibility through Octopus 

• Accept that self-funding assets won’t always be grant-funded 

Again, this is long-term thinking winning out. 

10. DNOs: redefine the relationship 

Patrick is clear-eyed about DNO challenges. 

The core issue: 

• Housing providers plan year-to-year 

• DNOs plan national infrastructure over decades 

Together’s approach: 

• Engage early and often 

• Share realistic, multi-year investment plans 

• Work at regional scale (e.g. Combined Authorities) 

• Explore interim solutions (load limiting, preparation works) 

Key takeaway: 

Turning up with a last-minute funding pot and a long list of properties is setting everyone up to fail. 

This is a sector-wide leadership issue, not just a technical one. 

11. Tenant engagement: start with the willing 

Early adopters are: 

• Energy-aware tenants 

• Motivated by clear financial benefit 

• More trusting of recognised suppliers like Octopus 

Together’s approach: 

• Switch supply before installation 

• Align contractor delivery tightly with switching 

• Reduce abortive work and wasted cost 

• Let success spread by word of mouth 

This is pragmatic, not patronising. 

12. Risk is real – but manageable 

If a tenant leaves the Octopus tariff: 

• Together exports more electricity 

• Income reduces, but doesn’t disappear 

• Engagement continues to bring tenants back 

The discount is intentionally set: 

Hard to refuse. 

Risk is acknowledged, priced in and managed – not ignored. 

If you want to follow Patrick’s lead: 

1. Treat energy as core asset strategy 

2. Write a long-term plan before chasing funding 

3. Secure internal capital commitment 

4. Scale steadily, don’t pilot endlessly 

5. Own assets wherever possible 

6. Design around tenants’ lived reality 

7. Build grown-up relationships with DNOs 

8. Accept complexity, but simplify delivery 

Above all: 

If you don’t plan for the long term, you can’t benefit from it.