What We Do

rb&m partners bring a unique blend of technical, journalistic and policy skills for research and policy guidance in the energy transition.  rb&m partner Colin Meek has worked as a policy analyst and journalist for a range of organisations and Sue Bloomfield has been Policy Research manager for Which?, a consultant to consumer bodies and the author or editor on a range of policy reports and consumer rights guides.

Case Study: – With our partners at MCS, rb&m are excited to share our groundbreaking report

Renewing Britain: The changing landscape of home-grown energy 2008 – 2021

View the Video – Renewing Britain – The changing landscape of small-scale renewables 2008 – 2021 

rb&m researched and wrote the main body of the report, working with data analysts to combine the goldmine of information on over a million UK renewable installations on the MCS database with a range of other official economic and demographic sources and rb&m’s own measurement of the carbon savings achieved so far to paint a picture of the roll-out of small scale renewables since 2007. Our work identified renewable energy ‘forests’ and ‘deserts’ across England, Scotland and Wales and examined the policy context at national and sub-national level that has influenced the pattern of growth.

The report reveals the dramatic changes in the market for low carbon technologies over the past 14 years and points to the long-term policy framework needed for  the sector to flourish.

We design and deliver market research including large scale surveys and focus groups.

We bring decades of know-how working on quantitative, qualitative and investigative projects for a range of clients including Which?, ANEC (the European Consumer Voice in Standardisation), universities and energy companies.

Most recently, we surveyed 2000 people and ran 5 focus groups on attitudes to Renewable Energy, soon to be published by MCS.  Contact us to find out more.

We have many years’ experience monitoring compliance in the decentralised energy sector. We have worked with Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC) for more than a decade, and more recently with the Heat Trust and with the Association for Decentralised Energy (ADE) on the Flex Assure Scheme.

We are experts in crafting and developing self-regulatory consumer protection schemes that aim to raise standards and go beyond what the law requires. rb&m partner Sue Bloomfield wrote the Consumer Code for home charge points for Electric Vehicles, the EVCC. The code is designed to dovetail with the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s Code of Practice on EV Charging Equipment Installation and with the government grant scheme for home chargepoints.

rb&m partners sit on the MCS Technology Working Groups for Electricity Storage, Heat Pumps, Biomass and Solar Thermal.

We work with low-carbon industry stakeholders to ensure consumers can have confidence in the performance and financial claims made by the UK’s installation sector.

The rb&m team have audited and ‘tested’ more than 1,000 actual pre-contractual performance estimates offered to consumers by low carbon technology companies

measuring efficiency claims made by companies against industry standards;

scrutinising the wider performance claims made about the technologies and incentive schemes;

and testing claims of financial benefit, ‘payback’ forecasts and claims relating to credit.