Frequently Asked Questions

Typically, a gas generation project is 10-12 years and a solar project is 20-25 years. These are optimum contract lengths, allowing your asset to provide cheaper energy than grid-derived power. The period of time and the amount of energy you buy allows you to pay off the asset and have continued operation and maintenance support.

YLEM owns the asset for the duration of the contract and either leases or licences the area where they are installed. Throughout that period, YLEM is fully responsible for the maintenance and operation of the asset to ensure they are producing energy. If they are not, then you don’t pay anything so it’s in the best interest of YLEM Energy to look after them well.

It depends whether you wish the project to be off or on the balance sheet. Typically, for an off-balance solution, the asset can either be taken off-site at the end of the term, replaced with a newer asset, or bought for a nominal amount. If it’s the latter, then you can either operate and maintain the asset yourself or contract us further to do O&M.

We will agree on a p/kWh price for the energy you buy from the asset and then we apply a small, pre-agreed, inflation-linked increase annually. This will be agreed during our discussions.

We fully take on this responsibility on your behalf and our expert teams can manage all of this.

Regardless of the project, you’ll have access to a digital customer portal, which will provide extensive information around your asset, covering everything from energy production to operational efficiency.

There are many variables and it will often depend on your internal decision making processes. As well as this, there are certain steps that are outside our control such as planning and connection requests to the grid. (depending on the size and location of an asset). A typical timeframe from initial engagement to contract signature would be 6 months. After this, it could take a further 3-9 months for the project to be installed, operational and for your business to see cost savings. (Again, depending on size and complexity of a project).

Depending on the complexity and size of the project, there is usually little to no interruption. We will need to access parts of your site and we will conform to all your health and safety requirements. There may be a small interruption to the power supply whilst we connect the system, however, we work with you to arrange a time that involves minimal disruption.

Yes. We work with both you and your landlord to investigate the viability of the project and how we would structure it to ensure the landlord is comfortable with the arrangement. Typically, we would want to see a proactive landlord and a commitment to stay at the site for at least 5 years.

You will be invoiced monthly and will have access to our digital customer portal, which identifies how much energy has been produced and how much you have consumed.

Although the UK is famed for its grey skies, solar cells don’t need direct sunlight to work and can even generate power on the cloudiest of days. Our robust models use average yield rates based on the location of the solar panel

Yes! All of our engines have the ability to take a mix of natural gas and hydrogen so if hydrogen is injected into the overall system they will continue to operate. It is very unlikely over the next 10-20 years that the current general network will be purely Hydrogen. However, if that were the case, small adjustments to the system may be required but these would be YLEM’s responsibility.

YLEM will be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the asset throughout the contract’s lifetime, which includes: servicing, overhauls and general maintenance. We will pre-agree with you on access arrangements and always work closely with your onsite team to conform to any health, safety and site standards you require.

We are ISO45001 compliant and we operate nationwide across more than 100 sites with a wide range of industries. We are used to working within the boundaries of a customer’s health and safety requirements. All of this will be discussed and agreed prior to contract signature.

We reserve the right to reclaim the asset in this situation. Throughout our conversations, we will look at your trading status and discuss whether any guarantor arrangements are required.

We have been trading for 30 years, both in the UK and worldwide, building a solid reputation as industry leaders with very strong financials. Add to this rising energy costs and ongoing carbon reduction requirements, and there has never been a bigger demand for clean onsite energy generation – and this is set to continue as the UK journeys towards net zero by 2050.

We estimate your savings in the proposals we present to you. These are based on how much you are paying for energy today and also a forecast of what you’d pay for energy in the future. As these are just forecasts, and we can’t predict future energy costs, then your savings will vary throughout the contract term. If the price of energy is higher than we forecasted then your savings will be higher, and the opposite is also true. However, the price you pay for energy is fixed alongside an inflation linked measure, so you have a confirmed price for the duration of the contract.

Yes. With Solar you will normally use all of the energy produced, however, there may be occasions where this isn’t the case. For example, weekends and bank holidays, where we can potentially export it to the grid and receive a fee. We factor this into any proposals we generate. This price will fluctuate throughout the term and we size projects as close to possible on your onsite demand. With Gas Generation you agree to buy a certain amount of electricity from us annually, called minimum take. If in the unlikely event that the engine temporarily fails, and we can’t deliver enough power to reach that amount, then it’s YLEM’s responsibility to buy that energy from the grid and sell it to you at the pre-agreed amount.

It’s pronounced ‘Ee-Lemm’ – it was the original unit of energy that produced the big bang and therefore YLEM created the Universe.

Our experienced engineers are used to working with the majority of engines on the market as opposed to other O&M experts who tend to focus on one make of engine. Our unparalleled experience and access to procurement channels allows us to be more cost effective and enables us to cover a portfolio of a variety of engines.

Absolutely, yes!  Giving your business total peace of mind. Unlike other operation and maintenance providers, our support lines are available at all times.

Ultimately this will depend on where your site is based. We have over 100 UK projects, meaning our engineers cover far and wide. Rest assured our reaction times are quick. Pre-agreed time frames would be discussed in the contract phase of discussions.

During our discussions, we will investigate your onsite requirements. You may decide to try us out on a general repair basis or a complete overhaul before committing to a longer-term contract. The average O&M contract length in our customer portfolio is 3 years.