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Energy Audit & Compliance

Decarbonisation Roadmaps That Turn Opportunities Into a Funded Sequence

Engineering-led, phased decarbonisation plans for industrial sites that have a carbon target and a list of ideas, but no clear, costed sequence connecting today's actions to net zero.

  • Builds directly on your energy audits and carbon baseline, not a top-down strategy
  • Every opportunity quantified for savings, CO2, capital, IRR and NPV
  • Structured into phases by cost, payback, operational impact and dependencies
  • Built to fund: marginal abatement cost curve, financial models and grant analysis
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  • Part of SHV Energy
  • ISO 50001
Engineers in protective equipment reviewing a site plan on an industrial plant floor
What we do

What This Service Is

A Decarbonisation Roadmap is the point where all the earlier work, audits, baselines and system analysis, turns into a structured, long-term plan. It is not a high-level strategy document, and it is not a standalone audit. It is a phased plan for reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, built on detailed analysis of how a site operates, how its utilities behave, and which interventions are realistically achievable.

What distinguishes the service is that it links three things together: a technical understanding of the site, its financial and operational constraints, and its long-term carbon and energy targets. The result is not just a list of opportunities, but a structured sequence of decisions and investments.

Framed in our proposals as a Decarbonisation Roadmap and Audit, the objective is to identify energy and carbon savings opportunities, quantify their impact, and define a pathway for implementation over time.

The challenge

The Challenge It Solves

By the time a client requests a decarbonisation roadmap, the conversation has moved beyond awareness. The site typically already has a carbon reduction target or corporate commitment, some understanding of where energy is used, and a number of possible improvement ideas. The problem is that these elements do not yet form a coherent plan.

The gaps are consistent: too many opportunities but no clear prioritisation, uncertainty about what to do first, and a lack of clarity on cost versus impact, which creates a real risk of investing in projects that do not align with long-term goals. Sequencing is the other half of the problem. A site may know it needs to electrify heat, install renewables, improve system efficiency and reduce demand, but not which should happen first, what depends on what, or how early decisions affect later options.

  • Too many opportunities, but no clear prioritisation
  • Uncertainty about what to do first, and what it is worth
  • No clear view of cost versus carbon impact
  • Fragmented investment: projects that work alone but do not add up to a pathway
Walkway through a complex multi-system industrial plant with blue steelwork and pipework
Our method

How EM3 Delivers It

  1. Establish the current state

    The work builds directly on earlier audits and carbon baseline analysis. Using utility data, system analysis and site surveys, we define how energy is consumed, where emissions are generated, and which systems drive the majority of demand.

  2. Opportunity identification

    We develop opportunities across operational improvements, system optimisation, equipment upgrades, fuel switching and electrification, and renewable energy integration, each tied to the specific systems, operating conditions and constraints of your site rather than generic measures.

  3. Quantitative modelling

    We build a model for each opportunity, assessing energy savings, CO2 reduction, capital investment and financial performance including IRR and NPV, so every measure can be compared on a like-for-like basis.

  4. Phasing the roadmap

    Opportunities are structured into phases based on complexity, cost and payback, operational impact and the dependencies between projects, showing a clear progression from low-cost quick wins through to larger capital projects and long-term transformation.

  5. Stakeholder engagement

    We review the proposed pathway with your site team so operational constraints, production requirements and business priorities are fully reflected in the final roadmap.

  6. Roadmap and reporting

    We deliver a decision-ready, phased plan supported by a marginal abatement cost curve, financial models, grant analysis and a stakeholder presentation that connects today to your long-term target.

What you receive

What You Receive

  • Phased decarbonisation strategy

    The headline deliverable: a sequenced plan that shows what to do immediately, what needs further development and what sits in the longer term, with the dependencies between projects made clear.

  • Marginal Abatement Cost Curve

    A MACC that ranks every measure by cost per tonne of CO2 abated, so the most cost-effective carbon reductions are obvious.

  • Quantified opportunity list

    Each opportunity with energy savings, capital cost, IRR, NPV and CO2 reduction, grouped by system or theme.

  • Energy, carbon and cost baseline

    Where you are today: a full breakdown with a carbon reduction waterfall, electrical, fuel and water analysis, EnPIs, a Significant Energy Users list and a Sankey diagram of energy flows.

  • Renewables and electrification view

    A feasibility view of on-site renewables, fuel switching and electrification, assessed against your systems and operating conditions.

  • Funding-ready business case

    Financial models, grant and funding analysis and supporting calculation sheets, structured to support capital decisions, internal business cases and funding applications.

  • Final report and presentation

    A detailed report and a stakeholder presentation that bring the baseline, opportunities, economics and phased pathway together in one decision-ready document.

Proven outcome

Proven Outcome

63%Carbon footprint reduction in the roadmap
361,870 EURAnnual savings identified
Net zeroFull pathway modelled

For a large pharmaceutical site, EM3 turned a site assessment into a decision-ready decarbonisation roadmap. We quantified total site energy use and emissions, identified a set of energy and carbon reduction opportunities, and modelled the financial and operational impact of each.

The roadmap identified 361,870 euro of annual savings and a 63 percent reduction in the site carbon footprint achievable through the identified measures, then set out a broader pathway to full decarbonisation, including the additional measures required to reach net zero. The value is not just the savings, but seeing how different levels of ambition translate into cost, carbon reduction and operational change over time.

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Overhead view of a modern operational industrial plant
EM3 engineer with a system blueprint beside industrial switchgear
Why EM3

Why EM3

  • Built from the ground up

    The roadmap is built from site-specific engineering analysis, not imposed as a top-down strategy, so it reflects how your site actually operates.

  • Grounded, not theoretical

    It links system-level energy analysis, real operating conditions and detailed financial modelling, so the plan holds up when it meets the realities of the site.

  • Vendor-neutral

    With no ties to equipment suppliers, the roadmap focuses on the best overall outcome for the site rather than driving toward specific technologies.

  • Designed to lead into delivery

    MACCs, financial models and phased strategies mean the roadmap supports capital investment decisions, internal business cases and grant applications, not just a description of possibilities.

How we engage

How We Engage

Typical durationAround ten weeks
Engagement model

The roadmap is delivered as a fixed-price project, typically around ten weeks, with payments linked to milestones such as project initiation, completion of the site visit and issue of the final report. Where recent audit or baseline data already exists we build on it, which can shorten the timeline. The exact scope is confirmed in a proposal.

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Where it applies

Where It Applies

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How is a decarbonisation roadmap different from an energy audit?

An audit or baseline identifies and quantifies opportunities. The roadmap takes that further: it sequences those opportunities into a phased, costed plan that connects today's actions to your long-term carbon and energy targets, with the dependencies between projects made explicit.

Do we need an audit or baseline first?

The roadmap builds directly on energy audits and carbon baseline analysis. Where you already have recent data we build on it, which can shorten the timeline. Where you do not, we establish the current state as part of the work.

How are the opportunities prioritised?

They are structured into phases based on complexity, cost and payback, operational impact and the dependencies between projects, so you can see what to do immediately, what needs further development and what sits in the longer term.

What financial detail do we get?

Each opportunity is modelled for energy savings, CO2 reduction, capital and financial performance including IRR and NPV. The roadmap also includes a marginal abatement cost curve and grant and funding analysis to support the business case.

Does it cover electrification and renewables?

Yes. Opportunities span operational improvements, system optimisation, equipment upgrades, fuel switching and electrification, and renewable energy integration, all assessed against your specific systems and constraints.

How long does it take?

Around ten weeks for a full roadmap. Where recent audit or baseline data already exists, we build on it and the timeline can be shorter.

Keep exploring

Related Services

Read the Industrial Decarbonisation Roadmap Framework

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