Independent Energy Strategy

You've done the
solar and battery.
Now what?

Most manufacturers have made the first investment. But solar and a battery is a product, not a strategy. What comes next requires someone who can see the whole picture.

Nic Jacobson in a strategy conversation with a client
Nic Jacobson
Founder, NECTO · Energy Engineer · CPEng FIEAust
MSc Renewable Energy 20+ Years Acciona · GHD · EnerVenue
20+ Years in energy
$1M+ Project funding facilitated
9+ Major energy organisations
3 Continents of energy experience
The problem

Solar was the right first step...
But it was only the first step.

01

The bills are still high. You've invested in solar and a battery - but you're still only 40% of the way there, and you don't know where to go next.

02

Everyone has solar now. When you're applying for tenders and everyone in your industry has made the same investment, how do you stand out? A comprehensive energy strategy is how you differentiate - and how you answer the Scope 3 questions your customers are starting to ask.

03

You're making decisions in the dark. Without a whole-of-system view - across your heat loads, cooling, water, production schedules, and energy use - you're investing in pieces instead of a strategy.

The solution

What you actually need
is an energy strategy.

Solar was the obvious move. It makes sense on almost every roof. But solar is a product - and a product is not a strategy. A strategy starts with understanding your whole energy picture: when you use energy, in what forms, what it's actually costing you, and where it's being wasted.

Most of the businesses I work with have made sound individual investments. The gap is almost never the technology - it's that no one has ever sat down and mapped a staged journey from where they are today to where they need to be, without trying to sell them something at the end of it.

That's the work NECTO does. And the starting point is a 30-minute conversation.

What a strategy unlocks
The benefits solar alone will never get you to
Lower energy costs that actually hold

Meaningful cost reduction from a whole-of-site approach that optimises how energy is generated, stored, and used across your operations.

Sustainability credentials you can defend

A documented, staged energy plan that answers the questions your supply chain customers are starting to ask - and sets you apart in tenders.

Decisions you won't regret in ten years

Infrastructure choices built around your planning horizon and ownership structure - so the investment made today makes sense in 2035.

Nic Jacobson presenting to manufacturing leaders
Book a free 30-minute call

In 30 minutes, I'll find
at least three things
your setup is leaving on the table.

I'll ask you a series of questions about your current setup, your costs, and your goals. By the end of 30 minutes, you'll have at least three specific things you can act on - some immediately, some that point toward a bigger opportunity.


If it makes sense to go further together, I'll tell you what that looks like. A full strategy engagement typically runs $5,000-$15,000. Most clients find significantly more on the table than they expected.

Ready to find out what your energy setup is actually costing you?

Pick a time directly in my calendar. You'll walk away with something useful either way.

Book My Free 30-Minute Call →
Who this is for

You're the right fit if
any of these land.

Nic Jacobson at a ThincLab networking event
Typical client profile
$5M-$50M revenue manufacturer, anywhere in Australia

Senior leadership - MD, Operations Manager, or CFO - who has already made one round of energy investment and needs an independent view on what the next round should look like.

The businesses I work with are typically responding to tenders from organisations at $100M+ revenue - mandatory reporters who are beginning to ask their supply chain about carbon intensity. Your sustainability performance is starting to affect your ability to win work.

  • You manufacture something. The energy complexity that makes this work valuable lives in heat loads, cooling, water systems, and production schedules - not just a lights-and-HVAC bill.
  • You've already started the journey. Solar on the roof, maybe a battery. The first step is done. But the bills haven't come down the way you expected and you're not sure what comes next.
  • Your customers are asking about Scope 3. Major customers and tender processes are starting to require sustainability performance data from their supply chains. You need a credible answer.
  • You're planning to be here a while. The best energy strategy is built around a 10-20 year horizon. If you're leasing and moving in three years, the conversation looks different.
  • You own your building. Renters are largely excluded from the strategies that make the biggest difference. Owner-occupiers have the full set of options.
About Nic

Why I do this work.

Nic Jacobson in a strategy conversation with a client
Nic Jacobson
Founder, NECTO Pty Ltd
Full professional experience on LinkedIn ↗
CPEng - Chartered Professional Engineer FIEAust - Fellow of Engineers Australia MSc Renewable Energy PGCert Electrical Power Engineering

I started my energy career by travelling to Vanuatu to install solar power systems in remote communities. That trip taught me something I've carried through everything since: the point of energy is never the energy itself. It's what it makes possible for people.

Over the past two decades, I've worked across almost every part of the energy sector - wind farm development with Garrad Hassan and Acciona, energy policy for the South Australian Government, international clean energy programs across Southeast Asia and the Pacific as Regional Director for REEEP, and most recently, energy storage technology with Enernet Global and EnerVenue in the US. I've done the work at every level, from installing systems in the field to advising governments on policy to representing Australia at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.

What I kept seeing, across all of it, was the same gap. Businesses that had made smart individual decisions - good equipment, sound investments - but no one had ever helped them see the whole picture. No staged strategy. No view of where the journey was actually heading.

I started NECTO because I wanted to be that person. Not selling a product. Not tied to a vendor. Just genuinely excited about helping manufacturers figure out what their energy needs are, where they want to go and what strategy it will take to get there.

That's what I get to do now. And I love it.

What a full engagement looks like

Beyond the call.

01
Whole-of-site assessment

Energy bills, SCADA data, energy management systems, physical layout and space constraints. A complete picture of when you use energy, in what forms, and what it's actually costing you.

02
No-regrets strategy

A staged roadmap built around your planning horizon, ownership structure, and operational goals - designed so the decisions made today hold up in ten years.

03
Specification & go-to-market

Specification writing and go-to-market support for implementation. Independent oversight of delivery - not tied to any vendor, not shaped by any product margin.

Next step

Start with a free 30-minute call.
Walk away with at least three things you can act on.

No prep needed. Pick a time that works and I'll do the rest.

Book My Free 30-Minute Call →