If you work in sustainability, building physics or building performance consultancy, one of the harder questions when unfamiliar work lands on your desk is often: how much should I charge for this?
A useful way to approach it is to break the commission into individual tasks, estimate how long each one should take, and multiply those hours by the appropriate charge-out rate.
In this article, we explain how sustainability consultancy fees are typically built, show indicative UK charge-out rates by grade, and work through a simple commercial EPC example to show how those rates translate into a fee proposal.
Estimated hours × charge-out rate + disbursements = proposed fee
What hourly rate should you use?
Based on BPEX market research, indicative UK consultancy charge-out rates can vary considerably by grade:
| Level | Indicative hourly range |
|---|---|
| Graduate | £60–£80 |
| Consultant | £65–£110 |
| Senior | £75–£140 |
| Principal | £85–£140 |
| Associate / Associate Director | £85–£190 |
| Director / Technical Director | £90–£220 |
If your consultancy already has agreed charge-out rates, use those. The harder part is usually deciding how many hours the job should actually take.
Worked example: pricing a commercial EPC
Imagine you have been asked to produce a commercial EPC for a reasonably straightforward office in London.
For this example, assume the work is completed by a competent Senior Consultant / Non-Domestic Energy Assessor at £105/hour.
| Activity | Estimated time | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Desk study and information review | 2 hrs | £210 |
| Site survey | 2 hrs | £210 |
| Create digital building model and enter fabric and building services information | 10 hrs | £1,050 |
| Run assessment, necessary modelling iterations and review recommendations | 2 hrs | £210 |
| Prepare evidence and complete EPC lodgement | 2 hrs | £210 |
| Professional fee | 18 hrs | £1,890 |
You would then add any relevant disbursements, such as the EPC lodgement fee and travel to site.
Allowing approximately £35–£40 for lodgement, plus the actual cost of London travel, would put this illustrative quotation at around £1,950 plus VAT.
That does not mean every commercial EPC should cost £1,950. A small building with good drawings and clear services information could take less time. A larger or more complicated building, particularly one with poor information or complex HVAC systems, could take considerably longer.
The useful part of this method is that you are not simply choosing a number that sounds reasonable. You are asking:
What do I actually need to do, and how long should each part take?
Add those hours together, apply the appropriate charge-out rate, include your disbursements, and you have a much more defensible fee proposal.
To download a free Fee Proposal Spreadsheet template, click the link below.
If you have any questions or would like to get in touch, please contact us.
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