Last Updated on November 4, 2026
Vital Energi scores highest of the ten UK utility connections and network infrastructure brands compared, at 4.4 out of 10 on the Whito leaderboard.
Opinion and analysis. Whito read every brand below by hand, using publicly visible activity only: the first five on 12 October 2026 and the five added to make this a top ten on 22 October 2026, against the same fixed anchors and the same ten searches. Each channel is scored 0 to 10, set out under How we scored, so a score describes what we could see on the day, not the quality of the service. Brands cannot pay to appear or to change a score. Where a figure is not published, we say so.
Infrastructure firms often say marketing does not matter because work is won on tenders and relationships. The scores suggest the whole segment has taken that view. The top brand averages 4.4 out of 10, eight of the ten had no Google ads in the period checked, and four have no Trustpilot profile.
Vital Energi leads, the only brand here with 88 Google ads, an appearance in 2 of 10 UK searches and 4.3 from 262 Trustpilot reviews. Leep Utilities follows on 3.4 through reviews from the residents on its networks: 4.8 from 1,833, with replies to 19 of its latest 20.
Last Mile scores lowest at 1.7. When read on 12 October its site had no quote route, no email capture and no review profile we could find.
What can your business learn?
Who’s leading? Vital Energi, with 4.4 out of 10 across seven channels.
Why are they leading? Its highest-scoring channels are Website (6/10) and Paid (6/10).
Where’s the opportunity? Email is the weakest channel on this board. The ten brands average 0.8 out of 10 on it, and 10 of them score 3 or less.
What can you copy? Three of the lessons further down this page:
- Treat residents as customers
- Publish a connections guide
- Make the quote route obvious
Read all five lessons · Scores measure visible marketing, not sales, profit or market share.
The leaderboard
| Rank | Brand | Social | Website | SEO | Paid | Reviews | Brand | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vital Energi | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4.4 |
| 2 | Leep Utilities | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 3.4 |
| 3 | Energy Assets | 2 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3.3 |
| 3 | Fulcrum | 2 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3.3 |
| 5 | Eclipse Power | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2.9 |
| 5 | GTC | 2 | 6 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2.9 |
| 7 | ESP Utilities Group | 2 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2.6 |
| 7 | Murphy | 6 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2.6 |
| 7 | UK Power Networks Services | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2.6 |
| 10 | Last Mile | 2 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1.7 |
Average is the simple mean of the seven channel scores, rounded to one decimal place. Brands on the same average share a rank and are listed A to Z. Leep Utilities, Fulcrum, Energy Assets, GTC and Last Mile read 12 October 2026; Vital Energi, Eclipse Power, ESP Utilities Group, Murphy and UK Power Networks Services read 22 October 2026. Meta Ad Library counts for brands added on 22 October were read on 23 October 2026, after the library was unavailable on 22 October.
Company verdicts
Vital Energi, 4.4
Vital Energi scores 4.4, the highest of the ten. Paid scores 6 with 88 Google ads in 30 days, the only brand here with more than one. SEO scores 4: vitalenergi.co.uk appeared for ‘independent connection provider UK’ and ‘multi utility connections UK’. Reviews score 5 from 4.3 on 262 Trustpilot reviews, with replies to 7 of the latest 20. Brand scores 4 for one name and a clear line. It is a wider low-carbon energy contractor, with an Independent Connection Provider service.
Leep Utilities, 3.4
Leep Utilities scores 3.4. It leads on the one channel most contractors ignore: reviews from residents. Trustpilot shows 4.8 from 1,833, with replies to 19 of the latest 20, so reviews score 9, the best here. Everything else is minimal: LinkedIn only, no email capture and no ads found on 12 October.
Energy Assets, 3.3
Energy Assets scores 3.3, level with Fulcrum. SEO scores 5 for 1 of 10 UK searches plus a Knowledge Hub, and it has a newsletter sign-up page. It ran 1 Google ad, read on 12 October, and holds 2.2 from 72 Trustpilot reviews.
Fulcrum, 3.3
Fulcrum scores 3.3, level with Energy Assets. Its website scores 7, the best here, for an online quote application portal and pages per development type. SEO scores 5: fulcrum.co.uk appeared in 2 of 10 UK searches on 12 October, and in three when the searches were run again on 22 October. Trustpilot shows 1.9 from 17 reviews.
Eclipse Power, 2.9
Eclipse Power scores 2.9, level with GTC. Social scores 4 for LinkedIn and YouTube, and brand 4 for the line ‘OFGEM licensed IDNO’. Its website shows a freephone number and a client portal. No Trustpilot profile or Google ads were found, and eclipsepower.co.uk appeared in none of 10 UK searches.
GTC, 2.9
GTC scores 2.9, level with Eclipse Power. SEO scores 5 for 2 of 10 UK searches plus Help & Advice guides. Its website has separate sections for housebuilders, residents and utilities. Trustpilot shows 1.8 from 28 reviews with no replies on the latest 20, and no ads were found on 12 October.
ESP Utilities Group, 2.6
ESP Utilities Group scores 2.6, level with Murphy and UK Power Networks Services. Brand scores 4 for the line ‘one of the UK’s largest independent multi-utility companies’. Trustpilot shows 2.2 from 10 reviews, with replies to 7 of them. It links only LinkedIn, captures no email and ran no Google ads.
Murphy, 2.6
Murphy scores 2.6, level with ESP and UK Power Networks Services. Social scores 6 for five platforms, the most here. It is a large engineering group covering energy and utilities, and its site has no quote route, email capture or Trustpilot profile, and no Google ads were found.
UK Power Networks Services, 2.6
UK Power Networks Services scores 2.6, level with ESP and Murphy. Brand scores 4 for one name and a clear line. It links three social platforms, shows case studies and insights, and has no email capture, Trustpilot profile or Google ads that we could find.
Last Mile, 1.7
Last Mile scores 1.7, the lowest of the ten. Its news page reports a one millionth connection, but its site had no quote route, no email capture and no review profile we could find when read on 12 October. It links only LinkedIn and ran no ads.
What the channels show
Residents are the review channel
Leep Utilities holds 4.8 from 1,833 Trustpilot reviews from residents on its networks. Every other brand sits at 4.3 or below, or has no profile: Last Mile, Eclipse Power, Murphy and UK Power Networks Services have none.
Paid is almost absent
Vital Energi ran 88 Google ads and Energy Assets 1. The other eight ran none in the periods checked.
Search goes to the network operators and contractors with guides
When the ten searches were run again on 22 October, Fulcrum appeared in three, GTC in two, Vital Energi in two and Energy Assets in one, mostly through guide and service pages. Distribution network operators, Vattenfall and trade publications took most other places.
Email capture barely exists
Only Energy Assets and Vital Energi offer a newsletter. Six of the ten capture no email at all.
Key lessons for any infrastructure business
Treat residents as customers
Leep Utilities replies to 19 of its latest 20 reviews. The people who live on your network are the public proof a developer checks.
Publish a connections guide
Fulcrum and GTC appear in search through plain guide pages. A guide to connecting a small development is how a contractor gets found.
Make the quote route obvious
Fulcrum’s online quote portal earns the best website score here. A developer should be able to start a quote in one click.
Link more than LinkedIn
Seven of the ten link LinkedIn only or LinkedIn plus one other. Site photos and short videos on Instagram or YouTube cost little.
Collect an email with a deadline
Grid capacity and connection timelines change constantly. A short update for developers is a reason to sign up.
Steal this playbook
Five moves from this leaderboard, ranked by return on effort.
- Ask residents for reviews and reply. Leep Utilities does, and scores 9.
- Write one connections guide per development type. Search went to the brands with guides.
- Put a quote route on every page. Fulcrum’s portal scores 7, the best website here.
- Offer a developer update by email. Six of the ten capture none.
- Test a small search campaign. Eight of the ten ran no Google ads at all.
The evidence behind the scores
One line per channel, as read on the date shown for each brand. Review figures change daily; these are the numbers on the day we looked.
Vital Energi
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 4: Links to LinkedIn, X and Instagram from vitalenergi.co.uk, three platforms in all.
- Website 6: A page per service, including an Independent Connection Provider page, case studies and an enquiry route; no prices.
- Email 2: A subscribe sign-up; no account or guide download seen.
- SEO 4: 2 of 10 UK web searches returned vitalenergi.co.uk in the top ten (‘independent connection provider UK’ and ‘multi utility connections UK’); its news and insights pages are not counted as an advice library.
- Paid 6: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain vitalenergi.co.uk: 88 ads. Meta Ad Library, UK, read 23 October 2026: no active ads found for Vital Energi.
- Reviews 5: Trustpilot 4.3 from 262 reviews, with a company reply on 7 of the latest 20.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘Developing renewable energy systems across the UK’); no long-running asset or named people confirmed, and three recent news mentions not checked.
Leep Utilities
Read 12 October 2026.
- Social 2: LinkedIn is the only social profile linked from leeputilities.co.uk; no Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok or YouTube link found.
- Website 6: Separate commercial and customer help sections (Getting Started, Making Payments, Water Saving Tips), a Charges page and a Get in touch route; no prices on the homepage.
- Email 0: No newsletter, lead magnet or other email capture found on leeputilities.co.uk.
- SEO 3: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned leeputilities.co.uk in the top ten, plus 1 for an advice or guides library.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain leeputilities.co.uk: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK: no active ads naming the brand.
- Reviews 9: Trustpilot 4.8 from 1,833 reviews; 19 of the latest 20 have a company reply.
- Brand 2: A clear positioning line (‘The first choice for the last mile’); one social platform, no long-running asset, named staff or three recent news mentions found.
Energy Assets
Read 12 October 2026.
- Social 2: LinkedIn is the only social profile linked from energyassets.co.uk; no Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok or YouTube link found.
- Website 6: Request a quote page promising a full itemised breakdown, sections per customer type, a Knowledge Hub and case studies; no prices.
- Email 2: A newsletter signup page at /sign-up-to-our-newsletter/; no stated benefit for subscribers seen.
- SEO 5: 1 of 10 UK web searches returned energyassets.co.uk in the top ten, plus 1 for an advice or guides library.
- Paid 4: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain energyassets.co.uk: 1 ad. Meta Ad Library, UK: no active ads naming the brand.
- Reviews 2: Trustpilot 2.2 from 72 reviews; 5 of the latest 20 have a company reply.
- Brand 2: A clear positioning line (‘Leaders in multi-utility metering and data services, and network construction and ownership’); no long-running asset, named people or three recent news mentions found.
Fulcrum
Read 12 October 2026.
- Social 2: LinkedIn is the only social profile linked from fulcrum.co.uk; no Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok or YouTube link found.
- Website 7: Online quote application via portal.fulcrum.co.uk, pages per development type including one-off and smaller developments and EV charging, an Information Hub and accreditation logos; no prices.
- Email 2: The quote portal collects contact details; no newsletter or downloadable guide found.
- SEO 5: 2 of 10 UK web searches returned fulcrum.co.uk in the top ten, plus 1 for an advice or guides library.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain fulcrum.co.uk: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK: no active ads naming the brand.
- Reviews 1: Trustpilot 1.9 from 17 reviews; 1 of the latest 17 has a company reply.
- Brand 4: A positioning line (‘Powering your project_’) and named leaders in its news; one social platform, no long-running asset or three recent news mentions found.
Eclipse Power
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 4: Links to LinkedIn and YouTube from eclipsepower.co.uk, two platforms in all.
- Website 6: A freephone number (0800 0548 192), service pages, case studies and a client portal; no prices.
- Email 2: A client portal that collects contact details; no newsletter or guide found.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned eclipsepower.co.uk in the top ten; no advice library found.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain eclipsepower.co.uk: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK, read 23 October 2026: no active ads found for Eclipse Power.
- Reviews 0: No Trustpilot profile found for eclipsepower.co.uk.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘OFGEM licensed IDNO’); no long-running asset or named people confirmed, and three recent news mentions not checked.
GTC
Read 12 October 2026.
- Social 2: LinkedIn is the only social profile linked from gtc-uk.co.uk; no Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok or YouTube link found.
- Website 6: Separate sections for housebuilders, residents and utilities, a housebuilder Request a Quote page and Help & Advice guides; no prices.
- Email 0: No newsletter or email capture found on gtc-uk.co.uk; the only route is the contact page.
- SEO 5: 2 of 10 UK web searches returned gtc-uk.co.uk in the top ten, plus 1 for an advice or guides library.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain gtc-uk.co.uk: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK: no active ads naming the brand.
- Reviews 1: Trustpilot 1.8 from 28 reviews; 0 of the latest 20 have a company reply.
- Brand 4: A clear positioning line (‘Connecting communities. Innovating utilities’) and a named spokesperson in its news; one social platform, no long-running asset or three recent news mentions found.
ESP Utilities Group
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 2: LinkedIn is the only social profile linked from espug.com.
- Website 6: A freephone number (0800 111 999), service pages, accreditations and case studies; no prices.
- Email 0: No newsletter or email capture found.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned espug.com in the top ten; no advice library found.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain espug.com: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK, read 23 October 2026: no active ads found for ESP Utilities Group.
- Reviews 2: Trustpilot 2.2 from 10 reviews, with a company reply on 7 of the latest 10.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘one of the UK’s largest independent multi-utility companies’); no long-running asset or named people confirmed, and three recent news mentions not checked.
Murphy
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 6: murphygroup.co.uk redirects to murphygroup.com, which links to LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X and TikTok, five platforms in all.
- Website 6: A page per sector and service, including utilities, and a contact route; no quote tool or prices.
- Email 0: No newsletter or email capture found.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned murphygroup.com in the top ten; its news section is not an advice library.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain murphygroup.com: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK, read 23 October 2026: no active ads found for Murphy.
- Reviews 0: No Trustpilot profile found for murphygroup.com.
- Brand 2: Same name everywhere, with 75 years of trading stated on the homepage; no clear positioning line, named people or three recent news mentions confirmed.
UK Power Networks Services
Read 22 October 2026 (Meta read 23 October 2026).
- Social 4: Links to LinkedIn, Facebook and X, three platforms in all.
- Website 6: Service pages, case studies and insights, and a contact route; no quote tool or prices.
- Email 0: No newsletter or email capture found.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned ukpowernetworksservices.co.uk in the top ten; its case studies and insights are not counted as an advice library.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain ukpowernetworksservices.co.uk: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK, read 23 October 2026: no active ads found for UK Power Networks Services.
- Reviews 0: No Trustpilot profile found for ukpowernetworksservices.co.uk.
- Brand 4: Same name everywhere and a clear positioning line (‘We solve your energy challenges through innovative solutions’); no long-running asset or named people confirmed, and three recent news mentions not checked.
Last Mile
Read 12 October 2026.
- Social 2: LinkedIn is the only social profile linked from lastmile-uk.com; no Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok or YouTube link found.
- Website 4: Contact page and Useful Information page; no quote tool, prices or accreditations listed.
- Email 0: No email capture found; the only email address shown is for data protection queries.
- SEO 2: 0 of 10 UK web searches returned lastmile-uk.com in the top ten.
- Paid 2: Google Ads Transparency Centre, UK, last 30 days, by domain lastmile-uk.com: no ads found. Meta Ad Library, UK: no active ads naming the brand.
- Reviews 0: No Trustpilot profile found for lastmile-uk.com when checked on 12 October 2026.
- Brand 2: A clear positioning line (‘Your trusted partner for utility network adoption’); one social platform, no long-running asset, named people or three recent news mentions found.
How we scored
Who is on the board. Segment: new utility connections and network ownership (Independent Connection Providers and independent network operators), the infrastructure firms an SME developer, landowner or resident on a new estate actually meets. Ten firms spanning models: a multi-utility network owner (GTC), a connections contractor that also takes one-off and smaller developments (Fulcrum), a metering-plus-networks group (Energy Assets), an investor-backed water and electricity network operator (Leep Utilities), an adoption specialist (Last Mile), a low-carbon energy contractor with an ICP service (Vital Energi), an Ofgem-licensed IDNO (Eclipse Power), an independent multi-utility network company (ESP Utilities Group), a large engineering group with utilities work (Murphy) and the services arm of a distribution network operator (UK Power Networks Services). Power On Connections was excluded because it shares a group site with GTC. Two first picks for the added five, Squire Energy and Harlaxton, could not be loaded on 22 October 2026 and were replaced with Murphy and UK Power Networks Services, neither of which appeared in the searches. Chosen for relevance and size, not marketing strength.
When we looked. The board launched with five brands, read on 12 October 2026. Five more were added on 22 October 2026 to make a top ten, read against the same anchors below, with the same ten searches run again on that date. The first five were not re-read, so their figures are as of 12 October 2026. Meta Ad Library counts for brands added on 22 October were read on 23 October 2026, after the library was unavailable on 22 October. None of the five added brands showed active Meta ads; the first five keep the Paid scores read with both libraries on 12 October 2026.
- Social: which platforms the brand links to from its own site, and whether we could see recent posting and video.
- Website: 2 for a brochure page, 4 with a contact route on mobile, 6 with a page per service and a one-step enquiry, 8 with prices or ranges and registration numbers shown, 10 with online booking, an online checkout or an instant priced quote.
- Email: visible capture only, as we did not subscribe test inboxes for this edition. 2 for a bare newsletter form, 4 for a customer account, 6 for an app, 7 for a newsletter plus an app, up to 10 for a loyalty or app ecosystem with personal offers.
- SEO: ten UK searches for this sector, run through a standard web search API (12 October 2026 for the first five brands, 22 October 2026 for the five added; not personalised, no location set beyond the town in the query); we counted how many returned the brand’s own site in the top ten results. 0 of 10 scores 2, 1 to 2 scores 4, 3 to 4 scores 6, 5 to 6 scores 8, 7 or more scores 10, plus 1 for a substantial advice library. The searches: new electricity connection for a development UK; independent connection provider UK; utility connections for new build housing; multi utility connections UK; IDNO electricity network adoption; new gas connection Sheffield; utility connections Manchester; new build utility connections Leeds; electricity connection Bristol development; utility connections Glasgow.
- Paid: the Google Ads Transparency Centre (UK, last 30 days, by domain) and the Meta Ad Library (UK, active ads, counted by the advertiser page). 2 for nothing found in either, 4 for active in one with fewer than 10 ads, 6 for active in both or 10+ in one, 8 for active in both with 10+ in at least one, 10 for 50+ Google ads and 10+ Meta ads. Paid describes visible activity, not quality. A low paid score is not a fault.
- Reviews: a fixed formula. Rating (4.7+ scores 4, 4.5 to 4.69 scores 3, 4.0 to 4.49 scores 2, 3.5 to 3.99 scores 1) plus volume (10,000+ scores 4, 1,000+ scores 3, 100+ scores 2, 20+ scores 1) plus replies to the latest 20 reviews (half or more scores 2, some scores 1). Where Trustpilot sends a brand’s address to a parent company profile, we used that profile and say so.
- Brand: five checks worth 2 each: the same name and logo everywhere, one clear positioning line, a distinctive asset used for years, three or more independent press mentions in 90 days, and named people or expertise on the site. We award only what we could verify on the day.
These anchors are fixed for this edition, so the ten scores can be read against each other, allowing for the days between the two reading dates. Boards published before October 2026 used scores relative to the other brands on the board, so compare across boards with care.
Common questions
Which utility infrastructure brand scores highest on the Whito leaderboard?
Vital Energi scores highest of the ten, at 4.4 out of 10, ahead of Leep Utilities on 3.4. It ran 88 Google ads, appeared in 2 of 10 UK searches and holds 4.3 from 262 Trustpilot reviews.
Which brand scores lowest?
Last Mile scores 1.7. When read on 12 October its site had no quote route, no email capture and no review profile we could find, it linked only LinkedIn and ran no ads.
Why do infrastructure firms score so low?
Work in this segment is won on tenders and relationships, and the marketing shows it. Eight of the ten ran no Google ads, six capture no email, four have no Trustpilot profile and seven link LinkedIn only or LinkedIn plus one other platform.
How do utility network firms compare on reviews?
Leep Utilities has 4.8 from 1,833 Trustpilot reviews and replies to 19 of its latest 20. Vital Energi has 4.3 from 262. The rest sit at 2.2 or below or have no profile.
What can a smaller connections contractor copy from these brands?
Ask residents and developers for reviews and reply to them, as Leep does. Publish a plain connections guide, as Fulcrum and GTC do. Make the quote route obvious, and offer a short developer update by email.
Corrections and right of reply
If your business is scored here and you think we have a fact wrong, email hello@whito.co.uk. We check it against the source, correct it within five working days if we are wrong, and publish your statement alongside if you want us to. Scores are never changed for payment or because a business has claimed a Whito listing. Full route: corrections, right of reply and removals.
Related: all UK marketing leaderboards · Infrastructure Companies on Whito
If your business is named here and you think we have a fact wrong, email hello@whito.co.uk and we will check it and correct it. If you want to respond, send us a statement and we will publish it alongside. Full detail: Corrections, right of reply and removals.
