Global utility company Osaka Gas UK has been advised by the energy team at Bristol-headquartered law firm Burges Salmon on its strategic investment of up to £20m in challenger energy supplier Igloo Energy.
The investment is supporting Igloo’s fast growth and accelerating the development of its home services marketplace Igloo Works, which aims to reduce how much energy its customers consume at home. 
Founded in 2017, Southampton-based Igloo is disrupting the traditional energy supply model with its proposition to help customers use less energy by utilising smart home technology to monitor consumption and deliver personalised and easy-to-understand energy efficiency recommendations. It now supplies more than 85,000 residential customers across the UK.
Igloo Works was launched last year as a home services marketplace providing customers with smart thermostats and hybrid heating technology tailored to meet the specific requirements of individual homes.
Osaka Gas serves more than 6m residential and business customers in Japan and is one of the leading installers of domestic combined heat and power (mCHP) boilers. It has significant experience in rolling out alternative heating technology at scale. The strategic partnership will be invaluable to Igloo in achieving its ambitions in the UK. 
Osaka Gas UK management director Kenji Oida said: “We are very grateful for the UK energy legal guidance provided by the specialist lawyers at Burges Salmon who helped us steer this strategic investment to a conclusion.”
The Burges Salmon team on the deal was led by partners Camilla Usher-Clark and Ross Fairley with associate Danny Perera and senior associate Alec Whiter.
Camilla, pictured, said: “Igloo is committed to helping customers move away from fossil fuels, which is critical in reducing the impact of climate change. The partnership with Osaka Gas is an important step to Igloo achieving its strategic vision through the provision of demand-side energy flexibility.”
