A Norwich-based energy contract management firm has achieved a turnover of �399,000 in its first 18 months in business and has taken on more staff.

The company Indigo Swan, set up by Emily Groves in 2010 after she identified an opportunity to provide impartial advice, helps businesses reduce their energy bills.

It acts as a businesses' mini-energy department and tenders and manages commercial gas and electricity contracts to achieve cost-savings.

The business managed 123 million kWh of energy consumption in 2010 and achieved a turnover of �399,000 in its first year, with clients including Godfrey DIY and Haymarket Media Group.

With energy prices reaching an all-time high and the Bank of England warning of further price rises, Indigo Swan has seen a 28pc rise in new customers asking for help in the last three months.

Managing director Ms Groves said: 'Our first 18 months has been extremely busy and we are on track to achieve a turnover of �500,000 this year.

'I think our growth has been down to our approach. We are 100pc independent which means the client's interest is our top priority, not the suppliers and every client is allocated their own energy advisor.

'We also encourage feedback from our clients so we can continuously develop and streamline our service. We firmly believe ordinary is not exceptional and hope we can continue to help businesses across East Anglia make significant cost savings, despite the rising price increases.'

Indigo Swan monitors the energy markets daily, and provides businesses with up-to-date information so they can make informed decisions and allows firms to manage commercial gas and electricity contracts more cost-effectively.

One trend observed by the company is in companies accepting longer term energy contracts and agreeing contract strategies earlier than usual.

Indigo Swan has expanded its team of five to eight people and has just moved to larger new offices in Millennium Plain, opposite the Forum and is looking to recruit another energy adviser by the autumn.

It has developed also its own web-based software the 'Report Pool' which significantly reduces the time to collate quotes and produce reports, with the software patent pending.

Indigo Swan has also launched a new, free service for homeowners called 'CompariSwan' which is an energy comparison tool for homeowners to find the best gas and electricity deals at www.IndigoSwan.co.uk/compare