News archive

Application Delays due to National Postal Strike.

Due to the current national industrial action by Royal Mail staff, applications that are posted to EBICo Limited are being very extensively delayed. While this situation persists, we recommend that, if at all possible, you should use our website to apply online. Our web application pages are fully secure.

Pricing Statement

At EBICo, in addition to ensuring that we offer the fairest electricity and gas prices in the UK, we’ve also always tried to keep our prices stable - overall that means cheaper - rather than constant changes in price which costs customers money. Over the past 4 years, on average our competitors have changed their prices 7 times – and most of those were increases. In the same period we’ve moved the price of EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER on just 2 occasions. However, we know that recently other companies have put their prices down. And we want you to know that we have been thinking about how to do the best for you the customer. So we are pleased to announce that we will now “benchmark” the price of EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER. Essentially what this means is that we’ll match the moves that Scottish and Southern Energy make to their general gas and electricity tariffs. We believe that in benchmarking our prices to those of a major energy company whilst at the same time continuing our not for profit ethos – which means us not having to return money to shareholders - we can continue to deliver competitive prices and help those for whom paying for energy is a major headache. If we can make your home energy package better value we will, and we are always looking for ways to do this. EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER will continue to remain the best deal for pre-payment meter holders and our promise remains; to be fair, honest, and the cheapest we can.

Phil Levermore
Managing Director
EBICo Limited

17th August 2007

Ethical Consumer Magazine chooses EQUIGAS as ‘Best Buy’

Following-on from achieving ‘best-buy’ status for EQUICLIMATE CO₂ offsetting in Ethical Consumer Magazine’s May/June 2007 issue, EBICo is delighted to report that EQUIGAS, our domestic gas tariff, has been chosen as home gas supply ‘Best Buy’ in ECM’s July/August issue. EQUIGAS was alone amongst the 9 different gas supply services reviewed that scored any marks for Product Sustainability and the magazine awarded EBICo’s company ethos joint-top marks.

Ethical Consumer Magazine chooses EQUICLIMATE CO₂ offsetting as ‘Best Buy’

In the feature on CO₂ offsetting in its May/June 2007 issue, Ethical Consumer Magazine reviews all the significant CO₂ offset providers cites EQUICLIMATE as its ‘Best Buy’. Praising the method used by EQUICLIMATE for offsetting as ‘elegant’, the magazine highlights EBICo’s not-for-profit status and EQUICLIMATE’s value for money with virtually all a customers spend going into actual offset purchase.

CALOR team-up with EQUICLIMATE to offer CO₂ offset scheme to their bottled gas customers.

Calor and EBICo today (27th March) announced a joint initiative to offer CO₂ offsets to users of Calor Patio Gas. Through EQUICLIMATE, Calor will offset the CO₂ produced in the manufacture, processing and distribution of their Patio Gas cylinders. In addition, they will offer customers who purchase Patio Gas the option of purchasing EQUICLIMATE offsets for the CO₂ produced when using the gas. Andrew Ford, corporate affairs manager at Calor, said, “We chose EQUICLIMATE as our offsetting partner as they meet Defra’s proposed criteria for offset quality, use the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme and are operated by a not-for-profit company”. Commenting on the deal, Phil Levermore, Managing Director of EBICo said, ““We’re delighted to be working with Calor on this initiative to help their customers counteract the environmental effects of using bottled gas. By working with Equiclimate, Calor are providing their customers with a robust and transparent method of offsetting CO₂ emissions.”

For more details of Calor’s offsetting arrangements for Patio Gas customers visit: www.calorcarbonoffset.co.uk

A Great New Deal for Budding Renewable ‘Microgenerators’.

Up until now the high cost of installing wind turbines and photo-voltaic panels and the relatively modest payments available to any electricity ‘exported’ to the Grid (any unused home generated electricity) has led to long pay-back times for those householders considering going for this truly ‘green’ electricity option.

Now, to make the finances work for more households, EBICo, with its supply partner Scottish & Southern Energy plc, has developed a package of measures that help householders reduce microgeneration installation costs and increase their income from the electricity they produce. Budding microgenerators who switch to EQUIPOWER and install a wind or hydro generation turbine or photovoltaic panels will receive and have fitted, all for free, an ‘export’ meter to measure the amount electricity they sell-back to EQUIPOWER. In addition, renewable microgenerators will be paid £40 for every MWh they produce (whether they use it themselves or not) and an additional £38 per MWh for the electricity they produce, but don’t use (i.e. that is exported). Taken with EQUIPOWER’s zero standing charge and competitive unit rate for electricity drawn from the grid, the total package represents a ground-breaking deal for microgenerators and is open to all current and potential renewable microgenerators throughout Great Britain.

To apply, call 0845 456 0170 and ask for ‘Microgeneration

Please note, this service is only available to residential customers generating electricity with renewable energy sources (i.e. solar, wind and water).”

Phil Levermore, MBA

Managing Director

Prices to rise from the 1st of September but remain competitive

There has been extensive media coverage of ongoing increases in electricity and gas prices over the past year. Last September I gave my commitment to hold our prices for at least a year. In doing so we have managed to protect our customers from increases in a period through which most energy suppliers have imposed at least two significant price rises.

However, due to the increases in the cost of energy to us, we now have had no alternative but to review our prices and sadly I have to inform you that new, increased prices will come into effect from the 1st September (click here). I will be writing to inform existing customers of these changes over the next couple of weeks.

I appreciate that the cost of gas and electricity are major items in most household budgets and uncertainty over the size of the gas/electricity bill is a real worry for many of our customers. This is only our second price review in over two and a half years and, whilst in the current energy price environment I can’t give a guarantee, I can assure you that we will only review prices again if absolutely necessary.

Even with these price increases, EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER remain competitive and are, of course, the fairest available electricity and gas tariffs, offering all customers a simple and even-handed price structure backed by the excellent customer service record of SSE.

Phil Levermore
Managing Director

11 July 2006: Postal application delays due to industrial action at Witney sorting office.

Due to industrial action by postal staff at the Witney Sorting Office, applications that are posted to EBICo Limited via Royal Mail are being very extensively delayed. While this situation persists, we recommend that, if at all possible, you should use our website to apply online. Our web application pages are fully secure.

24th May 2006: EBICo launches CO₂ offsetting service for home, travel and business.

From today onwards, individuals and businesses who care about the future of the planet will be able to buy EU Carbon Dioxide allowances from the European market place and stop them from being used at all. Removing the allowances means less production of greenhouse gases in Europe overall. In this way, households and businesses can exactly offset the CO₂ they produce through the use of gas and electricity and through road and air transport use. The EQUICLIMATE website (www.equiclimate.org ) now enables everyone to calculate their “CO₂ footprint” from electricity, gas, road and air transport use and then access the EU trading system in Carbon Dioxide allowances to take this amount of CO₂ out of circulation. The Archbishop of Canterbury recently warned of billions of deaths in poorer countries from climate change and said people had a ‘moral responsibility to change their lifestyles’ to curb global warming. Rev Hugh Lee, Chairman of EBICo and member of the General Synod, said: “With EQUICLIMATE, householders can access the market that the EU set up as part of its Kyoto commitment and use it in a radical, new way to directly reduce the amount of CO₂ emitted in Europe.

10th February 2006: EBICo MD calls for “truly independent and comprehensive price comparison”.

Speaking on Radio 4’s ‘Moneybox’ programme, EBICo MD, Phil Levermore, called on Energywatch to make available, to all consumers, truly comprehensive, independent and up to date price comparisons between gas and electricity tariffs. “At the moment, Energywatch, the gas and electricity watchdog, relies on commercial web-based utility comparison services to do this”, he said. “But our investigations have shown that only 3 of the 10 services recognised by Energywatch, include EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER within their lists”. He went on to say:

“These commercial services are clearly going to want their customers to switch to suppliers who pay them a fee – even if it means not telling them about a tariff where they could save money. As a not-for-profit company, we want to use our resources to help customers – not pay fees to comparison companies. The Energywatch Code of Practice for comparison services tries to address this – but it’s just not working. In the same way that the FSA publishes a comprehensive list of Stakeholder Pension providers and their charges, it’s high time that Energywatch provided the public with such a list for electricity and gas tariffs.”

22nd November 2005: EBICo and Cambridge Housing Society launch innovative scheme to get cheaper electricity and gas.

In a ground-breaking deal, Cambridge Housing Society have, from today, agreed that as their properties become vacant, they will be switched to EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER so that incoming tenants can benefit from lower prices straight-away. In addition, as EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER do not have standing charges, CHS will not have to pay for gas and electricity connections between tenancies. Commenting on the arrangement, Nigel Howlett, Chief Executive of Cambridge Housing Society, declared himself,”...absolutely delighted with this new arrangement with EBICo”. He went on to say, “Our tenants can save up to £160* per year with EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER. This complements very well the existing range of services we offer our tenants.

16th November 2005: Local churches have a key role in helping the vulnerable

Local churches have a key role in helping the vulnerable this winter, EBICo Director tells General Synod. Briefing sheet available for pastoral groups. Hugh Lee, the Chairman of EBICo has asked, at the Church of England’s General Synod, the question many want an answer to as winter approaches. With record high utility prices and a forecast of the coldest winter in 10 years, what are the churches going to do to keep the old and poor from dying of cold this winter? At a local level, Hugh believes that churches have a duty, and are ideally placed, to help protect the vulnerable during cold weather. EBICo has prepared a briefing sheet for churches and pastoral groups to help them take some simple steps to assist their communities when it gets cold this winter. For more information contact: coldalert@------

EQUICLIMATE launched

EBICo has launched EQUICLIMATE, its innovative new CO₂ offsetting service which allows households to offset the greenhouse gas they produce. Carbon Dioxide is the principle cause of climate change and, using EQUICLIMATE, householders can counteract the CO₂ that comes from their home energy use. The idea behind EQUICLIMATE is simple, but original. Householders choose how much of their CO₂ ‘footprint’ on the environment they want to counteract. EBICo then enter the EU market for CO₂ Allowances and purchase this amount. EBICo hold-on to these allowances, such that they are permanently removed from circulation. As a result, the major producers of CO₂ in Europe have fewer Allowances and, so, must produce less CO₂ – offsetting the emissions from the EQUICLIMATE customer’s home.

Calculate you household CO₂ ‘footprint’ on the environment by clicking here.

20/08/2005: Prices to rise

Due to the continuing rise in wholesale electricity and gas prices, with effect from the 1st of September 2005, we’re going to have to increase our prices. To find out more, please click here. All existing customers and those who apply before the 1st September 2005 will be guaranteed these prices for at least 12 months.

04/01/2005: Online E-billing service launched

“E-billing is the new easy to use online service which allows you to manage your account 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With e-billing you can view any bills produced after the date you registered, pay your bill by debit or credit card or submit a meter reading.”

06 /11/2004: EQUILUX lightbulb scheme launched

“We are delighted to announce the launch of EQUILUX, our social-justice low energy light bulb scheme. Switch to low energy light bulbs and you’ll save about £30 in reduced electricity bills and replacement costs over a typical bulb life of 3 years. We’re working with a number of charities and community groups throughout the country and for every 5 bulbs purchased, we’ll get one of these money-saving units to a low income household – enabling savings to be made where they’re most needed. Click here for more details”

09/09/2004: Fuel poverty could rise by a third

“The recent electricity and gas price rises, 12.4% in the case of British Gas, Britain’s largest fuel supplier, will have a dramatic impact on fuel poverty. Estimates by Warwick University indicate that the rises could increase the level of fuel poverty in this country by over a third. This translates into early three-quarters of a million extra fuel poor households in England alone. EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER prices remain unchanged and offer very significant savings to those in fuel poverty.”

24/08/2004: British Gas raise prices - again

“Today British Gas announced the second round of price-rises this year. British Gas has raised their gas prices by 12% and their electricity prices by 10% with effect from September. This will mean a cost increase of £70 per year for their average gas and electricity customer. In addition to choosing a fair-to-all tariff, such customers would save over £100 per year by switching to EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER!”

15/07/2004: EBICo are proud to announce our exciting new EquiConcepts.

08/07/2004: EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER Prices Remain Unchanged.

“You may have recently received a letter from Southern Electric, SWALEC or Hydro telling you that gas prices are rising. This was sent by them to some EQUIGAS customers in error! EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER prices have remained UNCHANGED. We will be writing to confirm this to our customers shortly.”

23/04/2004: Radio 2's Money Saving Expert highlights EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER

“In Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert item on Radio 2 last week, he pointed out that EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER are the cheapest tariffs for pre-payment meter customers. This is true. Unfortunately, some listeners got the impression that cashback was available for those who switched to us. This is not true. We think that offering the fairest prices for all for electricity and gas is sufficiently attractive on its own. But many thanks to Martin for bring our ‘fair trade’ tariffs to the attention of Radio 2 listeners.”

02/02/2004: Debt shackles released

One million gas and electricity customers who owe their energy supplier less than £100 will no longer be shackled to the same deal. From today (Monday, 2nd Feb), pre-payment customers will be able to switch their energy company and take their debt with them. EQUIGAS and EQUIPOWER remain the cheapest tariffs for households that use pre-payment meters.

26/01/2004: Take part in our new EquiPoll

Now we have a competitive market, what do you think of the electricity and gas supply companies? Click here to vote

26/01/2004: New website launched.

25/03/2002: New phone number for EBICo Ltd: call us on 0800 458 7689.

17/03/2002: EBICo Ltd launches it’s new electricity tariff: EQUIPOWER

25/05/2001: Lib Dems commit to tackle fuel poverty

The Liberal Democrat manifesto promises to address the inequalities in gas prices that have been highlighted by EQUIGAS since February 1999.