News
10.5.10
Ebico study shows that majority of UK households have at least one resident Energy Waster
A new study carried out by Ebico found that over 60% of British households argue over wasting energy, and therefore money within the home. The culprits, identified as Weamers (Wasters of Energy and Money), have emerged as Brits become more conscious of the environmental impact of their actions. The number one way to waste energy and money is by leaving the lights on (40% of energy arguments), closely followed by leaving electronic appliances on standby (28%) and having the heating up too high (27%).
The majority of respondents (78%) declared that their home was occupied by at least one energy waster; 23% blamed their other half and 15% admitted that they were the worst energy waster in their household.
Phil Levermore, Ebico’s Managing Director, said: “Collectively, our homes are the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the UK, yet the changes we need to make to see big reductions in energy consumption and fuel bills are quite simple and easy to do. Just by turning the thermostat down by one degree can save you 10% on your annual energy bill.”
“Our research shows that while the message is getting through to many people there are still some who need to be pushed into making the small changes that can save you energy and money. A review of energy consumption levels amongst Ebico customers in 2009 demonstrated that simply by taking basic measures to cut household energy consumption resulted in an average saving of £90 a year.”
12.2.10
Phil Levermore is on Working Lunch!
Ebico’s managing director Phil Levermore was invited onto Working Lunch this week. He was guest of the day on Thursday’s show, answering questions on Ebico as a energy provider and a social enterprise.
Working Lunch is a daily lunch time show discussing the latest business, consumer and workplace news from across the country.
4.2.10
Ebico supports Fuel Poverty Awareness Day
Ebico is supporting Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 2010 a national campaign which aims to highlight the effects of living in a cold home on people’s health.
Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, run by National Energy Action (NEA) and sponsored by EDF Energy, takes place on 12th February and has received backing from high profile health professional Dr Miriam Stoppard and Government’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson.
Having just experienced the most severe winter in over 30 years, the campaign aims to draw attention to the health problems caused by living in a cold, damp home and urges vulnerable people to keep their heating on until winter ends and temperatures start to warm up.
Last winter temperatures remained as low as minus 6 degrees well into March, leading to concerns that people may have been risking their health by turning their heating off too early in order to save money on their fuel bills.
Phil Levermore, managing director, said, “Living in a cold damp home can lead to extremely poor health, especially in those who are vulnerable such as older people, young children whose immune system has not yet fully developed and those with long terms sickness and disabilities.
“It is important that people know that there are schemes in place to help them, and to ensure they are keeping warm and healthy throughout the winter period and for as long as the cold weather lasts. Fuel Poverty Awareness day is about acknowledging the issues, helping people to understand the links between fuel poverty and poor health, and making them aware of the help that is available to ensue they are kept warm and well.
“The most important message is that there is help out there for vulnerable households. I urge everyone who is concerned about their fuel bill to contact their energy supplier or to call the Home Heat Helpline on 0800 33 66 99 to access help and advice on staying warm when it is cold without the fear of fuel debt and ill health.”
18.12.09
Ebico Christmas hampers
The following customers won one of our ten Christmas Fair Trade hampers, by taking part in our Ebico Christmas questionnaire.
Ms Crane from Sheffield, Mr Miller from GRANTHAM, Mr Oliver from Bideford, Mrs Mitchell from Westerham, Mr Marshall from Bedford, Mr Rylah from Chessington, Mr Martin from St Austell, Mr Kisby from Lutterworth, Mr Field from Sittingbourne and Mr & Mrs Musili from Mansfield.
If you weren’t so lucky and didn’t win, then why not try again next year!
30.11.09
5 Best readers win a years free energy with Ebico
The following people won a years free gas and electricity with Ebico!
They took part in a competition in Best magazine (dated 17th November 2009) to win a years free energy.
The lucky winners are:
Mrs Pritchard from Wales
Ms Gibson from Dumfries
Miss Bradshaw from Colchester
Mrs Roome from West Yorkshire
Mr Newman from Doncaster
8.4.09
Ebico and Groundwork roll-out ‘Green Doctor’ scheme for low income households
Ebico today announces a commitment of £120,000 to help fund the expansion of environmental charity Groundwork’s innovative Green Doctor scheme. The funds will support the implementation of Groundwork’s ‘Green Doctor’ programme in fuel poor homes around the southeast of England and South Wales. The Green Doctor programme will be on-call to help cash-strapped householders by giving them advice and assistance that will improve the energy efficiency of their homes and save them money.
The scheme will see fully trained experts make free house calls to conduct energy use audits. Using a combination of technical and non-technical measures, from fitting draught excluders to topping up loft insulation, the two-year programme will help 1,250 households save £100,000 per year while reducing CO2 emissions by up to 680 tonnes each year.
25.3.09
Which? put Ebico in top 2 for customer satisfaction
In it’s survey of attitudes towards gas and electricity suppliers amongst its 15,000 strong online panel, Which? readers placed Ebico in the top 2 for overall customer satisfaction. Which? said, “The performance of not-for-profit newcomer Ebico puts bigger companies to shame”. Click here for our press release
27.2.09
Price of EquiGas and EquiPower to be cut
Following the reductions to the wholesale price of electricity and gas over the past few months, I’m delighted to announce that, from the end of this month (March), the cost of both EquiGas and EquiPower will be reduced. EquiPower will be reduced by an average of 9% and EquiGas by 2.5%. This means that the average dual fuel customer will see bills reduced by 5.5%. The new EquiGas price is 3.675p/kWh (including VAT) and the new EquiPower prices can be found here.
Phil Levermore
Managing Director
25.11.08
Ebico on the BBC ‘Watchdog’ programme – in a good way!
The BBC’s ‘Watchdog’ programme has a long history of focusing on the ‘Big Six’ electricity and gas suppliers. But in the show on the 24th of November they took a look at the independent sector, the ‘Small Eight’ as they put it, – including a look at Ebico. The programme featured a number of families looking to cut their gas and electric bills – including a family who used a prepayment meter. Not surprisingly the family discovered that they could cut their payments by switching to Ebico.
Ebico are Britain’s only not-for-profit company supplier of electricity and gas and offer fairer prices to all householders. For more information, visit www.ebico.co.uk
21.11.08
Important Info for EquiGas PrePay Customers
We have been told by the company who run the gas prepayment system that an error has taken place that has changed your Equigas gas prepayment meter to a credit meter. This means the “pay as you go” functions on your meter are not working.
Don’t be concerned, as your gas supply will not be interrupted and all you need to do to change your meter back to “pay as you go” is to top up as normal. Take your gas card to the shop you normally use and top up your gas card – just £1 will be enough. After you have topped up, put your card in to your gas meter as usual and your card will automatically re-set your meter back to prepayment and you can carry on paying as you go for your gas, as normal.
If you choose not to use your gas card, your meter will stay as a credit meter and, from the 1st of December, we will send you a gas bill every 3 months. You will have to pay this bill in full when you get it in the post from us.
So it is important that, if you wish to carry on paying as you go for EquiGas, you top up your gas card as soon as possible.
We are very sorry that this error has changed your meter settings, but we have ensured that, simply by topping-up your gas card again and inserting to in your meter, this error will be corrected. We have a freephone number you can ring if you want to talk to a customer advisor about this problem, please ring 0800 980 0427.
All EquiGas pre-pay customers will receive a letter advising them of the problem and the simple step which they can take to resolve it.
The Ebico Team
18.2.08
Ebico calls for review as competition rules fail 100,000 households
Rules set up by OFGEM more than 4 years ago to enable domestic electricity and gas customers to switch to cheaper suppliers have been an abject failure with over 100,000 households having tried to make use of OFGEM’s “Debt Assignment Protocol” rules without a single success.
EbiCo has, today (14th Feb), called on OFGEM to tackle the failure of all the major domestic electricity and gas suppliers to implement a significant plank of its “social obligations” strategy. OFGEM’s Debt Assignment Protocol was designed to enable customers with outstanding arrears to be able to access the competitive market and switch to cheaper suppliers and so make their energy costs and debt repayment more sustainable. In their headlines accompanying their Social Action Plan in 2004 OFGEM stated:
‘THE DRIVE TO REDUCE FUEL POVERTY CONTINUES
• Ofgem committed to playing its part in reducing fuel poverty• Up to one million prepayment customers in debt can now switch supplier’
Yet in OFGEM’s latest report on the suppliers’ progress on social obligations the authors admit,
“Since the permanent introduction of the debt assignment protocol, no PPM customer with a debt has successfully transferred supplier using the protocol. From our monitoring of the procedures we can see that customers have tried to switch but not completed the whole process. For example, in 2006 over 100,000 supply point objections were issued due to an outstanding debt on a PPM.”
In an open letter to Alistair Buchanan, OFGEM’s Chief Executive, Hugh Lee, EBICo Chairman writes,
“We, at EBICo, believe that, in this regard, OFGEM has failed in its primary responsibility to ensure adequate competition in the energy market. With retail energy prices rising and four million households now experiencing fuel poverty, we consider it scandalous that low income customers with outstanding arrears are effectively still being prevented from shopping around to get the best energy and repayment deal available. This failure of competition is costing vulnerable households dear and will mean that more homes will have thrust upon them the impossible dilemma of food or warmth……… On behalf of EbiCo, I request that you look urgently at the failure of the Debt Assignment Protocol – a failure which is affecting the lives of many low income households.”
Endorsing Hugh Lee’s call, Phil Levermore, EBICo’s Managing Director said,
“The major suppliers don’t want to take on customers with a history of arrears so, naturally, they’ll seek all sorts of legitimate ways of not doing so. It’s down to the Regulator, OFGEM, to force suppliers to make the debt assignment process work and get lower priced energy and more sustainable arrears settlement to those low income households who really need them.”
EBICo would like to hear from anyone with a prepayment meter with electricity or gas arrears of less than £100 who has had their supply switch request turned-down. Write to: EBICo Limited, PO Box 354, Witney, OX29 7WN.
