Ecotricity News Feed

Network of electric car charging points will link major cities

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Michelle Baldwin) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:48:24 +0000

The electric highway, which opens this weekend, will link London, Bristol, Exeter, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool and north to the Lake District.

Next year it will be extended to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff and Swansea. Additional charging points will be placed at service stations on the M1 near Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds.

Other charging points will be placed at the Eurotunnel passenger terminal and at Fleet Services on the M3 in Hampshire.

While charging points are increasingly common in towns, their absence in between major cities is believed to have discouraged motorists from buying the cars despite generous Government subsidies.

Source: Network of electric car charging points will link major cities

ecobond confirms Britons' appetite for green energy

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:58:15 +0000

Britons have proved their appetite for Green Energy remains undiminished – with Ecotricity’s innovative ecobond two surpassing the success of ecobond one.

Britain’s leading green energy company was seeking £10 million of funding from customers and the public to help accelerate the building of new Green Energy projects such as windmills and green gasmills.

By the offer deadline yesterday (5pm on Friday, December 16), more than 2,000 people had between them applied for £16.2 million worth of ecobonds, making it oversubscribed by 62%, and exceeding the success of ecobond one last year.

ecobonds are a radical idea to raise funding that gives people the opportunity to share in the financial benefits of the green energy revolution and cuts-out the banks at a time when they are paying low interest rates to savers and charging much more to borrowers.

Ecotricity founder Dale Vince, recently named Best Green Entrepreneur at the International Green Awards, said: “It’s fabulous that ecobond two has exceeded the success of our first ecobond and confirms that this radical idea was not a flash in the pan.

“We’ve found a way to raise funding that is resonating with the British public and expect to do this annually in order to ramp up the rate at which we can build Green Energy sources that Britain desperately needs.”

Ecotricity set out to make ecobonds accessible to as many people as possible, and following feedback from its customers, this resulted in a minimum investment of £500 and an initial term of four years. Ecotricity also offered a preferential rate to its customers – 6.5% as opposed to the 6% for non customers (itself a decent rate).

Ecotricity has a strong pipeline of new Green Energy projects waiting to be built including 19 windmills with planning approval – plus a further 78 windmills for which it is seeking planning approval (that's enough to power over 100,000 homes) – and a target of having over 200MW of operational capacity in the next five years. It also intends to increase its investment in other renewable energy technologies, including wave-power and green gas made from organic waste.

Ecotricity was named ‘Company of the Year’ last month at the Growing Business Awards and is committed to changing the way energy is made and used in Britain. Established in 1995, Ecotricity operates a ‘not-for-dividend’ model, re-investing the money from customers’ bills back into building more new sources of Green Energy.

Ecotricity now supplies Green Energy to over 55,000 customers from 53 windmills at 17 wind parks (and one Sun Park) across the UK which, together, prevents over 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere every year.

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Media contacts: Stuart Brennan, Ecotricity

stuart.brennan@ecotricity.co.uk or 07557 436 697.

The Sun lights up Ecotricity’s HQ

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 14:09:37 +0000

A Gloucestershire green energy company is practising what it preaches - installing Stroud’s largest array of sun-capturing solar panels on the roof of its headquarters – just beating yesterday’s deadline when the Government cut Feed-In-Tariff rates.

Ecotricity has installed 150 panels which cover 500 square metres of the Unicorn House building in the centre of Stroud – providing enough renewable energy to power more than 10% of our operations – which includes our new low-energy data centre.

Installation of the frames and panels only took around a week, and they will stay in place for the next 25 years. The panels are a type specifically designed to work in the less sunny conditions us Britons' are used to; they require little or no maintenance and can simply be removed at the end of their natural life and almost completely recycled.

Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity, said:
“All the green energy we use in our buildings up until now has been made by our windmills. But now, a good chunk will be made right here, from the sunlight hitting the roof above our heads.”

Ecotricity’s customers are also installing their own solar panels and joining our Microtricity initiative which had registered more than 1800 people by yesterday’s deadline. Microtricity rewards customers for making green energy from solar panels on the roof, as part of the government’s Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) scheme.

Ends

About Ecotricity

Britain’s leading green energy company, Ecotricity was founded 15 years’ ago when, in 1996, it founded the UK’s green electricity market and movement. A ‘not for dividend’ company with no shareholders to answer to, it now powers 55,000 homes and businesses in the UK from its fleet of 53 windmills, it invests more per capita in building new sources of green energy than any other UK electricity company and is the only energy supplier supported by Oxfam and the Soil Association.

More information on Microtricity is available at www.ecotricity.co.uk/microtricity

For more information and images, please contact:

Mike Cheshire or Stuart Brennan, Ecotricity

press.office@ecotricity.co.uk or (01453) 761302

Green Father Christmas brings ‘Eco-Ho-Ho’ to Stroud

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:46:09 +0000

Ecotricity has “seized back Santa” to help spread the green message this Christmas, by decorating the windows of its headquarters with a Green Father Christmas offering eco festive tips.

Dressed in his traditional green robes, rather than the Americanised red Santa outfit now commonly depicted, Ecotricity’s green Father Christmas can be seen in its window at Unicorn House in the centre of Stroud, Gloucestershire giving tips for a healthier and more sustainable Christmas period and beyond.
Five festive tips include:

1. Give the gift of local. By buying locally-sourced and made products, you’ll be supporting your local economy. Or why not have a go making something yourself, you’ll save money, have fun and give something truly personal.

2. Give a turkey this Christmas off! We eat around 10 million turkeys for Christmas every year, and more than 85% of these are intensively farmed. Our Christmas dinners are responsible for around 51,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually and 60% of these are linked to the turkey, with only 10% from the vegetables.

3. Wrap in a different sort of paper. Together we send 10,000 tonnes of shiny wrapping paper to landfill every Christmas. So choose non-metallic glittery paper that is easier to recycle, or even re-use newspaper to give it another lease of life. You could even try Furoshiki, the Japanese art of wrapping with old pieces of cloth.

4. And wrap yourself! Wearing a jumper to keep cosy and turning down the heating by just 1 degree can save more than £50 a year on heating bills. And you can always donate the money you save to a charity such as Ecotricity partners WWF and Oxfam, knowing that your gift will keep giving to those less fortunate around the world.

5. Give something back. When the celebrations are all over, don’t forget to re-use and recycle everything you can, from packaging and food scraps to glass bottles and the tree.

Dale Vince, founder of Ecotricity, said:“The holidays are a time of huge consumption and waste – people get presents they don’t want, there are massive amounts of packaging.

“This is not a manifesto for a Green Christmas – but we’ve encouraging people to have a more sustainable Christmas – by buying locally, wrapping presents in recycled newspaper and magazines, and giving the turkey a year off.

“Buying less and eating less doesn’t need to mean less fun.”

The festive window scene has been created by artists from Polite Graffito, a local collective of four well-mannered graphic illustrators comprising Jo Fry, Micha Leese, Simon Mills and Imogen Harvey Lewis.

The origins of Father Christmas date back at least as far as the 17th century in Britain, and pictures of him survive from that era, portraying him as a jolly bearded man in a long, green, fur-lined robe. He typified the spirit of good cheer at Christmas, and was ‘The Ghost of Christmas Present’, in Charles Dickens's classic’ A Christmas Carol’ taking Scrooge through the streets of London on Christmas morning.

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About Ecotricity

For more information and images, please contact:

Mike Cheshire or Stuart Brennan, Ecotricity

press.office@ecotricity.co.uk or (01453) 761302

Dale Vince wins ‘Best Green Entrepreneur’

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:53:35 +0000

“Game-changing” Electric Highway and ecobonds lead to award.

Dale Vince, founder of green energy company Ecotricity, was last night named Best Green Entrepreneur at the International Green Awards.

Held at the Natural History Museum in London, the award recognises “an outstanding individual who can demonstrate true innovation, thought leadership and a commitment to sustainability values beyond traditional thinking or preaching to the converted.”

The award highlighted the success of Ecotricity’s innovative ecobond that raised funding for green investment direct from the public – the second version of which was launched recently to wide acclaim. It also recognised Dale’s work in creating the world’s first national charging network for electric cars, on Britain’s motorways, dubbed the ‘Electric Highway’.

The 36-strong international judging panel which included Nick Nuttall from UN Environment Programme and Arianna Huffington, the Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post; described Dale as “phenomenal, quite phenomenal”.

They described Dale Vince as “an individual motivated by the desire to help, improve and transform social, environmental, educational and economic conditions. An 'eco-preneur' who demonstrated revolutionary thinking and a real 'game changer' who challenged the status quo”

Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said: “Ecotricity’s core mission is to change where Britain’s energy comes from and how we use it – in order to bring about sustainability and energy independence.

“But we need sustainable alternatives across the big three sectors of Energy, Transport and Food which between them account for 80% of our personal carbon emissions. This is the work that Ecotricity has applied itself to in the last few years. And it’s a great honour to receive this recognition of our work”

About Ecotricity:

Britain’s leading green energy company, Ecotricity was founded 15 years’ ago when, in 1996, it founded the UK’s green electricity market and movement. A ‘not for dividend’ company with no outside shareholders to answer to, it now powers over 55,000 homes and businesses in the UK from its fleet of 53 windmills, invests more per capita in building new sources of green energy than any other UK company and is the only energy supplier supported by Oxfam and the Soil Association.
For more information, please contact:

Stuart Brennan or Kate Beioley, Ecotricity

press.office@ecotricity.co.uk or (01453) 761318

Electric Highway links Liverpool and Manchester to the Lake District

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 11:02:09 +0000

Electric car drivers can now travel from the Lake District to Liverpool and Manchester without fear of running out of power after Ecotricity opened two new charging points on the M6 at Charnock Richards services – as part of the world’s first national charging network.

The Electric Highway now has charging points at Welcome Break motorway services on the M6, M40, M1, M5, M4 and M25 – all powered by the wind and solar farms of green energy company Ecotricity.

This breakthrough in electric vehicle infrastructure removes one of the main barriers for people wanting to buy electric cars – so called ‘range anxiety’ – with people afraid to leave their home town or city and drive on the motorway for fear of running out of power.

Ten motorway ‘top-up zones’ have now been installed at Welcome Break motorway services, including:

CharnockRichard services
- M6 north between Liverpool and the Lake District
- M6 south between the Lake District and Liverpool

Sedgemoor services
- M5 north between Exeter and Bristol
HopwoodPark services
- M42 east and west between M5 and M40
Membury services
- M4 east between Bristol and London
- M4 west between London and Bristol

SouthMimms services
- M25 and M1 junction – north of London
Michaelwood services
- M5 north betweenBristol and Birmingham
- M5south between Birmingham and Bristol

Oxford services
- M40 North London and Birmingham

An eleventh ‘top-up zone’ is also located at the base of an Ecotricity windmill:

Green Park windmill
- M4 at Junction 11 near Reading

Fourteen ‘top-up-zones’ in total will soon be located at motorway services around the country to complete the first phase of the network. Each post will be located outside the main entrance of Welcome Break, with two sockets that can be accessed by registering for a free swipe-card.

Within 18 months, all 27 Welcome Break motorway services across Britain will have charging points.

Electric cars using rapid recharge points (32Amp with 7-pinsocket) can top-up in around 20 minutes or fully charge in two hours; while those using the slower (13Amp supply) will be able to recharge fully if staying overnight at the motorway services hotel.

Dale Vince OBE, founder of Ecotricity, said: “People have asked why we are building this Electric Highway when there are only about 2,000 electric cars on the road today. In fact that’s a big part of the reason – a lack of demand.

“It’s often said that one of the reasons more people don't buy electric cars is because of a lack of charging facilities – while the reason more charging facilities aren’t built is because not enough people are buying electric cars – classic chicken and egg stuff. We’re hoping to break that impasse.

“We’re creating the infrastructure to get Britain’s electric car revolution moving.”

With world oil prices going through the roof, you’ll now be able to get around Britain using only the power of the wind. It costs just over 1p a mile for electric vehicles, compared to 15p in a petrol car (at today’s prices).

The UK consumes around 23 million tonnes of oil every year in the UK to do the 250 billion miles we drive every year. But we could power all that with 12,000 of today’s windmills, or just 6,000 of tomorrow’s.”

A driver doing a year’s typical 8,500 miles of motoring could save almost £1,000 in petrol costs at today’s prices, and save around 2,000kg in CO₂ emissions.[1]

Electric car owners who want to register for a free swipecard can visit Ecotricity’s website at www.ecotricity.co.uk/for-the-road

2011 has been dubbed ‘The Year of the Electric Car’, with major manufacturers launching all-electric mass-market models including the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi MIEV and Peugeot iOn. Ford will also launch an all-electric version of its Ford Focus.

UK motoring facts

Over 30 million cars on UK roads
We drive 250 billion miles in the UK each year
99.6% of all car journeys are less than 100 miles

UK electric motoring facts

There are currently around 2,000 pure electric vehicles in the UK; on top of that there are a few hundred plug-in electric hybrids. There are around 30,000 petrol hybrids that have a battery fitted, but these batteries cannot be plugged into a socket, their charge either comes from the petrol engine or from energy stored during braking.
There are around 400 charging points in cities around the UK, with a concentration of around 250 in London which belong to a number of networks.
The Department for Transport predict that by 2015 they “expect to see tens of thousands of plug-in vehicles on the roads in the UK”.
Most car charging would happen overnight, when grid demand is traditionally lowest so may not need a corresponding 16% increase incapacity
An electric car can typically do 4,200 miles on one MWh of electricity
The UK would need an additional 59TWh of electricity to power those journeys
That is equal to the output from 12,000 wind turbines (assuming their current design)
This would save 71 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually
With a total UK grid demand of 383TWh (in 2010) that means a 16% increase in output

1. Source: Transport Direct

About Ecotricity

Britain’s leading green energy company, Ecotricity was founded 15 years’ ago when, in 1996, it founded the UK’s green electricity market and movement. A ‘not for dividend’ company with no shareholders to answer to, it now powers 50,000 homes and businesses in the UK from its fleet of 53 windmills, it invests more per capita in building new sources of green energy than any other UK electricity company and is the only energy supplier supported by Oxfam and the Soil Association.

For more information and images of the Electric Highway chargepoints, please contact: Stuart Brennan or Mike Cheshire, Ecotricity

press.office@ecotricity.co.uk or (01453) 761302

Ecotricity wins Company of the year award

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:52:31 +0000

Green energy supplier Ecotricity won ‘Company of the Year’ at the Growing Business Awards in London last night.

In a ceremony which kick-started the 2011 ‘Global Entrepreneurship Week’, the awards recognise UK independent and entrepreneurial businesses. Previous winners include LOVE film and lastminute.com.

Ecotricity claimed first prize in the ‘Company of the Year’ category, which recognises “world-class, independently owned, UK-based companies”.

Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said:“Ecotricity’s mission is to change where Britain’s energy comes from – to bring about energy independence and sustainability.

“We have a radical business model where customers are valued, ethical business is the norm, and people and planet come before profits.

“Rather than pay dividends to outside shareholders, Ecotricity uses its profits to build new sources of green energy – it’s what we call turning bills into windmills.”

The award recognised the success of Ecotricity’s customer service, innovative financing with ecobonds (the second version of which was launched recently to broad acclaim), launch of large-scale solar energy, electric vehicle charging network, and growth as a business.

The award follows on from Ecotricity winning ‘Best Independent Supplier’ at the Energy ‘Buying and Supplying’ Excellence Awards in London last week.

Ecotricity surpassed other suppliers in the UK gas and power market for its innovative ‘not-for-dividend’ business model and pioneering attitude to customer service.

About Ecotricity:

Britain’s leading green energy company, Ecotricity was founded 15 years’ ago when, in 1996, it founded the UK’s green electricity market and movement. A ‘not fordividend’ company with no outside shareholders to answer to, it now powers over 55,000 homes and businesses in the UK from its fleet of 53 windmills, invests more per capita in building new sources of green energy than any other UK company and is the only energy supplier supported by Oxfam and the Soil Association.

Ecotricity was recognised at the Growing Business Awards for:

Customer Service: All contact centre phone menus, targets and scripts have been phased out, so staff can take as much time as the customer needs to listen and resolve their enquiry without any pressure. This works; A recent survey we carried out of our customers (June-August 2011) found that 88% rated the quality of the service received as ‘Good’ or ‘Excellent’, a record unmatched in the utility (or almost any other) sector. On top of this, Ecotricity’s first-time resolution when contacted is now 86% (survey carried out Jun-Aug 2011), which reflects exceptionally low complaint volumes of less than 0.35% of our contact volumes month-on-month.

Innovative Financing: A remarkable step forward for the UK utilities industry was Ecotricity’s innovative ‘ecobond’, proof that profit and growth can work together with the environment and society. The ecobond one allowed people to share in the benefits of the green energy revolution, by cutting out the banking middle men that offer poor rates, while generating £10 million for new projects. By the offer deadline, more than 1,800 people had between them applied and ecobonds were oversubscribed by nearly 50%. ecobond two launched recently and closes on the 16^th December, aiming to raise another £10million for green energy investment.

UK’s 1st Solar Energy: The first project to benefit from ecobonds was the launch of Britain’s first sunpark. Located at Fen Farm, Lincolnshire, this was the first energy park in the world to combine the energy of both the wind and the sun into one. This hybrid park is a pioneering step forward in renewable energy production, set to make enough green electricity for nearly 300 typical homes each year for the next 25 years. Ecotricity’s wind park, on the same site near Louth on the Lincolnshire Fens, has 20 windmills generating 16 MW. It has been producing enough green energy each year to power over 10,000 homes (each year), since 2008.

Electric Highway: Ecotricity’s sustainable philosophy extends beyond just energy into the other key issues of sustainable transport and food. Following the launch of its all British-built electric sports car the Nemesis, Ecotricity set about answering the other half of the electric car question – where to charge.This year saw the launch of the ‘Electric Highway’, the world's first nationwide motorway charging network for electric cars, enabling users to travel the length and breadth of Britain powered completely by green energy, and all for free! Ecotricity has teamed up with Welcome Break to establish a network of charging points at its motorway services throughout the UK. The first top up point was unveiled at South Mimmsin July 2011 and by the end of November 2011, 12 ‘top-up-zones’ will be available around the country. Within 18 months, all 27 Welcome Break motorway services across Britain will have charging points, removing ‘range anxiety’ and accelerating the take-up of electric vehicles in the UK.

Green Business: Many of Ecotricity’s staff joined because of its green credentials, and in 2011 the company became the first utility in Britain to earn the ‘gold standard’ EMAS European environmental accreditation. Ecotricity also rewards staff with its annual ‘Windstock’ party underneath its nearby wind turbine at Nympsfield.

Growing Business: With a turnover of £44million in 2010/11 and a 30% growth in customer numbers in the last 12 months, Ecotricity is not only a model of sustainability and innovation, it is a hugely successful business. It is a market leader and a model of what business can be; ’good’ on every level.

For more information, please contact:

Stuart Brennan or Kate Beioley, Ecotricity

press.office@ecotricity.co.uk or (01453) 761318

Scottish Power fails Ofgem customer complaint requirement

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:37:02 +0000

Scottish Power is the only one of the "big six" energy firms to fail to meet industry requirements to publish customer complaint numbers for the past year.

Energy regulator Ofgem required all companies to publish on their websites the total number of complaints they received in the year to 30 September 2011 by 31 October.

Last year, Scottish Power received 18.06 complaints per 1,000 customers – the worst customer complaint levels of the big six – and the firm is expected to post a similarly high figure this year. It is the second year in a row the company has failed to meet the deadline.

Of the remaining five that did so, npower had the worst customer complaint record with 18.45 complaints per 1,000 customers – a 10% rise on last year's figure of 16.8 complaints.

In late October, npower was fined £2m by Ofgem for mishandling customer complaints. The regulator said it had failed to record all details of the complaints it received, did not give customers enough details of the redress service offered by the energy ombudsman, and failed to put in adequate processes to deal with complaints.

British Gas, which was fined £2.5m by Ofgem in July for breaching the same regulations, and EDF saw massive increases in complaints with respective rises of 40% and 30% (to 8.86 and 12.37 complaints per 1,000 customers).

The overall number of complaints at E.ON fell by 4%, but because the firm's customer base also shrunk the ratio of complaints per 1,000 customers rose by 1%.

None of the smaller energy firms published their figures before the Ofgem deadline except Ecotricity – which had the fewest complaints with just 0.55 per 1,000 customers (a 20% drop on its 2010 figure) – and Ovo Energy. Both First Utility and Utility Warehouse have failed to publish their customer complaint levels for the past two years.

Ecotricity said it was becoming increasingly difficult for consumers to find information about customer complaints because Ofgem did not collate and publish the information itself, unlike the Financial Services Authority (FSA) which collects and releases complaints data about banks.

Ecotricity's founder, Dale Vince, said: "Most people won't know that Ofgem require all energy companies to publish their customer complaint records, because they quietly get buried on energy company websites and customers never see them.

"Ofgem should be publicly reporting these figures all in the one place, so that customers can make an informed choice when comparing the customer service record of energy suppliers, just like they can when comparing tariffs. What, otherwise, is the purpose of collecting the data?"

An Ofgem spokesman said: "We take customer complaints very seriously, as can be seen by the action we have taken againast British Gas and npower. Rest assured, we do take action when companies breach the rules and we will be asking for an explanation from any provider that hasn't yet published their customer complaints data."

He added: "Unlike the FSA and other regulators, we do not currently have the power to publish indutry complaints data ourselves, but are seeking those powers from the government."

A Scottish Power spokesman said: "Scottish Power's policy is to keep all complaints open until they are fully resolved, therefore they are all counted in our annual figure.

"We believe our complaint logging and management process is fair and transparent, but this can lead to negative comparisons when the stats are presented in this way as processes and definitions differ across the industry.

"Scottish Power had informed Ofgem that the company would disclose the annual customer complaint data with our quarterly figures on 11 November. We will now publish both sets of information on 2 November."

Source: Scottish Power fails Ofgem customer complaint requirement

Why won't Ofgem publish complaints data?

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:29:38 +0000

Why do people switch energy supplier? A better price, a greener outcome, or better customer service. These seem to be the big three.

But customer service is perhaps the most overlooked – because people have little data available to compare energy suppliers and identify a better service. So switching is often out of the frying pan and into the fire.

It doesn't have to be this way. Since October 2008 Ofgem has required all energy companies to record and publicly report the number of customer complaints they get each year. But most people won't know this – because the figures get buried on energy company websites. They take some digging out, truth be told.

You'd think that Ofgem, having got all suppliers to record this data, would actually present it in one place – in an easy-to-compare table where suppliers can be judged. What otherwise is the purpose of collecting it?

It's a stance made all the harder to understand given the regulator's recent focus on the need for people to switch supplier.

Given the Financial Services Authority manages to compile a complaints league table for all 165 banks and insurers, etc that they regulate – you would think Ofgem could do the same for its dozen or so energy suppliers. How hard can it be?

Well, we decided to find out. We dug the data out from energy company websites and published it ourselves. And yes Ecotricity did come top. But just like poor customer service shouldn't be buried away, neither should good service. We think people do care about good customer service; they just need to be given the choice.

Source: Why won't Ofgem publish complaints data?

Ecotricity to issue bonds to raise £10m for renewable energy investment

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:24:32 +0000

Energy firm Ecotricity will issue bonds offering a 6 per cent rate of return to raise £10m for investment in renewable energy.

The firm, one of the smaller energy providers with little more than 55,000 customers, will offer the four-year bonds to any UK savers, companies, trusts or charities.

With a minimum buy-in of £500, the bonds will offer a rate of return of 6 per cent, or 6.5 per cent for the group’s own customers.

Putting the same money in a building society account would only yield around 4.5 per cent over the four-year time frame. But unlike a building society, the money will not be protected – meaning creditors could lose everything if the company folded.

The government guarantees the first £85,000 put into any building society, but not into companies.

The bonds also have a four-year life span, which makes them too short to wrap into tax-free ISA accounts.

Ecotricity issued its first bond last October, and was oversubscribed by almost 50 per cent.

Its second issue follows in the footsteps of Tesco and the National Grid, which have both issued bonds this year as a way of raising money.

The cash, expected to be around £10m, will be used for building green energy generators such as windfarms and solar panels.

Source: Ecotricity to issue 6.5% bonds to raise £10m for renewable energy investment

Pinstripe greens

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:10:48 +0000

Not every green businessman wears a suit to the office. The day I meet British wind millionaire Dale Vince, in his headquarters in Stroud, in the Cotswolds, he is wearing biker boots, jeans, a necklace with a bird skull-shaped pendant encrusted with black diamonds that his wife just gave him for his 50th birthday, an earring in one ear and, he says, another in his left nipple.

He does not get up to say hello, because he is one of those people who stands at his desk. (He also takes ballet classes, which he says improves his football.) He is a vegan and refused to do business with turkey farm king Bernard Matthews who, he says, “wanted wind farms to power his turkey concentration camps”.

Like some other millionaires, he has just bought a football club, Gloucestershire’s Forest Green Rovers. Unlike others, he has banned red meat from matches, including for the players.

He had just received an invitation to a bash for Bill Clinton’s 65th birthday, and another to have lunch with someone big in Brussels, but was not planning to go to either. “I just say to people, ‘look, if you really want to meet, come to Stroud, and if you can’t be bothered coming to Stroud, then it can’t be that important.’”

He may still look a bit like the trailer-dwelling hippie he used to be, but in fact, he is an astute energy market maven. The privately held company he has built from one wind turbine in 1996 is estimated to be worth about £85m, making him Britain’s richest green entrepreneur, according to successive Sunday Times rich lists.

The company is Ecotricity, and you can buy anything from a wind turbine to your household electricity from it, thanks to an unusual business model that makes it both a wind park developer and independent energy supplier. Its 53 turbines at 17 wind parks and 55,000-plus customers make it a small energy player by global standards.

But Vince has 90 more turbines in the pipeline, just had to buy a third office building in Stroud because the last one he bought earlier this year is already full, and claims he is always knocking back offers from would-be buyers.

“There’s barely a month goes by that somebody doesn’t say, ‘Oh, I’m interested in buying you,’” he says. His list of rejectees includes British oil group BP, which would have made life interesting for one of the best-known businessmen to turn his sights towards clean power.

Read the full article here: Pinstripe greens

Ecotricity unveils second green energy bond

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:02:36 +0000

Dale Vince OBE said the company is hoping to raise £10m through Ecobond Two, offering a annual fixed-rate return of 6 per cent, or 6.5 per cent for existing customers, over an initial four-year term.

Last year’s green investment bond, launched in October, was oversubscribed by 50 per cent.

Mr Vince, founder of Ecotricity, said one of the main attractions of the ecobond is that it bypasses banks and lets people share the benefits of the country's “green energy revolution without the need to stick anything on their roofs”.

Mr Vince said: “Ecobond One funded the building of Britain’s first large-scale solar farm and two wind projects that power large British factories. Proceeds from Ecobond Two will build more sources of green energy with the aim of increasing Ecotricity’s green energy generation by 50 per cent in 2012.

“Crucially we cut out the middlemen, the banks, and pay people the same rate of interest on ecobonds that banks would charge us if we borrowed the money from them.”

The bonds are open to UK-based individuals, companies, trusts, charities and other legal entities and are subject to a minimum £500 investment.

Proceeds from Ecobond Two will be spent on building windmills and other renewable energy sources, such as wave power and green gas.

Ian Hudson, principal for Wiltshire-based Hudson Green & Associates, said: “The business model is good with a reasonably predictable cashflow, so provided Ecotricity can keep maintenance costs down, bonds such as this are incredibly attractive and likely to be oversubscribed.”

Source: Ecotricity unveils second green energy bond

ecobonds return after debut success

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 09:43:45 +0000

Following the success of Ecotricity’s radical green investment bond last year, the UK’s largest independent green energy company is tomorrow (Saturday 5^th November) launching ‘ecobond two’ – allowing investors to share in the benefits of the green energy revolution here in Britain.

When ecobond one was launched in October last year, it was over subscribed by 50% with investors seizing the opportunity to invest £10 million in Britain’s green energy future.

ecobond two is also seeking £10 million using the same innovative platform that bypasses the banks and allows people to share in the benefits of the green energy revolution “without needing to stick anything on their roof”.

The fixed rate ecobond two will have an initial four-year term and pay an annual rate of interest of 6% (or 6.5% for Ecotricity customers). The bonds are open to UK-based individuals, companies, trusts, charities and other legal entities and are subject to a minimum £500 investment. ecobond two will be issued by Ecotricity Bonds plc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Ecotricity Group Limited (Ecotricity), which has guaranteed the payment obligations of Ecotricity Bonds plc for ecobond two.

Ecotricity is an entrepreneurial green British business, leading the way in green energy production & supply and committed to changing the way energy is made and used in Britain. Established in 1995, Ecotricity operates a ‘not-for-dividend’ model, re-investing the money from customers’ bills back into building more new sources of green energy.

They now supply green energy to over 55,000 customers from 53 windmills at 17 wind parks across the UK which, together, prevents over 50,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere every year.

The money raised from ecobond one was put straight to work funding the construction of:

UK’s first 1 MW Solar Park at Fen Farm in Lincolnshire
a third wind turbine to power Ford’s Dagenham Diesel Centre
a wind turbine at the G24i plant in Cardiff that makes solar panels.

Ecotricity has a strong pipeline of new green energy projects including 19 windmills with planning approval, waiting to be built – and a further 78 windmills for which it is seeking planning approval (that's enough to power over 100,000 homes) – and a target of having over 200MW of operational capacity in the next five years. It also intends to increase its investment in other renewable energy technologies, including wave-power and green gas made from organic waste.

Proceeds from ecobond two will be spent in 2012, alongside money from customer’s bills, building the 19 windmills that already have planning permission – increasing Ecotricity’s green energy generation by 50%.

Dale Vince OBE, Ecotricity founder, said of today’s announcement: “Ecotricity’s mission is to change where Britain’s energy comes from – to bring about energy independence and sustainability for Britain – not dependant on the global energy market.

“We operate on a unique basis – taking the money our customers spend on their energy bills and using it to build new sources of green energy.

“To accelerate that building process we launched a pioneering new type of ethical bond last year, which was an instant hit with our customers and the wider public alike.

“ecobond one raised £10 million but was massively over subscribed, with over £15 million offered by customers and the wider public.

“Funds from ecobond one funded the building of Britain’s first large-scale solar farm and two wind projects that power large British factories.

“Proceeds from ecobond two will likewise be put to work building more new sources of green energy with the aim of increasing Ecotricity’s green energy generation by 50% during 2012.

“Our ecobonds give people the opportunity to share in the financial benefits of green energy without the needing to stick anything on their roof.

“And crucially we cut out the middlemen, the banks, and pay people the same rate of interest on ecobonds that banks would charge us if we borrowed the money from them.”

For more information and to apply for ecobond two, people can visit www.ecotricity.co.uk/ecobond from 12.01am Saturday 5 November.

Media contacts:

Stuart Brennan or Mike Cheshire, Ecotricity

press.office@ecotricity.co.uk or (01453) 761318

About Ecotricity

Ecotricity is the UK’s leading independent green energy company – it develops and operates wind parks and is a licensed provider of electricity and gas to homes and businesses. On average over the last 7 years Ecotricity has spent 82 pence for every pound received from customers’ bills on building new sources of green energy. That's more than all other energy companies in the UK put together. Currently 54% of our electricity mix comes from green sources, well above the national average of under 8%. But it’s a moving target with 2,000 new customers joining Ecotricity each month and numbers up 30% in the last year.

Ecotricity has achieved a compound annual growth rate of 7.4% in turnover since 30 April 2009 and its total assets as at 30 April 2011 amounted to £128.7 million. Ecotricity has made significant investment in new billing systems and is well positioned to upscale the business to meet their target of supplying over 500,000 customers within the next ten years.

Terms of ecobond two:

The fixed rate ecobond two, which has an initial 4-year term, will pay an attractive gross annual rate of interest of 6% (or 6.5% for Ecotricity customers). It is open to UK-based individuals, companies, trusts, charities and other legal entities and is subject to a minimum £500 investment. ecobond two will be issued by Ecotricity Bonds plc, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. Ecotricity has guaranteed the payment obligations of Ecotricity Bonds plc for the Ecobonds. After 4 years, unless the bondholder has requested redemption or Ecotricity has redeemed them, the ecobonds will automatically extend for further 12 month periods. ecobond two may be redeemed in full upon the holder of the Ecobonds giving six months notice to Ecotricity prior to the fourth anniversary or any subsequent anniversary.

The issue of the ecobond two is conditional upon Ecotricity having received, in aggregate, applications for not less than £1,000,000 nominal amount of ecobonds by 5pm on Friday 16th December 2011.

The content of this communication, which is a financial promotion for the purposes of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, is being issued by Ecotricity Bonds plc (“the Company”), which accepts responsibility for the information contained herein. The content of this communication has been approved as a financial promotion for UK publication by Porta Verde Financial Services Limited of 25 Watling Street, London EC4M 9BR ("PortaVerde") which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

This communication does not constitute an invitation to subscribe for any security issued by Ecotricity or any member of its group. An investment in securities to be issued by Ecotricity Bonds plc may only be made on the basis of the information set out in theInvitation Document to be published by Ecotricity Bonds plc and investors should not rely on the information contained in this communication for the purposes of making an investment decision. Ecobonds are an unsecured debt of Ecotricity Bonds plc and there is no certainty or guarantee that it (or Ecotricity Group,as guarantor), will be able to repay them. An investment in any security issued by Ecotricity Bonds plc will also be subject to a number of other risks which will be set out in the Invitation Document.

REVEALED: Customer service league table

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:47:40 +0000

Why do people switch energy supplier?

For a better price, a greener outcome, or better customer service. These seem to be the big three.

Customer Service is perhaps the most overlooked of them all -it's the one where customers have least data to compare - to actually identify a better service.

Energy industry regulator Ofgem sets an October 31^stdeadline for all companies to publicly report their customer complaint figures for the 12 months until the end of September.

But Ofgem refuses to publish the figures all in the one place for easy comparison.

So last year, Ecotricity did the leg work, assembled the data and published a customer service league table of all energy companies. We’ve done it again this year.

Once again, Ecotricity topped the table, more than 10 times better than any of the ‘Big Six’ energy suppliers.

Npower had the worst customer complaint record over the last 12 months, while British Gas and EDF suffered massive increases in complaints. And then there is First Utility, who didn’t even bother to publish their record.

Ecotricity founder Dale Vince said: “People tend to switch energy supplier for three reasons. For a better price, a greener outcome or better customer service.

“Customer service is the one that people have the least amount of information to compare – to actually identify a better service. But it doesn't have to be this way.

“Most people won’t know that Ofgem require all energy companies to publish their customer complaint records – because they quietly get buried on energy company websites – and customers never see them.

“Ofgem should be publically reporting these figures all in the one place, so that customers can make an informed choice when comparing the customer service record of energy suppliers, just like they can when comparing tariffs. What otherwise is the purpose of collecting the data?

“We asked Ofgem but they said no. It’s a stance made all the harder to understand given the regulator’s recent encouragement for people to switch supplier – as some kind of antidote to high energy bills, and Big Six market dominance.

“So we did the leg work, assembled the data and published it ourselves.”

In contrast to Ofgem, the Financial Services Authority manages to compile a table of customer complaints for all the 165 banks, insurers and financial institutions that it regulates in the UK.

Meanwhile, Consumer Focus is due to be abolished by Spring 2013 and their most recent customer service comparison table was unreliable. Not only does it not include energy providers outside the ‘Big Six’ but they reported a 25% fall in complaints across the ‘Big Six’ suppliers, when in fact this was a result of a customer complaint hot line reducing its opening hours by 29%.

On Ecotricity’s customer service, Vince said: “We showed last year that our customer service was nearly ten times better than any of the ‘Big Six’ and we’ve improved our service further – despite having 30% more customers.”

“The figures show what we all know to be true, big energy companies give poor customer service. We’ve all been there, wading through the endless phone menus, queues and scripted conversations. We think people deserve better.

“It’s not rocket science. We answer the phone ourselves and quickly, and that first person you speak to resolves around 90% of all queries right there and then. If we promise to do something we do it (obvious but rare). And when something does go wrong, we have our own Customer Champion to fix it – in most cases within 24 hours. In fact these new figures show that in the last year there were only 28 occasions when we couldn’t fix a problem in less than a day.”

	No. of complaints per 1000 customers	2010	2011	% Change
1	Ecotricity	0.69	0.55	-20%
2	Co-Operative	n/a	2.20
3	Green Energy	5.20	3.00	-42%
4	Good Energy	9.56	5.81	-40%
5	E.ON	8.01	7.63	-5%
6	EDF	6.32	8.86	+40%
7	SSE	10.64	12.10	+14%
8	British Gas	9.54	12.37	+30%
9	Ovo	22.50	13.04	-42%
10	Scottish Power	18.06	17.89	-1%
11	nPower	16.80	18.45	+10%
12	Utility Warehouse	missing	missing
13	First Utility	missing	missing

Source: All UK energy suppliers are required to publicly report their recorded level of complaints annually by Ofgem. It defines a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction that is not resolved by the end of the first day after theday that the complaint was received. Complaint numbers and customer figures are taken directly from suppliers own websites or in the case of the latter from other publicly available sources.

Notes to Editors:

Ecotricity received the ‘Customer Excellence Award’ at last Growing Business awards, hosted by the CBI and Real Business magazine. The judges commented, “By peeling away layers of call-centre bureaucracy and empowering its staff, Ecotricity has pioneered an outstanding level of ‘hand-made’ customer service in an industry sector not known for service excellence.”

In a customer survey, 88% of respondents rated Ecotricity’scustomer service as “excellent” or “good” and 72% say that it was better than their previous supplier. The key factors were:

Answer the telephone quickly (98%)
Answers questions (96%) and
Solve problems (94%)
Keeps them up to date on developments(95%)

Profits should be spent on building new green energy

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:04:56 +0000

Ecotricity Founder Dale Vince said: “There is a big problem in the energy market, but it’s not about how much money the big six energy companies are making – it’s about what they are doing with that money.

“In Britain we need huge investment in green energy to cover the looming gap in generation capacity.

“Ofgem say the Big Six are making £125 per customer, but why are they only spending £5 of that on building new green energy sources – that’s the real scandal.

“The reason for the lack of investment is not just weak regulation but because four of the Big Six energy companies are foreign owned and their interests are not aligned with the interest of the British public.

“These multi-nationals take bill money from customers here in Britain and spend it in Germany or France or pay out dividends to shareholders.

“We’re not just at the mercy of the foreign energy markets now but also foreign energy companies.

"And it’s not just the Big Six energy companies that need to be looked at, it’s also the companies that run the electricity wires into our homes.

“For example Western Power Distribution, owned by an American investment group, made more profit per customer last year than the Big Six – they made £150 per customer which forms a big part of an electricity bill.

“So we’re not just being ripped off by the Big Six energy companies, but also the companies that run the wires and these wires were built and paid for by the British public.”

About Ecotricity

Britain’s leading green energy company, Ecotricity was founded 15 years’ ago when, in 1996, it founded the UK’s green electricity market and movement. A ‘not for dividend’ company with no outside shareholders to answer to, it now powers over 50,000 homes and businesses in the UK from its fleet of 53 windmills, it invests more per capita in building new sources of green energy than any other UK electricity company and is the only energy supplier supported by Oxfam and the Soil Association.

For more information, please contact:

Stuart Brennan, Ecotricity stuart.brennan@ecotricity.co.uk or (01453) 761318

Design guru takes tour of showcase eco offices

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:11:02 +0000

ECO entrepeneurs Kevin McCloud and Dale Vince swapped sustainability ideas during an evening at the showcase Unicorn House.

Mr McCloud, who leads the partnership to redevelop Cashes Green Hospital, and green electricity boss Mr Vince both addressed the meeting of environmental group representatives and councillors.

The star of Channel 4's Grand Designs updated Ecotricity chief Mr Vince and their audience on the Hab Oakus scheme for 78 new homes on the old NHS land, each to be offered with a high tech Shimmy home information system.

Then Mr Vince took his celebrity guest on a tour of Unicorn House in Russell Street with its LED lighting, recycled carpets and eco-friendly paints.

Final plans for the six-acre old hospital site were currently being tweeked in readiness for a Find Out More event at Cashes Green Primary School on October 15, Hab Oakus spokeswoman Sahra Gott said.

The project with Gloucestershire Land for People would provide one and two-bedroom flats, and two, three and four-bedroom houses.

"Each type of home will be available for freehold sale, shared ownership and renting for families on the Stroud District Council list," she said.

"Hab Oakus also offers an easy to use Shimmy home information system.

"This touch screen device includes all residents need to know about their home in terms of saving money and reducing environmental impact at the same time."

Delegates from Transition Stroud and the Eco Open Homes weekend were among the guests and the meeting was the latest in a series of exhibitions and events in the visual space of Unicorn House, said Ecotricity spokesman Mike Cheshire.

Source: Design guru takes tour of showcase eco offices

Greenpeace backs plans for 'essential' wind farm in Lincolnshire

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:07:41 +0000

ENVIRONMENTAL activists have put their weight behind a proposed Lincolnshire wind farm.

Greenpeace has said it supports Ecotricity's plan to erect 22 turbines on a site at East Heckington, near Sleaford.

Charity spokesman Graham Thompson said: "We support wind power because it's a proven, efficient technology. It's clean and renewable, making it essential to the protection of our environment.

"Lincolnshire has a great wind energy resource – it's like sitting on an oil field, but without any of the dirt, drilling, pollution and traffic. Lincolnshire is leading where other counties will follow – we all need to do our bit to clean up Britain's energy supply.

"Those who are concerned about noise and house prices should feel reassured that people who live by wind farms generally end up being their greatest fans. Any impact on the local environment is small and easily reversible – the opposite of the huge and permanent impacts from climate change that make wind farms so necessary."

The organisation has been keen to make clear that it has no relationship with Ecotricity and does not accept donations from private companies.

It does, however, support the principle of the development.

In June, the Echo reported how nearly 200 residents from Heckington, Swineshead and South Kyme had attended events to find out about the proposed wind farm.

Ecotricity spokesman Stuart Brennan said: "It's vitally important that wind energy strikes a balance between bringing about the greatest environmental benefit with the least environmental impact.

"Staff from Ecotricity met with almost 200 local people at our recent public exhibitions to discuss the plans for the Heckington Fen wind park, and 69 per cent of those who filled out an exit poll said they felt better informed as a result.

"We hope that Greenpeace's support for windpower in Lincolnshire further reassures local people that the Heckington Fen wind park will be a good neighbour – producing clean and renewable energy, from a proven, efficient technology."

The final decision on whether the wind farm can be built will be made by the Secretary of State for Energy.

It is expected that the proposal will be determined early next year.

Source: Greenpeace backs plans for 'essential' wind farm in Lincolnshire

Ecotricity charges up 'electric superhighway'

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:05:10 +0000

Ecotricity has installed the first six electric car charging points at motorway service stations in the UK, allowing drivers to travel from London to Birmingham or Bristol without worrying about running low on charge.

The devices are the first phase of Ecotricity's planned 'electric superhighway', which began with a top-up zone at South Mimms servicesin Hertfordshire in July. Ecotricity aims to fit charge points at all 27 Welcome Break service stations within 18 months.

Each of the charge points is powered by the company's wind turbines and solar facilities, although the top up point on the M4 at Reading is directly powered by the famous Green Park turbine towering above it.

Drivers can choose a rapid recharge point with a 32A supply that can top-up in just 20 minutes and fully charge in two hours, or a slower 13A supply which fully recharges a car while travellers stay overnight at motorway service hotels.

Ecotricity founder Dale Vince, who plans to drive from Land's End to John O'Groats in his Nemesis electric sportscar using the points, explained that making it possible to drive between cities for the first time could spark increased demand for electric cars.

"It's often said that one of the reasons more people don't buy electric cars is because of a lack of charging facilities, while the reason more charging facilities aren't built is because not enough people are buying electric cars. Classic chicken and egg stuff," he said in a statement.

"We're hoping to break that impasse [by] creating the infrastructure to get Britain's electric car revolution moving."

Source: Ecotricity charges up 'electric superhighway'

Reading wind turbine used to charge electric cars

rob@bluetelsolutions.com (Owen Wassell) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:02:36 +0000

A Berkshire wind turbine is said to be the first in the country to be used to top up the charge on electric cars.

The turbine, located close to the M4 in Reading's Green Park, had been branded ineffective by the Renewable Energy Foundation due to lack of wind.

The foundation said Reading gets less wind than other UK locations.

But Ecotricity, the company which runs the turbine, said it was well placed to allow electric cars to be topped up on long journeys.

The company said there were currently about 2,000 electric cars in the UK.

At present it takes four to five hours to fully charge an electric car, which can then be driven for 100 miles before running out of power.

Dale Vince, of Ecotricity, said: "We had the big windmill in Green Park and we thought, we've got this spot along the motorway, why not put this turbine there?"

He said it was the first charge post to be powered directly from a windmill.

Topping up the car takes 20 minutes and can allow drivers to continue long journeys without worrying they will run out of charge.

Other charging points have been created at Michaelwood Services on the M5 in Gloucestershire, and at South Mimms Services on the M25 in Hertfordshire.

According to Ecotricity, the Department for Transport said they "expect to see tens of thousands of plug-in vehicles on the roads in the UK" by 2015.

The company said it costs 0.5p to drive a mile in an electric car, compared with up to 15p per mile in a petrol-powered car.