CitizEn Energy celebrates environmental achievements in first year!

Ethical energy provider CitizEn Energy celebrates on their first birthday this month, as their 1,500 customers save over 1,500 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere**.

CitizEn Energy supplies 100% green electricity* as standard to all of their customers. The weight of CO2 which has been saved by their customers switching equates to the weight of 120 double decker buses. They would need a woodland nearly twice the size of Southampton Common (or Hyde Park) to remove as much CO2 from the atmosphere in one year**.

CitizEn Energy was set up by Southampton City Council in 2018 – with the aim to bring a fair and ethical alternative to the energy market.

Councillor Steve Leggett, Cabinet Member for Green City and Environment at Southampton City Council, said:

“We’re delighted and proud that CitizEn Energy is having such a positive impact on the environment. We’d like to thank each and every customer who has helped us achieve this.

We have ambitious aims for the future, with every penny of profit being ploughed back into projects which will help the most vulnerable in our community. The more customers we have the bigger impact we can make to people who are really struggling, as well as the environment.”

Southampton City Council is committed to leading the way in making Southampton a cleaner, greener, healthier, more sustainable and attractive place to live, work and visit. As part of this commitment they have launched their Green City Charter. They firmly believe that in order to achieve their vision they need the support of local people who can all make a significant contribution through making small changes. One of the biggest things residents can do to reduce their carbon footprint is choose a green electricity provider, such as CitizEn Energy.

CitizEn Energy customers span across the south, south west and the midlands, and they are part of a council energy network of about 130,000 customers (working under different brands). Together the network hope that the positive impacts can be amplified across the country.

In the future CitizEn Energy have ambitions to supply locally generated energy to local people. That means buying direct from generators, or building their own generators.

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CitizEn Energy’s achievements don’t just stop at helping the environment. Other achievements include: 

• Saving residents money - On average customers can save £170 per year on their energy bills by switching to CitizEn Energy – that’s £255,000 across all of our customers. We currently have the cheapest two year green tariff on the market.^ 
  
  
• Supporting fuel poverty – the CitizEn Energy team are part of the Southampton Warmth for All Partnership which brings together organisations working to reduce fuel poverty in Southampton. 
  
  
• Raising awareness of switching benefits – The team have been out in the community demonstrating the benefits of switching suppliers amongst vulnerable groups. They particularly want those 12,000 households in Southampton who really struggle to afford their heating bills to see the benefits of switching. 
  
  
• Signposting to independent charities - The team have been signposting in-need members of the community to charities which can help with everything from benefit advice, energy efficiency work and resolution of issues with other energy suppliers. 
  
  
• Community work – carrying out community work e.g. volunteering to paint fences at a Southampton public park. 
  
  
• Positive ethical ranking – highly ranked on Ethical Consumer website, which offers consumers advice on how to make more ethical purchases (listed under Robin Hood Energy brand who they partner with). More info. 
  
  
• Excellent customer service rankings – 91% of customers said they would be very or fairly likely to recommend us in a recent survey (May 2019)~. We were also ranked number two in the country in an annual customer satisfaction survey report. 
  
  
• Launched a ‘Refer-a-Friend’ scheme – offering customers up to £20 credit for themselves and their friend who switches. More info. 
  
  
• Partners set up a specific Vulnerability Department – our partners Robin Hood Energy set up a specialist team dedicated to finding and helping our most vulnerable customers. Their team of policy and efficiency experts will help find new ways to identify and support the people who are struggling with the cost of energy.

Come and meet the team at the following: 

• Thursday 12 September - Shirley market from 9am to 3pm
• Friday 20 September - Outside West Quay main entrance on Above Bar Street, from 10am to 2.30pm
• Wednesday 25 September - Bitterne Market from 8am to 3pm

Videos: 

• Who are CitizEn Energy? 
• How to switch online with CitizEn Energy 
• Where does our electricity come from? 
• Why aren't we always the cheapest? 
• Energy saving tips

*Our green electricity tariffs are certified as being sourced from UK based wind and solar generators. For every Megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity purchased for our customers, we also purchase a Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificate, which proves the electricity is certified as being sourced either directly from the renewable generators or through a green wholesale energy provider.

**The CO2 saving for an average electricity consumption household switching from a non-renewable electricity tariff to CitizEn Energy’s electricity tariff is 1,012kg of CO2 over a year (using gov.uk emission reporting). All calculations correct as of 1 June 2019. Source for woodland calculations here.

^£170 saving is based on the cheapest proposed CitizEn 2 Year Fixed v3 Fixed Tariff , compared to the mean average of the biggest six energy providers' standard variable tariffs for a medium-use dual fuel customer, paying by direct debit and receiving paperless billing, living in the Southern area on 9.9.2019. Prices may change. 12,000 kWh of gas consumption and 3,100 kWh of electricity consumption per annum. We currently have the cheapest two year green tariff on the market – this is based on Uswitch search on 09-09-19.

~91% of customers would be highly or fairly likely to recommend us to a friend in an online survey live 13 - 21 May 2019 and was completed by 84 respondents.