One Wales Energy - Un Ynni Cymru launches!

New Welsh energy start up:

One Wales Energy

Founders Jon Townend and Jude Cook tell us how the business started:

Jude & Jon

“We’ve known each other for over 20 years and have both worked in the commercial, public and not-for-profit sectors. During that time we have started and run our own businesses providing services to the general public and business communities in Wales.

Most recently we’ve worked together in the renewable energy sector and as partners in our energy consultancy, offering advice to clients in South Wales.

Through our work, particularly with community energy groups, we realised that in Wales we are losing out – at present there is no dual fuel domestic energy supplier actively trading and based in Wales, so most of the money we all spend on energy is leaving Wales

We started to look at ways in which an energy business could offer a fairer and more exciting energy future for Wales, where energy is more affordable and sustainable and people in Wales could benefit from the profits.

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Find out more on the website

Invest in the project

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One Wales Energy – Un Ynni Cymru was born!

We are totally committed to bringing a new approach to energy supply in Wales. We’ll be offering competitive tariffs, generating profits for investors in Wales, supporting community projects and helping to nurture a cleaner, greener, more resilient domestic energy supply sector.

This is an exciting time as we prepare to launch the business and take our first step towards making One Wales Energy – Un Ynni Cymru into Wales’ leading energy supply company.  We hope that families, communities, organisations and businesses in Wales will be proud to join us on our journey and help us ‘put the energy back into Wales.’ ”

Everything we do, from our Wales-based bilingual contact centre to fair tariff pricing, to our business structure and local ownership – is all part of working to achieving this goal.

The Welsh domestic energy supply market is worth £1.4 billion. We aim to secure 10% of that market by 2023 and you could benefit from the profits!

We will run One Wales Energy – Un Ynni Cymru as a ‘profit with purpose’ business.  This approach combines a conventional profit-making business with a commitment to supporting social and environmental benefits for Wales.

One of the ways we will do this is through a Community Affiliate Scheme, offering organisations a way to generate a long term income stream, by earning referral and retention fees when their members, supporters, local community etc. switch to us.

(edit 25.07.2017)

Feed-in Tariff cuts not the end of local community energy schemes

Feed-in Tariff cuts not the end of local community energy schemes

There have been a number of concerns raised recently about the future of community energy - withsome local groups understandably worried about cuts to Feed-in Tariff rates. However Graham Ayling, Head of Energy Saving Trust Foundation, thinks its time is coming. 

'There's no denying that the past year has been incredibly tough for community energy groups who've put their heart and soul into projects, only to have to go back to square one as government policy changed. However, this is an incredibly resilient sector, full of people determined to drive forward action on climate change and bring about a fairer, more democratic energy sector. It isn't about to roll-over and give up.

In the short-term, there's still a lot going on as many community groups pre-registered for the Feed-in Tariff (FiTs) so their projects should go ahead. For example, there's a great project we've been involved with in Swansea, where the council is setting up a community solar PV scheme in some of its most deprived areas, with the aim to directly benefit those wards. These schemes will make the sector stronger, generating income for new community projects, as well asrenewable energy.'

Full article at WCVA site.

The rise of green energy can't be stopped

The UK missed its target to generate 10 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources in 2010, but, just 5 years later in 2015 was up to nearly 25 per cent:

"It's incredible growth and a pattern that's being repeated globally. This is the future. Look at solar PV - a few years ago there was no financial payback, now it's on the verge of becoming one of the cheapest ways to generate energy. Uptake has been way beyond what anyone expected, because it's a popular technology. This isn't going to go away.

In the past, there was a perception that making a greener choice was always a compromise, but now people can see that the technology is good and can fit in with their lifestyle. It's really going to take off. What's needed now is policy that recognises and grabs the opportunity.'

Ultimately, Ayling is confident the DIY culture of community energy will see it through current challenges. He added:

'Community energy has always been about going out and doing it regardless. Of course funding helps, but it feels like we're on the verge of finding ways to do without subsidy if needs be. Then, who is going to stop it?'