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Bristol City Council drops own energy company
Green energy provider Bristol Energy will no longer supply the city council, which is switching to a ‘Big Six’ company.
The council has recently undertaken a procurement process to choose an energy supplier for the upcoming year and, despite Bristol Energy being owned by Bristol City Council, the contract has been awarded to British Gas.
The decision comes as smaller energy supplier Bulb has called on local councils across the country to commit to switching to a renewable energy provider.
is needed now More than ever
Last week, the firm released the results of a Freedom of Information (FOI) request which revealed nine out of ten local authorities in Britain are supplied by one of the ‘Big Six’ energy suppliers or oil giants.
This is despite a raft of council leaders openly encouraging residents to switch to smaller suppliers to save cash and be more environmentally-friendly.
In its report, Bulb even praised Bristol as a community that was “leading the way in the renewable revolution”.
The results of the FOI covered last year when the council was using a smaller energy supplier, Bristol Energy.
But this year, it has agreed to hand over the contract to British Gas, resulting in Bristol Energy losing the council as a client.
Peter Haigh, managing director of Bristol Energy
Bristol Energy’s managing director Peter Haigh said: “Last year we did have the council’s energy supply but, unfortunately, this year British Gas marginally undercut us on the council contract.
“We were set up to support Bristol residents and help tackle fuel poverty in our city. More than two thirds of UK households are still paying too much on a ‘Big Six’ deal, and we’re currently saving Bristol residents around £220 a year on their bills.
“We have very competitive deals for homes and for businesses. However it’s important that the council goes through a process when choosing suppliers, including where its energy comes from.”
Bristol City Council has said it must follow strict procurement rules and can’t give any special treatment to Bristol Energy, despite the fact the authority is the owner and has invested more than £15m into the business.
Craig Cheney
Craig Cheney, the council’s cabinet member for finance, said “We are obliged to competitively tender our utilities contracts in line with public sector procurement regulations.
“This means that many different suppliers can bid for the business and contracts are awarded based on a set of pre-determined criteria.
“We are fully behind Bristol Energy, but we must follow the procurement rules when awarding public contracts using public money.”
Kate Wilson is a local democracy reporter for Bristol
Read more: Bristol’s poo-powered homes
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