Ebico Living & Rebel Energy formed a new white label partnership

Ebico and Rebel Energy today announced a new strategic energy partnership that will make sustainable home warmth cheaper for all.

As part of the partnership, Ebico, the UK’s first not-for-profit energy company, will retail its energy plans through its domestic energy retail brand Ebico Living, while the rapidly growing energy supply pioneer, Rebel Energy, will supply energy to Ebico Living’s customers.

Ebico know that standing charges weigh heavily on many household budgets, with some customers on Price Capped Standard Variable tariffs paying as much as £375* per year without even using any energy.  But from today, with the launch of the partnership, an energy deal that slashes the cost of standing charges becomes available.  Ebico’s new Signature energy tariff offers an average standing charge of only £147**, a saving of £228 and the lowest standing charge for fixed rate home energy available standalone through both smart and conventional meters.  Combined with its competitive unit rates for electricity and gas, the Signature tariff represents a breakthrough deal for home energy customers throughout Britain.

Ebico CEO, Phil Levermore, commented:

“We are absolutely delighted to be able to announce this partnership with Rebel Energy.  Together, we are embarking on a journey with joint objectives, combining our strengths to offer our customers great energy deals that also support the wider affordability of sustainable living.  Rebel Energy shares our focus on the twin imperatives of home energy decarbonisation and affordability and together we are determined that the interests of low-income households should not be forgotten in Britain’s vital transition to Net Zero.”

He continued:

“We’re proud that, through our partnership with Rebel Energy, we can offer ‘Signature’, our first new energy deal in three years.  Signature enables us to offer savings to smaller households.  With lower heating requirements, such households can find standing charges a disproportionate financial burden.  Signature offers huge savings on standing charges – great news for all householders, but particularly for those with lower energy use.” 

Dan Bates, CEO of Rebel Energy commented:

“At Rebel Energy, we are excited to partner with Ebico Living to bring about a significant change in the home energy market. This collaboration aligns with our mission to end fuel poverty in the UK. By offering the lowest fixed rate standing charges available, we are helping to ease the financial burden on households and promoting a fairer energy market. Together with Ebico, we are committed to delivering innovative solutions that benefit our customers and the environment.”

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The Ebico Affordable Warmth Incubator Programme up and running

The Ebico Trust has partnered with Sustainable Pioneers, CIC, who are part of the Sustainable Ventures group, the UK’s leading cleantech hub, on a mission to develop solutions for sustainable, affordable home warmth.

Jointly they have launched an entrepreneurial innovation programme, The Ebico Affordable Warmth Incubator, to elicit, support and develop high-potential, sustainable solutions for affordable home warmth. You can read more about the programme here.

The programme supports the creation of new businesses to develop innovative and impactful ideas to address the long-standing challenges of providing affordable, low-carbon warmth to the UK’s most vulnerable households. 

The initial applicants have been shortlisted and you can now meet some of the cohort and read their profiles.

Meet some of the 2021 cohort.

We are really excited about the project and are looking forward to learning about their innovative ideas in August this year. Stay tuned-in and we will share further updates.

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The Ebico Trust partners with Sustainable Pioneers to launch entrepreneurial innovation programme to develop high-potential, sustainable solutions for affordable home warmth.

The Ebico Trust has partnered with Sustainable Pioneers, CIC, who are part of the Sustainable Ventures group, the UK’s leading cleantech hub, on a mission to develop solutions for sustainable, affordable home warmth.

Natural Gas is the fuel source for 75% of the space and water heating in homes in the UK. To support the UK’s net-zero commitment, this must be replaced with carbon-free heating. The cost of this three-decade transition is currently estimated at £20bn (rising to £25bn) per annum¹. Yet already one in ten householders cannot afford to heat their homes to a level consistent with health². Reducing these domestic decarbonisation costs is a national priority.

In response, The Ebico Trust and Sustainable Pioneers, CIC have partnered to create The Ebico Affordable Warmth Incubator Programme. The purpose of the programme is to support the creation of innovative and impactful solutions to the long-standing challenges of providing affordable, low-carbon warmth to the UK’s most vulnerable households.

Across July 2021, the successful applicants will come together with Sustainable Pioneers, CIC and their team of entrepreneurs and sector experts to explore the problem, form teams and create high-potential solutions. This will culminate in a team pitch to a panel of experts, including members of The Ebico Trust’s board and Sustainable Ventures’ senior management team. Each participant will receive a £500 stipend to participate in this first stage.

Three pre-start up teams will progress to the first incubation phase and will receive £7,500 in grant funding along with access to a coworking space and workshop facilities in Sustainable Ventures’ flagship site (Waterloo, London). During this three-month phase, they will receive a broad programme of support to aid the development of their business plan and to prepare them to pitch for investment. The pitch event will close this first incubation phase and two teams will be invited to progress and form a start-up, along with a £15,000 investment from The Ebico Trust.

A second four-month incubation phase will focus on company formation, bespoke support and the identification of further funding opportunities. This will include the possibility to pitch for investment from Sustainable Accelerator, as well as other investment opportunities. The programme will act as a springboard for the development and scale of long-lasting solutions in the sector.

“As net zero targets draw closer, and heating and running homes remains a struggle for many, low carbon solutions for one of our biggest polluting sectors—housing—needs new ideas and innovation to accelerate.  This programme sets out to do just that by tapping into the entrepreneurial might found in this sector”- Phil Levermore, The Ebico Trust.

Lee-Ann Perkins, Managing Director at Sustainable Pioneers, CIC commented, “The Affordable Low Carbon Warmth Programme represents an unmatched opportunity for entrepreneurs and innovators to focus on game-changing solutions for a national, even global, problem. Access to our deep venture development expertise as well as The Ebico Trust’s sector gravitas is unique and unprecedented. We believe that this programme will have a lasting impact on the lives of millions and inspire the next generation of sustainable solutions.”

To apply for The Ebico Affordable Warmth Incubator Programme, visit: www.sustainableventures.co.uk/ebico-affordable-warmth

Applicant enquiries can be directed to: ebicoaffordablewarmth@sustainableventures.co.uk

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Ebico and Octopus Energy join forces to make sustainable home warmth more affordable for all

  • Green energy supplier Octopus Energy announces new ‘white-label’ partnership with Ebico
  • Ebico’s initial offer to include two new 100% green energy plans
  • Partnership brings together the UK’s first not-for-profit energy company with the first energy supplier to be Which? recommended four years in a row

London, 13 April 2021: Ebico and Octopus Energy today announce a new strategic energy partnership that will make sustainable home warmth cheaper for all.

As part of the partnership, Ebico – the UK’s first not-for-profit energy company – will retain its brand and responsibility for acquiring new customers while the entech pioneer Octopus will supply energy to Ebico’s customers and provide world-class customer service.

The partnership will initially offer two new energy plans: Ebico Prime 12 Saver, designed for credit meter customers, and Ebico Prepay, for customers supplied via a prepayment meter. The electricity for both plans comes from 100% renewable sources and both deals carry no exit fees or tie-ins.

Ebico was founded 23 years ago to make sustainable home warmth affordable for low-income households. In September 2020, Ebico’s customers moved to British Gas following the latter’s acquisition of Robin Hood Energy, Ebico’s former energy supplier. The partnership with Octopus Energy will enable the non-profit to continue on its mission through the home energy supply market.

Octopus Energy is the UK’s fastest growing energy supplier, having gained 2 million customers since launching to the market less than five years ago. It is also the UK energy supplier which has received the most accolades for its customer service in 2020 and the only one to have been awarded the prestigious “Recommended Provider” status by Which? for four years in a row.

Ebico remains committed to offering customers, both old and new, appropriate and competitively priced energy plans. Importantly, in partnership with Octopus Energy, Ebico will now be able to offer customers market-leading quality of customer service and 100% green electricity.  


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Administration of Robin Hood Energy Ltd

Many will be aware that a Court-appointed Administrator is now in charge of our supply partner, Robin Hood Energy.  Whilst this is sad news, we would like to reassure everyone that we, at Ebico, remain very much in business.  We have not been taken over by British Gas and we will be returning to the energy market very soon.   

We look forward to welcoming you back to Ebico!

In the meantime, energy account enquiries arising from our supply partnership with Robin Hood Energy should be directed to British Gas on 03332 029 878 (for credit customers) or 03330 095 777 (for prepay customers).

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News for Ebico Energy customers

Our supply partner, Robin Hood Energy, recently announced the purchase, by British Gas, of its business – which included Ebico’s energy customers.  We understand that British Gas has pledged to match Ebico customers’ existing energy supply deals for the remainder of their term.  Alternatively, should they wish, Ebico customers may select an alternative supplier and will not be charged an exit fee.

At Ebico, tackling fuel poverty has been our objective for the last 21 years and, despite the sad news from Robin Hood Energy, we will be continuing this mission.  We will be making an exciting announcement regarding our campaign for affordable, and sustainable, home warmth for all.

In the meantime, you can find answers to some of the questions you might have at www.robinhoodenergy.co.uk/britishgas.

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Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak announcement

Due to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak and the Government’s social distancing advice to protect our staff and wider public we have closed our customer service and sales lines. We continue to monitor the Government’s advice and we will notify our customers once our lines are reopened.

To get a quick quote and switch your energy to Ebico please go to quote.ebico.org.uk.

You can still manage your account online via account.ebico.org.uk. If you have not registered to manage your account online, yet, you can do so via the same link.

If your fixed term energy plan is coming to an end, or it has come to an end, you can renew your plan via online account management account.ebico.org.uk or complete a new application on our website quote.ebico.org.uk.

If you are currently off supply or have an urgent issue topping up your prepayment meter, please text Support to 80818 and we’ll call you back as soon as possible.

The operating hours of our sales line will be 9am-5pm. The number of agents available to take calls has been reduced so it may take longer to answer your call. If you wish to receive a quote and switch your energy to Ebico you can do so also via quote.ebico.org.uk.

If you require assistance in the case of an electric emergency, please dial 105.

If you require assistance in the case of a gas emergency, please dial 0800 111 999.

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COVID-19 Precaution for Ebico PrePay customers

Should the Government require the closure of non-food/pharmacy retail business, as part of the national plan to slow the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, then your local PayPoint outlet may no longer be available for meter top-ups. As a precaution, we are recommending that, if possible, Ebico Pre-Pay customers build a credit balance on their meters and so as to lessen the chances of going off supply. It is very important that you keep your receipt from your top-up at the PayPoint outlet. You can find your nearest PayPoint retailer here.

If you are a smart prepayment customer you can top-up your smart meter online here.

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The results of the Which? Energy Customer Service Satisfaction Survey is in … and we are one of the very top-performing energy companies!

Ebico customers’ feedback to Which? has placed us in second place in the Energy Company Satisfaction Survey 2020 out of 35 companies scrutinised. As always, we’d like to thank all our customers who participated in the survey and have placed us, once again, amongst the top-performing energy companies for customer service and value.

For over 20 years, at Ebico, we’ve striven to give our customers a great customer experience, whilst at the same time maintaining our focus on fighting the growing issue of fuel poverty in Britain. Providing our customers with consistent good value and customer experience is a continuous effort that our team is proud of.
There is always room for improvement, and we will continue to work hard towards providing our customers the very best customer experience in the industry.

You can check the full results on the Which? website which.co.uk/energy-results

Results based on an online survey of 8,353 members of the public in September 2019. Customer score is based on satisfaction and likelihood to recommend. Customers also rated aspects of service; these are presented as star ratings. We need at least 40 responses to give a result; a dash (-) means too few responses to give a rating. Sample sizes in brackets. Full WRP results at which.co.uk/energy-results. a Flow Energy is now part of Octopus Energy.

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What does it mean to be an Ebico customer?

We are dedicated to fighting fuel poverty and we can do so only with the help of our customers. Fuel poverty is a silent and invisible problem that is rarely spoken about, but seriously affects 3.4 million households in Britain.

People like Dez, Beat the Cold client.

“I was so conscious about the amount of money that I was spending on heating and electricity that I would literally shut everything off. Even though it was cold, it was just a case of wrap myself up and keep as warm as I possibly could.”

Dez and his family’s lives were improved vastly by the Beat the Cold team, funded by Ebico Trust.

“The information provided to us by Rosie and the Beat the Cold team was absolutely brilliant. And all of us felt, for the first time, that we really could save a little bit of money on our bills.”

Eve is another Beat the Cold client.

“Your heating is your main bill. You are using it but you are not paying for it straight away so you have a big shock when you receive your bill. Every time a bill came I was so frightened, and I would be thinking to myself: ‘How am I going to pay this?’. So you just say to yourself, ‘Well, I’ll just switch the heating off’. And when you are poorly you haven’t got time to look at different tariffs to see if you can get a better deal. You’re just trying to stay well.”

Eve’s life was also transformed by a visit from the Beat the Cold team.

“I didn’t realise I was entitled to the warm home discount, which gives me £140 off my electricity. It was only when Rosie visited me that I was made aware of it. I don’t think I would be as well as I am now if I hadn’t had the help of Beat the Cold.”

Dez and Eve represent just two of the 2 million households in the UK currently in fuel poverty. Put simply that means they can’t afford the energy they need to adequately heat their homes, cook their meals, do their laundry or wash their clothes.

Since it was set up in 2009 the Ebico Trust has invested more than £1.4m in supporting projects to combat fuel poverty in Britain. And when you buy your energy from Ebico you will be supporting it to do even more.

Apart from fighting fuel poverty, society also faces the huge problem of climate change. This is why our electricity is 100% green. The energy that we buy is certified as coming from an existing UK based wind and solar generators and we’re now continuously looking for opportunities to support new green generation schemes in the UK.

So when you buy your energy from Ebico, the power is, quite literally, in your hands to make a positive impact – twice over.

Because not only is the energy you buy from Ebico 100% green, but,  our profits go to the Ebico Trust, to fight fuel poverty head on.

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