Bristol Energy Raise Money For Social Good
Bristol Energy have now raised over £30,000 for a well known social publication - The Big Issue - and they’ve done it using green energy. Selectra investigates how Bristol Energy is using their ‘Big Issue Super Green Tariff’ to do good.
Bristol Energy Customers Help Fight Poverty
Bristol Energy have raised £30,000 through its one-year-old ‘Big Issue Super Green Tariff’ customer incentive. As part of a two year deal with The Big Issue, every time a customer switches to the green energy tariff Bristol Energy donates up to £30 to the organisation.
Bristol Energy’s rationale behind the campaign is simple - they feel that they and The Big Issue share a common goal - to eliminate social injustices.
Fuel Poverty in the UK
The UK government measures fuel poverty using the Low Income High Costs (LIHC) indicator. Under the LIHC indicator a household is by definition fuel poor if they:
- Have obligatory fuel costs that are above the average cost or national median level
- Must spend that amount and therefore are left with a residual income below the official poverty line
Fuel poverty can also be influenced by other factors too, like household income, household energy requirements, other household costs and fuel prices.
Schemes to fight fuel povertyWant to learn more about what is being done to fight fuel poverty in the UK? Read our guide on current energy schemes for more information.
Fuel Poverty in Bristol
Fuel poverty affects approximately 1 in 10 people in Bristol, and many more across the United Kingdom each year.
A 2018 Bristol City Council Fuel Poverty report investigated the extent of Bristol’s fuel poverty in depth - prior to Bristol Energy launching their campaign. Bristol Energy are likely to have taken this research into account as they have shared this report on their website.
Want more information about Bristol Energy?Selectra provides impartial advice on UK energy suppliers. Read our Bristol Energy Guide today, or check out some of our other Bristol Energy pages like our Bristol Energy Login guide.
Super Green Tariff
‘The Big Issue Super Green Tariff’ supplies Bristol Energy customers with 100% renewable electricity and 100% carbon offset gas.
For every new customer that signs up to the Super Green Tariff, Bristol Energy will donate £15 per fuel to The Big Issue to support their work tackling poverty and homlessness.
The tariff is a two year fixed deal for customers, with prices being fixed for the first 24 months.
‘The Big Issue Super Green Tariff’ offers customers the following features:
- Electricity and/or gas
- 100% green renewable electricity sourced from UK generators
- 100% gas carbon offsets
- £15-£30 towards social and environmental projects (amount varies, but the current amount is set to £20 on their website)
- Prices fixed for 24 months without ‘tie-ins’
Who Can Switch to Bristol Energy?
As their name suggests, Bristol Energy, including their customer care agents, are based in the city of Bristol. It’s worth noting that the energy provider supplies gas and electricity to UK residents and businesses based, not only in Bristol and the Southwest, but also nationwide.
Bristol Energy Donations & The Big Issue
The Big Issue defines itself as a social business fighting poverty and injustice across 4 different continents.
The charity publication works on a ‘teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime’ type premise. At-risk or struggling members of the community, including the UK’s homeless population, can earn their own wage by selling the magazine, thus breaking a systemic cycle of poverty that they are victim to.
It’s no small operation - with the organisation reporting a circulation of 83,073 copies in total as of February 2018.
Their magazine runs weekly, and has been praised as a quality journalistic publication, a smart charity and a good social initiative over the years.
How Will The Bristol Energy Money be Used?
Thanks to their customers making the switch to green energy, Bristol Energy’s donations will help to fight poverty in the UK.
The Bristol Energy funds will be dedicated to helping The Big Issue stay afloat as without foot traffic on the streets, the magazine vendors cannot make a living, and as such could be thrust back into the vulnerable circumstances that they have worked hard to overcome.