The announcement that Our Power has ceased to trade (full story here) will not have only impacted its 38,000 energy customers, it will also have left all of its Housing Association partners without a voids service.
Leigh Fairbrother, Sales & Marketing Director at Energy Angels discusses the importance of expert advice for landlords when switching void properties
It has long been the opinion of Energy Angels that working with a single energy supplier comes with risks. Not only does it leave an organisation vulnerable to the prospect of a complete failure of a service, it also ties landlords and tenants to pricing fluctuations over which they have no influence. (e.g. over 13 months Sept’ 17 – Oct’ 18, British Gas increased its standard variable tariff three times, effectively impacting more than 2,000,000 socially provided homes).
Energy Angel’s independence from energy suppliers means its services will continue regardless of supplier changes, protecting its clients and ensuring a continuity of service. Energy Angels’ Ofgem accredited price comparison service adds additional protection by ensuring a mechanism is available to tenants to support them in switching energy supplier. This means regardless of the landlords choice any impact on tenants will be minimal.
Whilst customer acquisition will allow disrupter brands to grow more quickly, effectively they are only amassing the already engaged who have been bold enough to switch anyway.
The true challenge to growth and disruption is continuing to differentiate from the establishment and draw more customers away from the ‘Big Six’ energy suppliers and organisations like Energy Angels’ void model has a key role to play in this and further promote change.