ENERGY ACTION GROUP FAQS

The Energy Action Group was established in 2010 in response to the perception of unfair treatment and predatory pricing by energy suppliers and (some) disreputable energy brokers. It was set up as a partnership between Development Trusts Association Wales (DTAW) and Touchstone Energy Management Services.

Subsequent years have seen additional organisations join, including Locality, the Association of Independent Museums and DTA Scotland.

Approximately 75% of the membership are from the charitable, community and museum sectors with the majority participating on a regular basis.

We help organisations of all sizes by exploiting collective buying power through co-terminating contract end dates and aggregating gas and electricity consumption. This ensures all member’s energy contracts start and finish on the same date within the relevant calendar year and facilitates tendering large quantities of energy to interested suppliers. Historically this delivers more competitive energy tariffs and reduces administration costs.

Whilst we pursue the most competitive prices available, we also provide a range of energy consultancy services including Energy Management, Energy Audits, Automatic Meter reading, Onsite Electricity Generation by means of solar PV and green gas generation, Bill Validation, Site Surveys, Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) reporting, lighting, and gas boiler advice and more. We can also assist with Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) and help members who want to reduce their energy consumption.

Any member of our partner organisations can join at any time. From a small single-site charity or business to a large multi-site organisation, the EAG buying basket can benefit all and offers the chance for all Energy Buying Group members to unite, whilst maintaining their financial independence.

If you do not belong to one of our partner organisations and are interesting in joining, please contact via the details shown below.

There is no charge to join or use the EAG. The energy basket derives its income solely from commission payments negotiated with suppliers. Unlike the vast majority of energy brokers, EAG commissions are kept to a modest level that enables us to carry out the wide range of complementary services whilst providing market leading prices. A significant portion of income generated from the basket is recycled back to the membership group partners.

By joining like-minded organisations, you will be able to enjoy reduced price gas and electric contracts using the collective buying power of the group plus a range of additional benefits and services.

• Energy Supply Contracts – Fixed term/fixed price gas and electricity and water contracts
• Contract Management – Relieve the stress of monitoring renewals and terminations
• Bespoke Metering Advice – Smart and AMR meter installation for Half Hourly electric contracts
• Energy Connections – Connections, disconnections, site works & metering installations
• Energy Management Services – Manage consumption and demand
• Energy Audits – Energy Efficiency advice
• Bill Validation Services – Identify misbilling and incorrect supply details
• Cost Recovery Service – Including VAT and billing errors
• Changes of Tenancy (COT) – Full COT service
• Asset Transfer – Detailed site analysis

The staff at the EAG will guide you through the process and advise you on how to join based on your specific requirements and needs. In essence, all that is needed to start the ball rolling is a “Letter of Authority” and copies of supplier invoices.

The simple answer is any time. The EAG Buying Basket operates on a rolling basis and even if your current energy contracts are not due to end for some time, you can join the EAG. This means your contracts will be placed in the Basket as the renewal period approaches. In the meantime, you can obtain help and advice on a wide range of topics.

Current EAG members are already committed to the basket and have aligned their contracts accordingly. However, you can join at any time during the term of the agreement and even be part of the next one. This will not affect your existing gas and electric contracts.

Buying energy today is a complex and time-consuming activity. There are more than 60 different gas and electricity supplies today, including numerous new entrants. There has also been a record of company failures and problems. Apart from obtaining market leading pricing, it’s important to gain a view of the entire market through technical advice, support and information on new and emerging solutions and technologies such as electric vehicles, solar PV, batteries and self-generation.

As an EAG member, you can stay abreast of recent developments and technologies that provide solutions to your energy problems.

This will be the situation in the majority of cases. Commercial contracts are normally secured over a fixed term and there is a process of termination that needs to be adhered to, in accordance with Ofgem regulations.

A common complaint received from Third Sector organisations is that their energy contracts are “rolled over” onto more expensive tariffs without them being aware. By joining the scheme now, the EAG will manage the process and ensure a smooth transition once your existing contracts expire.

You can still join the EAG at any time regardless of whether you are with another energy consultant. You may have been using the services of an energy consultancy for some time, but are you sure you are getting the best prices and service? It is a normal business practice to benchmark prices for goods and services and we are happy to provide comparison prices for you. In fact, we recommend it.

Completing a “Letter of Authority” is all that is needed to obtain prices.

Note: There is no problem in changing energy consultants, and it is your prerogative to appoint whosoever you wish. The EAG can easily take over the running of your existing contracts and arrange the transition into the basket. This is commonplace and does not affect any existing utility contracts you have in place with a supplier.

Common tasks within the highly regulated energy industry can be surprisingly complex. These include metering, billing, data collection, obtaining gas and electricity pricing, managing changes of tenancy and a myriad other issues. Your Letter of Authority allows us to expedite a lot of the work required without constantly referring to you. You can be sure that if any significant issues arise, we will always liaise with you, and not act without your consent. See more details about the Letter of Authority here.

Once again, this is not unusual and something that we come across from time to time. You may be part of a management framework agreement and need to check the terms and conditions (something the EAG can assist you with). It will cost you nothing to compare the benefits and the procurement strategy of your existing arrangement with those within the EAG Energy Basket.

Our track record speaks for itself. Our buying strategy is based on time of year and group buying principals. The value of the annual EAG basket continues to attract the attention of energy suppliers and helps leverage improved pricing. We have been delivering exceptional rates since 2010. Over 92% of members renew their contracts via the EAG and our other services can help deliver additional savings. You will be able to use all or part of the services on offer at no, or little extra charge to reduce consumption in a sustainable manner.

The aspiration is to reduce energy costs whilst ALSO reducing energy consumption. Reducing consumption is the surest way to cutting your costs and carbon emissions.

The simple answer is no. The vast majority of members do renew their contracts through the EAG, however, there are occasions when specific supplies are kept out of the basket for reasons such as being part of an existing framework agreement or are subject to 3rd party requirements such as sub-leases. The basket is designed to be flexible and to meet member’s needs.

By joining the EAG, you will be eligible to receive advice and information on energy management services and strategies. The purpose of Energy Management is to manage energy and water use and reduce consumption. There are several different methods of approaching this. The key principle is to understand the consumption trends for different buildings, and different internal processes. Building types and functions are taken into account. Automated Meter Reading (AMR) is the foundation of an efficient Energy Management program.

Amongst EAG complimentary services we include an Energy and Meter Audit and Invoice Analysis. Initially, this is carried out remotely via our Desktop Energy Audit module. This requires the participation of someone familiar with site buildings, processes, and energy supplies. If necessary, this can be followed up with on-site surveys to examine the gas, electricity and water supplies and infrastructure and opportunities to achieve efficiencies.

The EAG is providing a full range of fully certificated renewable gas and electricity for its members. We have taken the trouble to ensure that we only provide sustainable products that meet the strict renewable criteria.

The EAG can accommodate all new supplies, whether they are due to additions to property portfolios, asset transfers or new builds. The supplies can be added to other existing supplies and will form part of the basket going forward. Simply let us know the details of any additional sites and we will take care of the whole process for you.

The EAG can manage and supervise all new connections and changes to supplies on behalf of members.

If you are acquiring, refurbishing, building or disposing of any building assets, the EAG can manage all utility infrastructure work you may require.

Water supplies in Scotland and England are part of a de-regulated market. Since deregulation in April 2017 the market has steadily become more competitive. Some of the main benefits of the new regime are access to services that can help businesses reduce their water consumption as well as portfolio management arrangements.

The installation of an AMR Smart Meter removes the need for anyone to take a manual meter reading. This should also eliminate the enduring problem caused by estimated bills. The government has launched a mandatory introduction of Smart Meters as part of its commitment to reduce carbon emissions.

It has been calculated that around 7% of energy bills are incorrect.

How do you know that you have not overpaid for your energy?
The EAG can conduct an exercise using its customer management system to check invoices for anomalies, going back at least 3 years and recover any monies owed to you from the supplier. A reduced fee for EAG members is applied based on the amount of monies recovered and if no anomalies are found, no fee is due.

Touchstone Energy Management is a founding member of the EAG and has been working and managing the Energy Buying Group since 2010. Touchstone has been instrumental in achieving considerable savings on energy supply contracts and energy consumption. Since then, Touchstone Energy Management has become a key partner of the Development Trusts of the UK as well as numerous SME clients. We have worked closely with many of our members to save money on their gas and electric contracts whilst providing a host of energy consultancy services.