Cyd Cymru Year 1 – a local
authority perspective
Tara King, Assistant Director, City of Cardiff Council
Introduction
• 3 year project – cooperative Councils approach
• Funded by £180K Welsh Government Regional Collaboration Fund grant
• Key partners:
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City of Cardiff Council
Vale of Glamorgan Council
Energy Saving Trust
• Governance:
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Steering Group established – partners plus stakeholders from across Wales
Cardiff Partnership Board – quarterly progress reports
Welsh Government – quarterly progress reports and grant claim
• Year 1 successfully completed and evaluation undertaken to take learning
forward
Project aims and objectives
• To deliver a collective switching package across Wales with targeted focus
on Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan
• To reduce energy bills for people in Wales through collective buying of
energy
• To reduce the number of people suffering from fuel poverty in Cardiff and
the Vale of Glamorgan
-those in fuel and financial poverty targeted
• To communicate the benefit of collective energy buying
• To increase the volume of the switch year on year
Project targets
• 3 year project targets:
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15,000 people signing up to auction
7,000 people signed up participating in final scheme
£800,000 saved across Wales
£120 average saving per household
10% of participants implementing energy saving measures
5% of participants implementing energy generation measures
15% of households receiving savings that will take them out of fuel
poverty
– 15% of households in vulnerable areas receiving savings that would
take them out of fuel poverty
Policy drivers
• Welsh Government:
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Tackling poverty commitment- reducing poverty, especially persistent poverty
One Wales: One Planet – putting sustainable development at the heart of government
Well-being of Future Generations Bill – making sustainable development the central organising
principle of public bodies
• City of Cardiff Council:
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Cardiff: What Matters –’ fair, just & inclusive society’ and ‘clean, attractive & sustainable
environment’
Embedded in Corporate Plan
One Planet Cardiff aspiration – ‘energy’, ‘place’ and ‘people’ elements
Affordable Warmth Strategy – people in Cardiff are able to affordably heat their homes
Benefits
• Organisational benefits:
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Fit with corporate policy
Raises awareness of fuel poverty agenda
Increases financial inclusion
Profits from switches distributed into local communities
Galvanise communities to become more sustainable
• Benefits for households:
– Savings on household bills
– Builds knowledge and confidence in searching for the best deals
– Opens door to further energy efficiency and energy generation measures
Year 1 activities
• 2 switches undertaken – January and March 2014
• Communication and engagement plan developed
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Face to face engagement
Posters and flyers
Dedicated website - www.cydcymru-energy.com
Social media
Press releases
Council publications
Internal staff communications
Getting partners on board to promote to their stakeholders
• Key audiences:
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Residents of Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan
Targeting of groups who would benefit most from participation
Employees of both Councils
Year 1 outcomes
• Over 6,800 people registered interest in the scheme
• Over 1,500 switching to a new tariff deal
• £185 average saving per household
• Over £284,000 total savings for Wales
• £19,000 community fund generated for Wales
Year 2 plans
• One switch – seeking to upscale size of switch
• Timings
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Registration opens early January 2015
Switching window 2nd -16th March
Bonus switching week 16th – 23rd March
• Timed to coincide with colder weather
• Will also coincide with switch 1 households coming to end of deal
• Want to get as many local authorities and partners within these to actively
participate to increase volume of switchers
• Aim to get a large enough volume switch to generate a good unique tariff
from energy companies