Issue - meetings

Report of the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment Services

Recommendations:-

1.    That an internally delivered community energy switching scheme is implemented to launch in March 2021.

Consideration was given to the report which recommended moving forward with an alternative internally delivered Community Energy Switching Scheme as no compliant bids had been received following the completion of the tender on 4th November, 2020. The Scheme, if approved, would be implemented to launch in March 2021 and would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 104

Report of the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment

Recommendations:

1.    That it be noted that the previous decision to award the community energy switching scheme to Robin Hood Energy has not been able to be progressed.

2.    That approval be given to the re-tendering of the community energy switching  ...  view the full agenda text for item 36

Consideration was given to a report which proposed a change of approach in respect of the Community Energy Switching Scheme that had been approved by Cabinet on 16th September, 2019, where a contract had been awarded to Robin Hood Energy (RHE). It was noted that, in the time since RHE  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36

Cabinet Portfolio:                 Jobs and the Local Economy

Strategic Directorate:           Regeneration and Environment

Consideration was given to a report submitted for pre-decision scrutiny by the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment ahead of the Cabinet meeting scheduled for 20 July 2020 in respect of Community Energy Switching Scheme.

The Cabinet Member for Jobs and the Local Economy, the Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment and the Environment, Energy and Data Manager attended the meeting to present the report and to answer members’ questions.

Following an Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) procurement process to identify a potential partner to develop a Community Energy Switching Scheme, Cabinet approved the contract award to Robin Hood Energy (RHE) on 16 September 2019.  Since the award of the contract to RHE  a new management team had been enlisted and their business model reviewed and changed.  As a result, RHE could not agree to the specification under the terms of the procurement process and the contract could not be awarded.

The recent tender process provided a valuable insight into market conditions, with this learning taken forward into a revised proposal to re-tender the contract and to run an internal switching scheme in parallel, to support Rotherham residents and gain essential market data. The report covered the proposed activity for 2020-21 which included a market engagement and tender process for a new community energy switching scheme; an internally delivered switching scheme to run during the tender process; and a Smart Meter project funded by National Energy Association (NEA) which would help to support the switching scheme. The Community Energy Scheme was highlighted as an important scheme for residents, especially those experiencing fuel poverty, with help to obtain better tariffs.

Members noted that the report indicated no further consultation was planned and queried whether the proposals were based on the previous consultation. Considerable work had been undertaken previously and nothing had changed from a public perspective; it was a question of the procurement process and criteria to go out to tender.  A market engagement process had been undertaken through the portal to obtain provider input.

A Community Energy Officer was in post who would run the internal scheme, undertake market research and establish the networks.  An NEA grant had been obtained for the project to promote Smart meters to people aged over 65 and the officer would have training and then all the information gleaned from   market research, input from  engineers, feedback from people on the pros and cons of using smart meters would all inform the programme.  A Facebook page had been set up and information published on the website.

Members queried whether it might be difficult to attract another provider as it was a different energy market now and potentially this was a less attractive business model. As such they recognised the benefit of the internal parallel scheme so something was in place to benefit residents. This was acknowledged by officers who conceded that the last procurement had been a challenge hence the work undertaken with providers before going out to tender again to ensure the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 192