The Co-operative Energy

The Co-operative Energy

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Type	Business of an Industrial and Provident Society, registered under the Companies Acts
Industry	Public Utility
Products	Gas and electricity supply
Parent	The Midcounties Co-operative

Co-operative Energy Limited is a British energy supply company based in Warwick that began trading in 2010. It is an alternative to the Big Six energy firms and, given that its parent is Midcounties Co-operative, is the only co-operative supplier in the market. Although initially highly rated for customer service, in 2015 it became one of the most complained about utility companies according to the Energy Services Ombudsman.

Any member of the Midcounties Co-operative can share in the profits from The Co-operative Energy. Historically, the business had a reputation for prioritising the use of renewable energy, and in 2014 68% of their electricity was sourced from renewable sources; however more recent data from 2015 show that the portion of renewable energy used has significantly declined to 4.6% (around one-fourth the national average within the fuel mix).

Controversies

A failed upgrade to its online customer service and billing system in 2015 resulted in a large number of customer service problems, with repeated complaints about login problems, delays switching, poor telephone response times and promised remedial actions not being taken. As a result, customer satisfaction fell sharply, with 7% rating it poor in December 2014 but this rising to 56% in May 2015. In the first quarter of 2015 it was the fourth most complained about utility company, measured in complaints per thousand customers. In the second quarter of 2015 it moved up to being the second most complained about utility company.

See also

• British co-operative movement
• The Phone Co-op

External links

• Official website