We worked with Community Energy Scotland (CES) on their Tower Power, Dumbiedykes project. Dumbiedykes is a small urban neighbourhood in Edinburgh, consisting of residential housing blocks with a mix of occupants, however known to be a deprived area with a high percentage of residents vulnerable or in fuel poverty.
Tower Power (a not for profit, run by Community Energy Scotland), aimed to establish a roof top solar power project, plus a bulk power purchasing scheme under a smart metering arrangement, in order to assist individual residents’ management of demand and to leverage better retail sale prices for electricity from suppliers. CES also wanted advice on an interim collective electricity tariff switching scheme for residential customers, in order to obtain the best possible tariff for residents.
We explored the regulatory and contractual basis on which collectively electricity tariff switching scheme could be established by Tower Power in the role of “TPI” (Third Party Intermediary, switching on behalf of a group of consumers). Tower Power has gone on to successfully fundraise for the scheme, receiving £821,200 from the Scottish Government’s Local Energy Challenge Fund. It is hoped that all 670 homes within the development will be able to benefit, while a co-operative will be established in the community to manage the scheme.
