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As of 14th September 2021, People’s Energy has gone bust. All customers have been transferred to British Gas.
People’s Energy Review Summary
- A new way of doing things, with profits distributed to the customers rather than to shareholders
- An ethical company that treats its staff well and is open with its customers
- A green energy supplier
- Not the cheapest energy supplier on the market
- No guarantee that the profits will ever be paid out
- Not as slick an operation as some of its larger competitors
Who are People’s Energy
| Founded | 2017 |
| Number of clients | 115,430 |
| Address | Hercules House, Eskmills, Station Road, Musselburgh, EH21 7PB |
| Phone number | 0131 285 5510 |
| Email address | customerservices@peoplesenergy.co.uk |
People’s Energy (or The People’s Energy Company) was formed in 2017 via a crowdfunding campaign that attracted 2,200 funders who were repaid in 2018. The aim was to form an energy company where the profit was distributed to the company’s customers rather than to “fat cat” shareholders. There are currently over 115,000 customers, although People’s Energy calls its customers “members”.
The company says that 75% of its profits will be distributed to its members. Although it is not currently profitable, it states that it expects to be profitable by 2022. Each member will be able to choose to donate their share of the profit to charity if they want.
It’s not just the profit where The People’s Energy Company aims to be more ethical than its competitors. It also claims that its highest earner will never earn more than ten times more than its lowest-paid employee to reduce income inequality. It’s aiming to be more open than other companies, too. It publishes its board meeting minutes on its website, for instance.
What tariffs do People’s Energy offer?
People’s Energy offers a range of tariffs. 3 of these are fixed tariffs, 1 is a variable tariff and the other is a prepay tariff.
For those that want stability, People’s Energy offer a fixed tariff for two years. This isn’t something that many suppliers offer. Although you will be paying a slightly higher cost for your energy now, it means you will not be impacted by any energy price increases for the next two years. If you do want to leave though, here is a hefty £45 exit fee per fuel.
Next up there are 2 one year fixed tariffs. These are very similar although there are some differences in unit rates depending on your area. The other main difference is that one of these tariffs has a £45 exit fee per fuel where as the other has a more reasonable £30 exit fee (again per fuel).
If you don’t want a fixed rate tariff, People’s Energy also offer a variable tariff. As is often the case, this will likely be the cheapest tariff for you but as with all variable tariffs the price of this can change at any time. There are no exit fees however, which means if prices do change then you can switch.
Finally there is a tariff available for prepay customers, this is variable and has no exit fees.
How do People’s Energy compare on price?
People’s Energy isn’t the cheapest supplier, but the actual cost of the energy they supply isn’t the end of the story.
Once they start distributing profits the actual cost of the gas and electricity that they supply could be lower than their competitors. However, the company isn’t currently distributing profits, although it hopes to start doing so in 2022.
What is People’s Energy’s customer service like?
Citizens Advice rated People’s Energy Company 22nd out of 35 energy suppliers, giving them a score of 2.8 out of 5. They scored 5/5 for being easy to switch to, but only 2.6/5 for easiness to contact and 3/5 for clearness of bills.
The company can be contacted by phone or email, but the phone lines are only manned on weekdays between 9am and 5pm. According to Citizens Advice, the average call centre waiting time is 2 minutes and 9 seconds and only 53.1% of emails are responded to within 2 days.
A study by Which? found call waiting times even worse for People’s Energy, coming in at over 5 minutes.
They also have a live chat facility on their website. This offers the ability to go through FAQs and also speak to a real person, however the bot itself says waiting times can be over 30 minutes. The same Which? study mentioned above however found the average time to be less than 5 minutes.
What do other People’s Energy reviews say?
People’s Energy do not have a good rating on Trustpilot. They are rated 3.8 out of 5 from over 6,000 People’s Energy reviews, with only 75% of reviews rating them as either ‘Excellent’ or ‘Great’.
| Rating | Percentage of reviews |
| Excellent | 65% |
| Great | 10% |
| Average | 3% |
| Poor | 2% |
| Bad | 20% |
In the most recent study by Which?, People’s Energy came 4th out of 25 companies. They received a customer score of 75% (the highest was Outfox the Market which received 82%).
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What is People’s Energy’s website/app like?
The company’s website contains a good amount of information and lets you do the things you need to do such as get a quote and switch your energy supply to People’s Energy.
Through the homepage you can access the customer login which will let your submit meter readings, see energy usage and change billing information etc.
There is of information about the company including it’s approach to energy and why it is different. They even have a blog which showcases changes within the company or information about why energy prices have changed.
If you get stuck, there is also a comprehensive help section which allows you to search for your specific query to see if they have an article about it. This is much better than many energy companies we have seen.
How green is People’s Energy’s energy?
The electricity that People’s Energy supplies comes from 87% renewable sources, although they say they are committed to 100% renewable electricity in the future.
The company works with SmartestEnergy which means that it can trace the energy it supplies back to the renewable energy generator that supplied it and it plans to publish information about those suppliers on its website soon.
They are also committed to supplying gas that is as green as is possible and plan to be an active campaigner on green issues.
You can see the People’s Energy fuel mix below:
| Fuel source | % of supply |
| Renewable energy | 87% |
| Gas | 10% |
| Nuclear | 1% |
| Coal | 0.9% |
| Other Fuels | 0.8% |
People’s Energy complaints
People’s Energy appears to deal with complaints well, responding to negative reviews on Trustpilot quickly and offering solutions to any problems that people have encountered.
As noted in our reviews section, there are a significant amount of complaints on Trustpilot however.
According to Citizens Advice, People’s Energy have 15.2 complaints per 10,000 customers. This is not great, but not the worst either.
Do they offer a smart meter? Do they accept smart meters?
People’s Energy is rolling out 2nd generation smart meters (SMETS2) to all existing customers. If you have a smart meter currently and are looking to switch to People’s Energy then this won’t an issue. Those with SMETS2 smart meters will find everything should function as it currently does. However, those with SMETS1 smart meters may have to provide meter readings manually until it can be updated.
What billing options are available?
Payment via monthly direct debit is the only payment method available. People’s Energy change for each month’s worth of energy in advance whereas some providers charge in arrears. This means that when you switch you could be paying twice in the first month after switching depending on how your previous supplier charged for your gas and electricity.
Below are a few quick questions you may need answers to along with our People’s Energy review:
Do People’s Energy work with pre-payment meters?
Yes, People’s Energy now offers a tariff for pre-payment meters.
Do they accept Economy 7?
Yes, People’s Energy accepts Economy 7.
Are People’s Energy signed up to the Warm Home Discount?
People’s Energy is now signed up to the Warm Home Discount scheme. They say that soon applications will be opening up for winter 2021/22. You can find out more here.
Are they signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee?
People’s Energy is not signed up to the Energy Switch Guarantee. You can find out more about what the Energy Switch Guarantee is here.
Do they offer a ‘Dual Fuel’ discount?
There is no “Dual Fuel” discount on offer.
Do they charge exit fees?
There is no exit fee if you leave People’s Energy’s viable rate tariff before the end of a year.
There are exit fees of £30 and £45 for their fixed rate tariffs. These fees apply to both gas and electricity, so if you use People’s Energy for both and exit the variable rate tariff early you would need to pay £60 or £90.
Will People’s Energy offer to pay a customer’s exit fees when they join them?
No, People’s Energy will not pay any exit fees that you need to pay to your previous supplier when you join them.
Do they offer any incentives to customers to refer friends/family?
There used to be a referral scheme where you could get £50 for referring people. You could get that either as credit applied to your monthly bill or as a donation to charity, but that no longer appears to exist.
What happens if you move home whilst with them?
If you’re an existing People’s Energy customer who’s moving to another home, it’ll depend on whether you’re on the fixed or variable tariff. On the variable tariff you can simply sign up for a new account at your new address. If you’re on the fixed tariff you’d need to speak to People’s Energy to get your existing account changed to your new address or you may be subject to exit fees at your previous address.
If you’re not an existing People’s Energy customer but you’re moving into a home that’s already connected via People’s Energy for gas, electricity or both, it’s simple to get that electricity supply account transferred into your name.
Can you get cashback when joining People’s Energy?
There are no cashback deals available if you want to switch your gas or electricity supply to People’s Energy.
Do they mention about the Priority Services Register?
People’s Energy do offer a priority services register. If you are eligible to join and would like to, then you can request to be added using the contact details below.
How to contact People’s Energy
You can contact People’s Energy customer service by calling: 0131 285 5510
You can email them through: customerservices@peoplesenergy.co.uk
Opening hours:
Monday – Friday 9:15am – 5:45pm
Closed on: Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day.
Their address is: Hercules House, Eskmills, Station Road, Musselburgh, EH21 7PB
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Avoid. I have never used this supplier before and will definitely never use again. I have been over charged on my first bill. I have spent many hours on hold and no one ever answers. I have sent many emails clearly outlining my concerns and left online messages. It appears they do not want to respond. I honestly would pay more to an established supplier as you know you can at least raise a concern and they engage with you. I am simply being ignored and seems I have ran out of ways to ask this supplier to return my money!!!!
I’ve just made the transition to this supplier and already not happy at all. They emailed that they would take my first dd on 22nd April and would inform me of any changes. The dd came out as stated but then on 4th May they debited me again for the same amount. I emailed a query and the answer was that they took one month in advance then another month as what appears to be a deposit. Basically it’s a fail safe for any outstanding fuel used at the end of the contract. At no time did they warn me that money was being taken from my account so I ended up going into debit with my bank and I’m guessing being charged for that. They didn’t tell me when my monthly dd would be leaving my account either, I had to ask them. Not efficient, not professional, no customer care.
Takes to long to ans the phone 40 mins
did not ans the question I asked them put me on to a nother phone with music played gave up after a ten min wait
Tryed live chat told could not rely for 2 hours
this is as good I think they are poor !!!!!
Will like a reply later on in a month time traveling thank you
Useless. They used to be good 2 years ago as I called and tested how quickly they picked up the phone and was normally answered within 2-3 minutes.
Now, you are on hold for over an hour that you just give up.
Also their customer advisors are not professional. After waiting 1 hour 10 minutes to get through, the advisor Jacob decided to put me on a further 50 minute hold whilst he went to check why I had not received my end of tariff notification email! I mean why did he do that?
And now they have decided to increase my DD to 120 a month when it was set at 15. They know I am not using any gas/elect as my house is empty and being renovated so very little consumption – if any. I spoke with them and said I will let them know when we move back in, but they decided to increase it. Told you they were not very professional people working there!
Just cannot get through to anyone on here! AVOID!
Thank you. So sorry I hope
they do the right thing and sort things out. Best of luck.
My experience with Peoples Energy has been mixed and ultimately very poor. After my fixed one year tariff came to an end I tried unsuccessfully to contact them by phone( no reply after an hour for five consecutive days) live chat( I don’t think it exists. No response for hours ) and email ( automated reply saying a friendly colleague will contact me soon. Two weeks later I still await their contact. They have made some contact increasing my direct debit by 10£ per month even though I am 89£ in credit. I am now moving to another company and they have lost my business for ever. Not a good recipe for success.
DREADFUL SERVICE, USE ANOTHER PROVIDER, AVOID AVOID AVOID
I contacted Peoples Energy 10 days ago today regarding upgrading my meter for my Electric Vehicle.
Firstly I was given the wrong information by Peoples Energy (as confirmed by UK Power Networks) and secondly I then had to advise Peoples Energy of what I needed to happen. With that they wanted me to pay £123 and come pence, which I did on the same phone call (this is now 7 days ago), I was told their maintenance company (Mangum) would contact me with the appointment time/day. 7 days on after chasing everyday at least once but mostly twice I still have no appointment and have raised two complaints. Not a simple call back as yet to rectify the issue.
I am now leaving and going to Octupus energy where I read the customer service is far better and they may employ some people that can assist rather than just log calls. I will also be requesting my £123 back for a job which never even got booked!
EXTREMELY FRUSTRATED AND WOULD RECCOMMNED AVOIDING!
Now two weeks on a manager is dealing with my complaint John Printy but guess what, I’m hold again as we speak due to nothing being resolved now over two weeks on….shocking!!!! AVOID AVOID AVOID
I have been a customer of The People’s Energy since late 2017 and have been hugely impressed by the way they do things. For the first time ever the switch was seamless, superbly managed and completely hassle-free. Their pricing has been consistent and fair without the gradual upwards creep I have experienced with other companies. It has always been easy to get hold of someone if I have to speak to them and in the current pandemic they have made payments to customers whose earnings have been affected. I believe this is a rare example of a business being run in the interests of is customers.
When phoning i was surprised at how quickly the call was answered the lady I spoke to was very polite,helpful and under standing my contract was up for renewal the nineth of April and this operator named Jan talked me through my options regarding my gas and electricity I gave my meter readings and decided to stay with this company for the coming year I have kept my direct debit at the same price as last year and hopefully this will be enough.I think this year ahead will be a trying time for all of us especially business do keep us all informed as to how you are progressing,good luck.