Green Energy Republic

In The Sunlight: Amy Harrison, Sales and Retention Executive

Green Energy Republic's 'In The Sunlight' series interviews members of the Good Energy team about their role in the company, why they support the Good Energy vision and how they personally contribute to achieving a greener environment. This week we spoke to Sales Executive, Amy Harrison.

Can you explain a little bit about your role at Good Energy?

As Sales Executive, I’m responsible for bringing new customers on board and getting them signed up to receive 100% renewable electricity, but also for retaining valuable, existing customers. I’m also responsible for Business Sales. From quoting for new businesses and selling Good Energy to them, to getting them on supply and managing the switchover process so it goes as smoothly as possible for them. I also train new and existing members of the company on how to market Good Energy, stay ‘on brand’ and abide by our values to ensure that new and potential customers can see exactly how amazing Good Energy is.

Why do you support Good Energy’s vision?

Good Energy has become a big part of my life since I started working here just over three years ago and I am so passionate about what we are doing. It’s great to work for such an inspiring company that is doing so much good and truly believes in its mission. We want to change the way energy is made, which we believe is the crux of what renewable energy is all about. It’s a valuable resource and we need to stop taking it for granted. If Good Energy had been around for centuries, with its vision, ethics and values, maybe the planet wouldn’t be in the state it’s in today. Good Energy’s vision is simple, it’s an obvious thing we are promoting, but if everyone got on board, and shared our vision, and lived by it, it would be so powerful. This is why I Iove working for Good Energy. Telling existing and potential customers how they can play their part in achieving our vision is such a great feeling.

How do you personally contribute to achieving a greener environment?

I contribute by doing as much of the small, simple things that I can. But these all add up to make a big difference. At home electricity is used as sparingly as possible, with the help of basic energy efficiency measures, and I regularly monitor my consumption to try and reduce it even more. But I think working for Good Energy, and passing all of this advice onto customers is doing the most to achieve a greener environment for us all to live in.

In The Sunlight: Chris Welby, Commercial Director

Green Energy Republic's series, 'In The Sunlight', interviews members of the Good Energy team about their role in the company, why they support the Good Energy vision and how they personally contribute to achieving a greener environment. This week we spoke to Commercial Director Chris Welby. 

Can you explain a little bit about your role at Good Energy?

My role within Good Energy is pretty wide-ranging. I am responsible for both regulatory compliance and policy.  On the regulation side I make sure we act in accordance with all the rules and regulations of being an energy supplier as well as the usual stuff that goes with being in business. This is quite a broad brief, especially in an ethically minded organisation – things can be within the rules whilst being unethical. Crucially, my role is about finding solutions to situations that we face rather than just vetoing things. This often requires going back to the core of the issue and helping other team members use their imagination to find solutions they haven’t considered. They are an amazing bunch once their imaginations let rip.

On the policy side I spend a lot of time in London driving forward our mission. I have spent my life in the energy industry, as did my father before me. My first visit to a power station (yes, coal) was at the age of five. These days health and safety would never allow a five year old into a turbine hall, but hey, it was the 70s! As a result I know the energy industry inside out and spend my time trying to facilitate change to drive forward our vision of a 100% renewable energy society. Not so much the grand ideas, but getting into the detail of proposals and ensuring they work. I have been working with the Government on Feed in Tariffs, Smart Metering and many of the other proposals. I am particularly proud of the Green Tariff Certification Scheme where I was chair of the working group that developed it.

Why do you support Good Energy’s vision?

Principally because I care. I care about the planet, I care about the people on it, and I care about the future generations. Previous generations can claim ignorance of the damage they did to the environment. We, however, cannot. Working at Good Energy allows me to make a difference in the area I know best – energy. I truly believe we can have a 100% renewable future, and I think many in our industry aspire to it, but dogma, inertia and plain vested-interest makes them believe it cannot be done. I spend a lot of time in meeting rooms thrashing out petty details and can get frustrated with the lack of progress, but sometimes I get the joy of seeing the light go on in the head of the industry old guards. Watching an adversary become a supporter is so inspiring and reminds me why I do this.

How do you personally contribute to achieving a greener environment?

I believe that making many small changes is greater than grand gestures. My wife and I consciously think about where things we buy come from, we try and minimise waste (composting is great fun, although finding snakes resting in the bin can be off putting) and grow some of our own food. Our house is cooler than most – although we crank it up a bit when guests come round. And of course our electricity is from Good Energy. We live in a village off the gas grid so we are forced to use oil for heating. This bugs me and I will find a practical solution. I am not of the “hair-shirt” brigade of environmentalism; I believe we can live in harmony with our environment and have a great standard of living too.

In the Sunlight: Joe Wadsworth, Partner Programs

Green Energy Republic's 'In The Sunlight' series interviews members of the Good Energy team about their role in the company, why they support the Good Energy vision and how they personally contribute to achieving a greener environment.

This week we speak to Joe Wadsworth (pictured below), Partner Programs. Joe works in the Marketing Department, looking after the relationships with our Partners and Affiliates. 

Can you explain a little bit about your role at Good Energy?

My role at Good Energy is to build relationships with organisations that share our values and are helping to promote renewable energy in the UK.

Recommendations from advocates are critical to recruiting supporters to our mission of changing UK energy, so I provide our partners with the materials and information about our products and services and about our mission to help them inspire and engage their audience to connect to Good Energy.

We have partners of all shapes and sizes and in many different industry sectors and I provide them with the practical materials they might require, like leaflets for events or banners for their websites, as well as ensuring that all of the relevant departments within Good Energy know what’s going on!

A large part of my work at the moment is getting out the materials that support our Homegrown campaign – with over 400 partners this is sometimes quite tricky but I love the challenge and the variety of partners I deal with.

Why do you support Good Energy’s vision?

For me it’s about my young family and their future. I don’t really want a future for them dependent on power sources that mostly involve digging the ground up and burning it in processes that release environmentally damaging gases into the atmosphere. Fossil fuels account for many of our planet’s problems and I think it’s time we did something about it.

Like me, Good Energy sees an energy landscape where electricity is produced locally, is valued more and used less and of course is clean and green. Electricity production accounts for about a third of the average household carbon footprint, therefore switching to 100% supply and generating your own is maybe the most important thing people can do to make a difference to climate change.

How do you personally contribute to achieving a greener environment?

At home I am have become somewhat obsessive about reducing my household consumption (of Good Energy of course!). I’d encourage everyone to get an energy monitor and become similarly obsessed because it really works – my bills are more than 10% lower than they used to be!

To get to work I often cycle the 10 miles between Malmesbury and Chippenham – it’s not just a good way to get fit or blow away the cobwebs, but a great way of seeing the wonderful countryside and wildlife we have in Wiltshire. When I can’t, or don’t want to cycle I take the bus or liftshare wherever possible and I’ve been involved in introducing Good Energy to a few partner schemes like WSP’s PACT and Sustrans’ Change Your World – both action oriented initiatives to reduce our carbon emissions.

Really, it’s about actually getting on and making a habit of the small changes – one less car journey, one less light left on, one shopping basket with more local, organic produce. Very soon all the small changes make larger ones.

In The Sunlight: Simon Proctor, Generation Marketing Coordinator

Green Energy Republic's new series, In The Sunlight, interviews members of the Good Energy team about their role in the company, why they support the Good Energy vision and how they personally contribute to achieving a greener environment.

Next up is Simon Proctor (pictured below), Generation Marketing Coordinator. Simon works with Hugo House implementing the Feed-in Tariff and providing customer service to our generators. 

Can you explain a little bit about your role at Good Energy?

My role at Good Energy involves communicating details of our generation schemes, such as the Feed-in Tariff, to generators and also ensuring that they enjoy an excellent customer journey. If someone is considering generating their own energy, then I also help guide them through the process. I offer help, advice and support regarding generating their own energy and put them in touch with our reccomended installers. Once they are up and running I then help them register for the appropriate generation scheme. I also play a big role in the management of the Generate Your Own Website where anyone can log on and find out about becoming a Microgenerator and can complete one of our online surveys to find out which technology is suitable for their property; online information is really popular.

Why do you support Good Energy’s vision?

I wanted to work for Good Energy because I believe in their principles and I am very passionate about our aims. Good Energy’s approach is about driving change from within.  Our mission is to allow everyone to play an active role in stopping climate change.  I think that Good Energy is growing renewables in the best possible way. We support a large number of independent generators and empowering people to generate their own energy, is a great thing. It is also a really effective way to encourage people to think about their energy use, how energy is produced and how we use energy.

Empowering people to generate their own energy by giving them the help, support and tools to do this is one of the many ways that Good Energy is helping to re-shape renewable generation in the UK.

How do you personally contribute to achieving a greener environment?

I contribute by being a Good Energy customer and also working as part of the company to help people generate their own energy. I want to improve consumer confidence in renewables. The concept of Microgeneration is still pretty new to many people, so we understand the importance of guiding people through the process and giving help and support from beginning to end. Hopefully they will then encourage others to get involved too.

On a day-to-day basis I am dedicated to recycling and I advocate the use of public transport and energy efficiency. I think it is important to implement the advice I give to customers and also support local groups and organisations who try to inspire people to take action against climate change.

In The Sunlight: Hugo House, Head of Generation Services

Green Energy Republic is starting a new series called In The Sunlight. We will be interviewing members of the Good Energy team about their role in the company, why they support the Good Energy vision and how they personally contribute to achieving a greener environment.

First up is Head of Generation Services, Hugo House (pictured below).

Can you explain a little bit about your role at Good Energy?

I am responsible for the propositions that we offer renewable-generators; especially those on a small business or domestic level. These are the people who support our home grown energy ethos, as they are using the energy and also producing it on a local level. With the introduction of our new Feed-in Tariff there are massive opportunities available and our schemes are adapting in order to deliver these new offerings to our customers.

We want to help people on every step of the journey. If people are considering becoming a generator, then we want to give them the information that they need to be able to make the right choice. Some homes, businesses or farmers won’t have the right resources to become a generator, so first we help them identify whether it is possible. If it is possible we find the right technology and the right company to help install it. Then, once successfully installed, we want to pay them for the power they generate.
There is a massive amount of interest and activity and we are currently recruiting about 50 new generators a month.

Why do you support Good Energy’s vision?

Good Energy’s model for business is very inclusive and allows people to engage in the ways they want to. If people want to become a generator then we can help and support them in doing that. Others might dearly love to become a generator, but they can’t because they don’t have the right resource or situation. If this is the case, by signing up to Good Energy’s home grown electricity we give them the ability to support independent renewable generation.
It is inclusive because we want to give everybody a role in changing the way we make energy. A lot of electricity companies are just concerned with owning the generating assets, selling the electricity to their supply company and then selling on that electricity to their customers, so the customers are just at the end of a line. Whereas I believe we are empowering our customers to be part of a continuous circle.

How do you personally contribute to achieving a greener environment?

For me it is about your approach to life. I have just had a week long holiday and I spent it at home and it was the best week I’ve had off in ages – I managed to spend time on my allotment, where I grow my own vegetables, and pottered around the house fixing things to make them a bit more efficient. I try to cycle to work through the summer, which is a beautiful journey through the country lanes of the Cotswolds. This keeps me fit and helps me wind down after work.
I haven’t flown for about five years and I don’t miss it. Instead, I’ve become a massive fan of the Eurostar. I have a young family and children bring a huge amount of joy, but you want to give them the best, and providing for them takes a huge amount of resources. My wife and I are always glad to receive second hand toys and clothes and when we need to buy new things, we try hard to make sure they have been made sustainably, and will last.