Has your church had an electric shock?

For the past four years, Utility Aid has been helping Elim churches reduce their energy costs and be more sustainable too. We quizzed partnership manager Emily Berry to find out more

Emily, what does Utility Aid do?
We’re an energy consultancy and brokerage company and we work with more than 70 partners in the third sector – heritage buildings, village halls, churches and housing associations.

We aim to help organisations find ways to reduce costs and make buildings more efficient.

We help by providing a variety of services, guiding them through the challenging world of utility providers – navigating them to the best supplier for them, procuring contracts and managing their accounts.

We also offer an invoice validation service which checks bills for potential overcharges. So far, we’ve recovered more than £6,000,000, and 100 per cent of these recoveries go straight back to our customers.

We’ve been working with Elim churches for more than four years. Initially, we were looking at a collective buying scheme to bring Elim churches together under one tender to align their contracts. Now, we’re looking at how to improve sustainability.

Improving sustainability is a priority for many churches – tell us more about how you’re helping with this.
Many people want to become more sustainable and are looking at ways to reduce consumption, but cost has been a big barrier. On-site surveys can cost anything between £800 and £3,000, for example, and for a lot of churches, that’s not affordable.

We launched a remote discovery scheme in September to provide a more cost-effective way to do site surveys. It offers the same level of service but at a reduced cost – from £195.

We also look at how to make buildings more sustainable and efficient, but none of our reports are swayed by us getting a kickback from selling certain services so we do this from a fairer perspective.

We want to help churches invest the money they get from grants and funding in the best way. We’ve had examples where people installed solar panels, then two years later had to replace the roof, which meant taking the panels down and reinstalling them. We consider things like that when looking at buildings that perhaps other people don’t think about.

What common mistakes should churches avoid?
A lot of people give their time to volunteer for church, but a problem we find is that sometimes things get missed. A common thing that can be forgotten is contract end dates, which can cause renewals to be left to the last minute. This can really affect churches getting the best deals or contractual terms.

That’s especially true if you’re trying to become more sustainable. Some contracts have stipulations that you have to use a certain amount of energy, for example. If you’re looking to reduce your consumption, that’s something you need to factor in when choosing a provider. Overcharges on bills are another common issue, as is VAT – knowing which declarations to send in to get your bills capped correctly.

Meter readings are another. Lack of good signal means rural churches, in particular, can struggle to get smart meters, so they need to take readings each month to avoid being overcharged. If you’re on an estimated tariff, you’re probably paying too much.

How can churches reduce their bills?
I always tell people to look at what they can do for free first. A good example is looking at how your building is used and how you’re consuming energy. There was a village hall attached to a church and they left their fridges on 24 hours a day, but only used them twice a month. Simple things like switching off unnecessary equipment can make a huge difference.

It's also about getting people on board because reducing consumption has to be a collective effort. When people start complaining the building is too cold, for example, you can work together to find new ways to use it comfortably that cost less.

Check your invoices and VAT and submit meter readings regularly, too.

The million-dollar question: what’s next for the energy market?
I don’t think anyone could have predicted what’s happened in the past three years. I don’t think anyone in the energy industry can 100 per cent say what’s going to happen next, either. There are a lot of problems and political issues that are out of everyone’s hands.

My biggest piece of advice is that when you’re up for renewal, take a look at what deals are available, including fixed deals, if budget is important. Also, make sure quotations are based on actual readings and look at the market enough in advance so that you can make an informed decision.

If you would like help with your church’s energy usage, email customercare@utility-aid.co.uk

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.

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