Co-Op Energy Reviews
- Trustpilot: 4.8 out of 5, based on 6,017 reviews in November 2023, rated ‘Excellent’ overall.
Co-op Energy Electricity, Gas & Dual Fuel Tariffs
The energy tariffs below are based on gas and electricity for a 4-bedroom semi-detached home at a specific postcode with national average usage. For a more specific tariff, you can enter your own details on Co-op’s compare tariffs page.
The fields of the quote form are slightly impractical to fill in because the page reloads after each answer you provide, rather than waiting until you’ve finished inputting all your data. There are only two pages before you get to the quote page though, so it doesn’t take too long.
Co-op Price Protect
- Estimated monthly cost – £95.
- Total annual cost – £1151.
- Fixed until May 2020.
- £30 exit fee per fuel if you leave before 12 April 2020.
- Direct Debit payments only.
- 100% green electricity.
- Manage the whole account online, with no paper billing.
Co-op Fixed Green Energy
- Estimated monthly cost – £99.
- Total annual cost – £1199.
- Fixed until May 2019.
- £30 exit fee per fuel if you leave before 12 April 2019.
- Single-fuel and dual-fuel available.
- 100% green electricity.
- Option of paper or online billing.
My Co-op Lite Single Elec
- Estimated monthly cost – £76.
- Total annual cost – £919.
- Fixed until May 2019.
- £30 exit fee if you leave before 12 April 2019.
- Electricity only.
- Manage the whole account online, with no paper billing.
Green Pioneer
- Estimated monthly cost – £114.
- Total annual cost – £1376.
- Fixed until May 2019.
- £30 exit fee if you leave before 12 April 2019.
- Single-fuel and dual-fuel fuel available.
- Manage the whole account online, with no paper billing.
Note the tariffs listed above were correct at the time of writing (21 November 2017), although as noted, prices will vary by postcode and are subject to change at any time.
Co-op Energy Business Energy
Co-op Energy doesn’t currently offer business energy contracts.
Co-op Energy Background
The Cooperative was originally started by a group of workers’ rights activists called the Rochdale Pioneers. In 1863, their organisation became The Co-operative Wholesale Society and is now “the world’s largest consumer co-operative”, owned by its members.
Energy is just one part of The Co-op, they’re also the UK’s largest funeral services provider, offer legal services, childcare, and healthcare and have established supermarkets.
A group of 100 members of the Co-op vote on key business issues, elect members to the council and can stand for election themselves. Their role is to make sure the Co-op fulfils its original purpose and values.
The energy part of the business was established in 2010, and like many other smaller energy companies, they’re pitched as an alternative to ‘The Big Six’. They were given the Which? Positive Change Award in 2012 for giving their customers a good deal, but because of online billing issues in 2015, they ended up becoming the most complained about utility company in the UK. They also had to pay out £1.8 million in compensation because of the inconvenience.
Co-op Energy Smart Meter
The Co-op is gradually rolling out smart meters for groups of customers, but hasn’t got a set date for when they’ll be available to everyone.
Smart meters mean you don’t have to manually submit meter readings anymore and your bill will be more accurate. You can also monitor your usage on the screen throughout the day and reduce consumption in real time.
The government have set a deadline for energy companies to provide all eligible customers with smart meters free of charge by 2020. Your electricity usage will be reported every few seconds, and your gas usage every half an hour.
Other Co-op Energy Meters
There’s a guide to reading different types of meters in Co-op Energy’s FAQs. Their tariffs are available for customers with single and double-rate digital or dial meters, Economy 7 and 10, pre-pay, and digital and dial gas meters.
Once you’ve read your meter, you can submit a reading online or over the phone. If you pay your bill quarterly, Co-op Energy recommends you send your reading before each bill.
Co-op tariffs frozen until 2020 include the installation of a free Cosy smart thermostat. You can use it to choose from three heating modes, control your energy usage remotely with your phone, and set different temperatures in different parts of your home.
Co-op Energy Bills
Bills can be complicated sometimes, so Co-op has a list of terms and jargon with definitions.
After Ofgem‘s Retail Market Review, Co-op Energy has also introduced a visual breakdown of what a bill and annual statement look like.
The Retail Market Review was launched by Ofgem to make the energy market easier to understand, so they can stay informed about how much they’re spending and on what.
Co-op Energy App
There’s no app for general account management, but Co-op launched the Co-operative Energy Smartpay app for Pay-As-You-Go customers to top up easily. It’s available on Android and iPhone, but neither version of the app has enough reviewers to have scored much of a rating on the app stores.
The most recent review on the App Store suggests the app could be down for maintenance at the moment.
Switching To Co-op Energy
Moving over to Co-op Energy from your current supplier can take 4-6 weeks, which is double the average length of the ‘The Big Six’ and many of their smaller rivals.
After you’ve provided your first-meter reading and the switch is completed, your first Direct Debit payment will be taken a few days later.
Having an outstanding bill with your existing supplier can slow the process down slightly, so it’s important to clear your balance as soon as you can.
Moving Home With Co-op Energy
If you’re moving out of a property that’s supplied by Co-op, you’ll need to contact them “on the last day of your liability for the property”. You’ll also need to provide them with a forwarding address for your final bill, and the details of whoever’s taking over the property.
When you pay by Direct Debit, Co-op can pay any credit balance back to you automatically. They can also collect any balance due automatically.
Your new home will be supplied by the existing supplier, but you can switch back to Co-op Energy if you choose. As tariffs vary from region to region, and depending on what kind of home you live in and how your boiler functions, you might find the prices go up or down if you move to a different area if you stick with them.
Co-op Energy Fuel Mix
Coal – 6.66% (8.5% UK average)
Gas – 20.43% (44.1%)
Nuclear – 5.58% (21.0%)
Renewable – 65.16% (24.2%)
Other – 2.17% (2.2%)
Co-op Energy Feed-in Tariff
Co-op Energy is a mandatory Feed-in Tariff (FIT) licensee. This means you can receive your FIT payments from them (as long as your system is MCS certified) if you are a Co-op Energy customer or your current energy supplier is not an FIT licensee.
Co-op Energy In the News
How long does your energy company keep you on hold?
16 Nov 2017, Which?
Which? made 768 calls to 33 different energy companies to find out how quick they are to answer the phone. Co-op Energy did quite well in the rankings, answering both sales and customer service calls in just over 60 seconds on average.
Energy firms warned by watchdog of ‘radical’ change ahead
19 Oct 2017, The Guardian
The government’s proposed energy price caps to keep energy affordable have got the majority of energy companies worried. They apparently “face radical reforms, including a potential rule change that would automatically switch customers to better deals”. Co-op Energy’s chief executive David Bird thinks it will have “unintended consequences”, including offshore job losses.
Are your energy bills about to soar? Many households could see a rise of up to £374 as 25 fixed-rate tariffs expire – we reveal the full list
3 Oct 2017, This is Money
Energy bills are likely to rise for hundreds of thousands of energy customers, some could see annual costs increase by up to £374. The article includes a breakdown of Co-op Energy tariffs and the price rises.
Co-op Energy Complaints
Co-op’s reviews really suffered in 2015 when their online account system caused a lot of problems for customers. They had to compensate 260,000 customers for the inconvenience. Trustpilot shows 52% of customers think their service is ‘Bad’ and 16% think they’re ‘Excellent’.
Many complaints involve being moved from a cheap tariff to a much more expensive one with no notice, meter readings ignored in favour of estimates, and quite a few are taking it to the Ombudsman.
Between July and September 2017, Co-op Energy received 1,428 complaints. They resolved 57% the next working day and 94% within 8 weeks.
Contact Phone Numbers & Email
Phone: 0800 954 0693 (Mon-Fri – 8 am-8 pm, Sat – 9 am-4 pm)
Email:
Co-op Energy Address
Co-operative Energy, Warwick Technology Park, Warwick, CV34 6DA
Website: https://energy.yourcoop.coop/
Co-op Energy Summary
They may have been founded on the principle of putting the customer first, but after a recent technical debacle, Co-op Energy doesn’t score well for how they’ve dealt with customers or stayed affordable.
Some tariffs are slightly cheaper than ‘The Big Six’, but other tariffs are no better value. If the price works out well for you, and you’re hopeful their poor customer service is just a blip, then Co-op Energy could be worth it.
Pros:
- 100% renewable electricity available.
- Fuel mix uses much more renewable than average.
- Access to a Cosy smart thermostat with some tariffs.
Cons:
- The prices aren’t much cheaper than ‘The Big Six’.
- No app is available.
- Switching takes double the usual amount of time.