1. Cyd Cymru Year 1 – a local authority perspective Tara King, Assistant Director, City of Cardiff Council

2. Introduction 3 year project – cooperative Councils approach Funded by £180K Welsh Government Regional Collaboration Fund grant Key partners: – City of Cardiff Council – Vale of Glamorgan Council – Energy Saving Trust Governance: – Steering Group established – partners plus stakeholders from across Wales – Cardiff Partnership Board – quarterly progress reports – Welsh Government – quarterly progress reports and grant claim Year 1 successfully completed and evaluation undertaken to take learning forward

3. Project aims and objectives To deliver a collective switching package across Wales with targeted focus on Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan To reduce energy bills for people in Wales through collective buying of energy To reduce the number of people suffering from fuel poverty in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan -those in fuel and financial poverty targeted To communicate the benefit of collective energy buying To increase the volume of the switch year on year

4. Project targets 3 year project targets: – 15,000 people signing up to auction – 7,000 people signed up participating in final scheme – £800,000 saved across Wales – £120 average saving per household – 10% of participants implementing energy saving measures – 5% of participants implementing energy generation measures – 15% of households receiving savings that will take them out of fuel poverty – 15% of households in vulnerable areas receiving savings that would take them out of fuel poverty

5. Policy drivers Welsh Government: – Tackling poverty commitment- reducing poverty, especially persistent poverty – One Wales: One Planet – putting sustainable development at the heart of government – Well-being of Future Generations Bill – making sustainable development the central organising principle of public bodies City of Cardiff Council: – Cardiff: What Matters –’ fair, just & inclusive society’ and ‘clean, attractive & sustainable environment’ – Embedded in Corporate Plan – One Planet Cardiff aspiration – ‘energy’, ‘place’ and ‘people’ elements – Affordable Warmth Strategy – people in Cardiff are able to affordably heat their homes

6. Benefits Organisational benefits: – Fit with corporate policy – Raises awareness of fuel poverty agenda – Increases financial inclusion – Profits from switches distributed into local communities – Galvanise communities to become more sustainable Benefits for households: – Savings on household bills – Builds knowledge and confidence in searching for the best deals – Opens door to further energy efficiency and energy generation measures

7. Year 1 activities 2 switches undertaken – January and March 2014 Communication and engagement plan developed – Face to face engagement – Posters and flyers – Dedicated website - www.cydcymru-energy.comwww.cydcymru-energy.com – Social media – Press releases – Council publications – Internal staff communications – Getting partners on board to promote to their stakeholders Key audiences: – Residents of Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan – Targeting of groups who would benefit most from participation – Employees of both Councils

8. Year 1 outcomes Over 6,800 people registered interest in the scheme Over 1,500 switching to a new tariff deal £185 average saving per household Over £284,000 total savings for Wales £19,000 community fund generated for Wales

9. Year 2 plans One switch – seeking to upscale size of switch Timings – Registration opens early January 2015 – Switching window 2 nd -16 th March – Bonus switching week 16 th – 23 rd March Timed to coincide with colder weather Will also coincide with switch 1 households coming to end of deal Want to get as many local authorities and partners within these to actively participate to increase volume of switchers Aim to get a large enough volume switch to generate a good unique tariff from energy companies