Younity’s Relaunch: Driving Innovation in Community-Powered Renewable Energy
As a society, we're pushing for greener and more socially responsible offerings.
Lizzie Hieron, COO for Utilities
Midcounties Co-op has relaunched its community energy joint venture with Octopus, rebranding it as Younity this month, marking a significant move to expand its sustainable energy; business.
The collaboration between Midcounties Co-op and Octopus is now the UK’s largest buyer of community-generated energy, and in the 18 months since its launch, it has pioneered new approaches to working with community-driven energy organisations.
Lizzie Hieron, Chief Operating Officer of Midcounties’ utilities businesses, told Co-op News: “Our members have expressed a clear desire for us to help them transition to eco-friendly lifestyles. One way we’re responding to this is by offering a community-powered tariff, exclusively supplied by renewable energy from local generation.”
“Since the launch of the joint venture, we’ve successfully implemented over 100 power purchase agreements, securing enough community-generated energy to power approximately 45,000 homes. This has allowed us to meet the growing demand for our sustainable energy tariffs.”
Through the partnership, Midcounties has built on its strong connections with community energy cooperatives, while leveraging Octopus’ innovative technology to deliver co-operative energy solutions that meet the needs of its members.
During her presentation at Co-operative UK’s Retail Conference, Ms Hieron highlighted one of the joint venture’s success stories: “We’ve introduced a unique method for members to access trading dividends through a credit applied directly to their energy bills.”
“We’re also proud to have entered into a power purchase agreement with Westmill Wind Farm Co-operative and Westmill Solar Co-operative, enabling their members to join our Community Power tariff and use the energy they generate. Members benefit by having their trading dividend credited to their bills.”
The rebrand to Younity reflects the next phase in the evolution of the partnership. The four main objectives for Younity include:
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Innovating by introducing groundbreaking renewable energy products
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Bringing community energy groups together for greater collaboration
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Supporting community energy growth and development
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Inspiring more partners to join the renewable energy movement
Mrs Hieron is also overseeing the Phone Co-op, which was acquired by Midcounties in 2018. She is eager to expand its range of
“We are introducing broadband community tariffs that not only provide green digital services but also support local communities by donating data to underserved areas. For example, we’re providing free WiFi to local community centres and charities.”
The success of the Community Power tariff, the joint venture with Octopus, and the ongoing support for Fairphone were key factors in Midcounties’ recent achievement at the edie Sustainability Leaders Awards.
“These awards and the positive feedback we’ve received from members reinforce that our focus on sustainable living is exactly where we should be,” said Mrs Hieron. “We will continue working closely with our members to ensure that we are meeting their needs while supporting a greener future for all.