A businessman behind a failed energy firm he set up from his three-bedroom home has started up another supplier at the same address, a Money investigation can reveal. Tim Cantle-Jones was founder and director of Future Energy, which went bust last year with debts of more than £1.7m — leaving customers of other suppliers to pick up part of the bill. Future Energy, which had about 16,000 customers, was initially registered to his detached new-build house in Newcastle upon Tyne. Now Money has learnt that Cantle-Jones, 58, has started providing power via another firm, Northumbria Energy — also registered to his home address.
Times 3rd Feb 2019 read more »
The Scottish energy market is becoming a tale of the survival of the fittest in light of the collapse of new suppliers established to challenge the UK’s big six power companies. Just last month, Edinburgh firm Our Power — backed by the Scottish government and housing associations, and supported by actor and social campaigner Michael Sheen — ceased trading. On Wednesday, Ofgem appointed another firm, Utilita Energy, to supply Our Power’s domestic customers, under a safety net the industry regulator has in place to ensure people have a power supply and their credit balances are protected. But there are big question marks over the effectiveness of the energy market. A total of 10 smaller UK suppliers have stopped trading since the start of 2018, including Selkirk-based Spark Energy Supply, which fell by the wayside in November. Advice from a Scottish supplier that entered the energy market just over two years ago is for challenger brands to move away from aiming to attract customers with cheap deals, or trying to directly end fuel poverty, by looking at other ways to differentiate themselves and give back to society. Paul Richards, founder and chief executive of Clydebank company Together Energy, focuses on employing people who are struggling to find work — some 90% of its staff are from the 10 most deprived Scottish postcodes and 70 of its 120 employees have been recruited through a charity for 16- to 23-year-olds not in education, employment or training.
Times 3rd Feb 2019 read more »