ROSE HILL SOLAR SAVER TRIAL

The trial is open to all residents of the Rose Hill new build flats at Carole’s Way, Ashurst Way, Desborough Crescent, and the Oval.  As it is a trial, at the moment it is not open to others. We will let local people know if this changes.

By taking part in the trial, you will: 

• Get £50 credit on your energy bill from Co-op Energy
• Get six months’ free broadband internet, supplied by Phone Co-op 
• After six months you could also save money on your energy bills by using electricity at certain times – the ‘Solar Saver Offer’
• Support a community energy project learning how to tackle climate change locally. 

1. Complete the trial sign-up form, on paper from here or online 
2. Sign up to the Co-op Energy as your electricity provider (due to current energy price uncertainty, Co-op will make sure you are on the best tariff possible)
3. Give Low Carbon Hub permission to share your information with Co-op Energy so they can contact you to sign you up to their special trial energy offer (on the sign up form)
4. Give Co-op Energy permission to share your energy use data with Low Carbon Hub and other Project LEO partners (on the sign up form). 

There are three ways to sign up: 

1. Online: fill in the online form here  
2. Paper form: you should have received a paper application form in your Information Pack posted through your letterbox. If not, you can either download and fill in this paper form or request one be sent to you by emailing info@lowcarbonhub.org.
   
   Please return the form to: Low Carbon Hub, Holywell House, Osney Mead, Oxford OX2 0ES. You should have a stamped address envelope in your Information Pack. You can also drop it off at Rose Hill Community Centre.

You need to sign up to the trial as soon as possible after you move in. The current deadline is 7 January 2022. If you move in after this date, please contact us at  info@lowcarbonhub.org to find out if it’s still possible to take part. You can also see our contact details here. 

It is free to take part in the trial.

The trial is taking place in two stages:  

1. October/November 2021 – April/May 2022. During this time, we will be learning about the usual pattern of energy use in the flats, and you don’t have to do anything. You will be receiving the best Co-op tariff.
2. April/May 2022 – April 2023 – During this time, you will receive the Solar Saver ‘time of use offer’ from Co-op Energy – meaning you will pay less for electricity you use at certain times. Low Carbon Hub will let you know the best time to use electricity to make the most savings.   

A time of use offer means the cost of energy depends on when exactly someone uses that power. During the second part of the trial, you will be offered electricity at a cheaper rate at certain times. We expect this to be at times when the solar panels on the roof of your building is generating energy. 

At all other times, electricity will be charged at the normal rate for your Co-op tariff.  

We will tell you:

• when the time of use offer starts in April/May 2022
• when exactly it will be cheaper for you to use electricity
• what happens once the trial and Solar Saver offer finish at the end of March 2023. 

The trial is testing an innovative way for those who live in flats with communal solar panels to benefit from this source of energy. The trial may enable future residents in similar buildings to benefit from cheaper, low carbon electricity supplied from shared solar panels. 

The results will help us design a fair and inclusive energy system, one that benefits all. 

The trial is entirely voluntary, and participants are free to leave the trial at any time.   

To leave the trial, people can contact the Low Carbon Hub at:  

• Info@lowcarbonhub.org   
• 01865 246099 

Please note if you leave the trial before you have used the full £50 free credit, any of the £50 remaining will be lost. You will not have to pay back any of the £50 credit you have already used.  

To be part of the trial, you must sign up to receive your electricity from Co-op Energy.

If you’d like help signing up to the tariff, then please let us know at info@lowcarbonhub.org. 

You can find out more about the Co-op Energy here: https://www.cooperativeenergy.coop/   

For taking part in the trial, you will get six months’ free broadband internet, supplied by Phone Co-op. 

Find out more about the Phone Co-op here: https://www.thephone.coop/ 

If you have any issues with your energy supply or internet, you should contact the suppliers directly. 

When you first move into the flat, you’re default energy supplier is Co-op Energy. You may have seen a letter/document stating that it is SSE, but this is out of date. 

You may also have seen information that it is Octopus Energy, but Octopus provide the back-office support for Co-op. So, it is Co-op Energy who are your energy suppliers. We apologise for any confusion this may cause. 

To take part in this trial, your energy supplier needs to be Co-op Energy.  Even though they are your default supplier, you still need to let them know you have moved in and that you are registering for the trial.  They can then ensure you are on the best available Co-op tariff.

You can do that here: 

Phone 01608 434090 or email yourcoopresidentialsales@midcounties.coop

If you need any help registering, please contact the Low Carbon Hub at info@lowcarbonhub.org or call 01865 246099 and we can pass your details onto the team at Co-op. 

In order to take part, Co-op Energy has to supply your electricity. However, you are free to change your energy supplier at any time. But this will mean you will no longer be part of the trial. And you will lose any of the £50 free credit on your energy bills with them that you may have remaining at the time you leave. 

You would need to go through the normal channels to switch suppliers.  

Yes. Co-op Energy offer a pre-pay meter option tenants can choose and continue to participate in the trial. 

At the end of the six months’ free broadband period, Co-op Energy will contact you to let you know that the free service is coming to an end. They will offer you the opportunity to switch to a broadband service that you will have to pay for.  If you do not switch to their paid service, or switch to another provider, you will no longer have access to broadband internet. 

The trial is due to end in April 2023. At this time, you will automatically be switched back over to the best Co-op tariff available.

We will send everyone who took part a survey asking for feedback on being part of the trial. 

This trial is managed by Low Carbon Hub and Oxford City Council. It’s part of the Rose Hill Smart and Fair Neighbourhood trial; one of five trials taking place with communities across Oxfordshire as part of Project LEO. It is supported by Oxford City Housing Limited and local community group Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon. Further detail about these trials and Project LEO can be found at here.

If you have any issues with your electricity supply, you should contact Co-op Energy directly as your energy supplier. Their details can be found on their website and below: coop@octopus.energy
0808 164 1088 

If you have queries or issues on your internet provision, then you should contact Phone Co-op directly as your internet supplier.

Contact details are on their website and below:
yourcoopinternetsupport@midcounties.coop 
01608 434 000 

For further information about taking part in the trial please contact the Low Carbon Hub:

• Email:  info@lowcarbonhub.org 
• Call:  01865 246099. 

This trial is part of the Rose Hill Smart and Fair Neighbourhood trial being delivered as part of Project LEO. LEO is publicly funded and involves partners like Low Carbon Hub and Oxford City Council. 

Project LEO  (Local Energy Oxfordshire)  is one of the UK’s most ambitious, wide-ranging and innovative  energy  trials, seeking to accelerate the UK’s transition to a zero-carbon energy system.   This will help tackle the climate emergency.

Project LEO is running trials  in  Oxfordshire to understand how new technologies and services, particularly where people use electricity in their homes and businesses, can benefit local people, communities and the energy system.  Find out more.