Our Power

Our Power

Company type	Limited company
Industry	Utilities
Founded	2016
Defunct	January 25, 2019 (2019-01-25)
Headquarters	Edinburgh, Scotland
Area served	United Kingdom
Key people	Dawn Muspratt (Co-Founder and CEO)
Products	Gas Electricity renewable energy supply
Website	our-power.co.uk

Our Power was an energy supplier based in Scotland, supported by the Scottish government, and distinguished as one of the UK's earliest non-profit energy providers. The organisation was fully asset-locked and owned collectively by social housing associations, community groups, and local government bodies.

The enterprise never reached a profitable status and discontinued operations on 25 January 2019. Following its closure, the energy regulator Ofgem appointed Utilita Energy to assume responsibility for its customer base of 31,000.

History

Established in 2016 with an initial membership of 53 housing associations and local authorities, Our Power broadened its investment portfolio in late 2017 by raising £4.4 million from 301 investors through a social purpose bond issuance. By the time it ceased trading, total funding amounted to £16.6 million, which included £9.8 million provided by the Scottish government via its Community Benefit Society Limited.

The company initially depended on member organisations transferring the energy supply for vacant properties to Our Power, anticipating that new tenants would continue with their services. It commenced serving the broader Scottish market in October 2017 and later expanded into England and Wales in early 2018. By early 2019, about 80% of its customers were located within Scotland.

Financially, the company recorded trading losses of £1.9 million in 2016 and nearly £5 million in 2017. In 2018, the board projected that an additional £7 million in funding would be required.

Staff and membership

Headquartered in Edinburgh, Our Power employed 68 staff members at the time it entered administration. By 2018, it had formed partnerships with 67 social housing providers, community organisations, and local authorities.

Growth and product diversification

Towards the end of 2017, Our Power collaborated with the charity Money Advice Scotland to introduce a variable tariff designed for customers using restricted meters—those unable to switch suppliers or access single-rate tariffs. Targeting profitability by its fourth year in operation (2020), the company also extended membership to include a housing association based in Wales.

+IMPACT tariff

In February 2018, Our Power launched its inaugural UK-wide tariff called +IMPACT, marketed as "100% green." This competitively priced offering aimed to attract thousands of ethically conscious consumers before year-end and sought to alleviate energy expenses for households experiencing or vulnerable to fuel poverty.

Investment in renewables

In 2018, Our Power teamed up with Mongoose Energy to establish 'Our Community Energy,' a renewable energy investment initiative that connected renewable generation assets with not-for-profit ownership models. This initiative responded to research indicating that 36% of Scots faced fuel poverty—particularly among millennials—and procured electricity from two community-owned wind farms located in Pogbie, East Lothian, and Brockholes, Berwickshire. The project aimed to raise £2.9 million through bond and equity offerings to supply more affordable electricity to those most affected.

Failure

On 31 January 2019, Power Energy Supply Limited was placed into administration, carrying a net liability of £29.9 million. This sum included £4.9 million owed to its parent community benefit society and £3.3 million payable to Utilita. The community benefit society itself also entered administration.