Tired of paying “rip-off” rates for your gas and electricity? Pure Planet, a new digital eco-energy company from the team behind Virgin Mobile, plans to cut your bills by 20%. Here’s how.
In the UK, British Gas, EDF, E.ON, Npower, Scottish Power and SSE supply around 90% of gas and electricity. Now, a new challenger threatens to revolutionise the market by offering just one tariff and “no rip-off rates normally associated with standard variable tariffs of the Big 6”.
Enter Pure Planet, the first digital-only energy supplier. The brainchild of the team behind Virgin Mobile, the service runs on a mobile app on Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS. An AI robot controls customer service.
As a result, customers will no longer need to spend hours on the phone to a call centre. In addition, members can tap into the Pure Planet online community for help and advice.
Power to the people
So far, so disruptive, but can the firm save the UK’s long-suffering consumers money on their bills?
Well, Pure Planet is the first supplier in Britain to offer energy without a mark-up. In other words, customers pay no more than Pure Planet pays for the energy on the wholesale market. It then makes its money through a monthly £10 fee per fuel, which includes the typical daily charge found at rivals.
Consequently, Pure Planet reckons it can power and heat a typical three-bedroom home for 20% less than the Big 6 on average. Plus, the electricity it supplies is 100% renewable and natural gas is 100% carbon-offset.
First mobile phones, now energy
The team of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Mobile in the UK were who founded Pure Planet. Credited with ‘democratising’ the mobile sector, Virgin Mobile was built around cheaper tariffs, simple service and a customer-friendly business model.
The co-founder and CEO, Andrew Ralston, says: “Pure Planet is designed to give Britain’s 28 million consumers fresh, clean 100% renewable energy for a lower price than power that pollutes”.
“We’re using modern digital technology – and our telecommunications experience – to bring better prices and better service to the UK energy market.
“From now on, there is no excuse not to choose renewable energy. It’s now cheaper, and much better value than the alternative. And it doesn’t pollute the environment, it’s better for us all and better for the planet.
“By joining Pure Planet, you can cut your household’s carbon footprint in half and save money.”
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