Blueprint from England could point way to success of scheme

A COUNCIL in England has created a not-for-profit energy company, and it has just made a £202,000 surplus.

Nottinghamshire City Council launched Robin Hood Energy three years ago.

It now has 115,000 customers and is worth £30m, £10m more than its set-up costs.

The company said the council received interest on its investment that more than covered its borrowing costs.

A Robin Hood Energy spokeswoman said its tariffs tended to be lower than those of the “big six” but that it depended on factors including customers’ energy use and the tariffs on offer on any given day.

One Robin Hood Energy tariff in March this year was said to be £201 cheaper compared to the “big six”.

The company has pledged to protect pre-payment tariffs and fund a one-off rebate to some vulnerable customers.

■ HOSPITAL admissions were substantially lower among elderly people in Carmarthenshire whose council houses had been upgraded compared to those which hadn’t, researchers have found.

They looked at hospital admission records for 9,000 tenants aged over 60 between 2007-16. For tenants whose homes had a new kitchen and bathroom, insulation, windows, doors, heating systems and garden paths, there was a drop of up to 39% in emergency admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses.

The researchers said there were similar results for all ages, and that prescribed asthma medications and GP visits also fell. Cold houses are thought to cause 33% of respiratory and 40% of cardiovascular diseases.