CEO Chris Gauld, said a partnership with Spark would help to lower costs and increase income when there is more pressure than ever on revenues in the sector.

He said: “Industry insiders tell us this is an unprecedented time for social housing providers. With the new rent formula, cuts in the Affordable Housing Grant and the right-to-buy looming on the horizon, the sector is now focusing on how to deliver real cost efficiencies.

“We have spent the last year listening to housing providers and finding out what they wanted from energy companies. As a result we developed the market leading tariff tailored for social housing customers and a service that focuses on delivering cost savings and revenue maximisation for landlords.

“While it isn’t going to tackle every challenge, we feel a partnership with Spark Energy can help to mitigate costs, especially in void units.

“In simple terms if providers let us know when their tenants are moving out, we’ll sort out all the void issues for them. Our team will then immediately send pre-payment energy cards preloaded with £5 per fuel, or install a Smart Meter in as little as five days.

“For customers with pre-payment meters this means they get the lowest tariff in the market that has no standing charge – ideal for budgeting

purposes. At the same time, landlords have the energy they need for void repairs because there’s no hassle sorting out pre-payment cards.

The further benefits of a partnership with Spark are to prevent issues such as:

• The housing provider being pursued for debt from previous tenants.

• Staff spending hours on the phone to energy companies to manage energy supply and bills.

• No energy being immediately available when new tenants move in.

• A specially designed tariff with no tie-ins or exit penalties, a unit rate comparable with direct debit tariffs and paper statements

Additionally ,Spark Energy is fully behind the national roll-out of Smart Meters, which make estimated bills a thing of the past – you only pay for what you use - give an overview of energy consumption and provide useful indicators that tenants could be experiencing financial difficulty.

As well as installing smart meters itself, Spark is also offering social housing providers the option of having their own R&M teams trained and accredited as Smart Meter installers within 14 weeks – further maximising flexibility and generating an income when smart meters are installed and for years after.

Spark Energy has provided gas and electricity to over 350,000 customers while working in tandem with many of the UK’s top letting agents.

For more information visit www.sparkenergy.co.uk/housing.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

SPARK ENERGY OFFERING SOCIAL HOUSING PROVIDERS UNIQUE COST-SAVING ENERGY PARTNERSHIP

Spark Energy, the niche energy supplier to the property management market, is working with social housing providers across the country in a unique energy partnership which improves service, lowers household energy bills, cuts operational costs and reduces void times.

The company has created the UK’s only tariff specifically designed for the social-housing sector, which cuts bills for tenants and saves money for providers.

“a partnership with Spark would help to lower costs and increase income”

Spark Energy CEO, Chris Gauld

spark.indd 1 25/09/2015 12:19