Not every business we help is a business in the usual sense. Some of the work we are proudest of is for community groups, the volunteer-run organisations that hold a place together. This one is about Scout groups across Plymouth and South Devon, and the difference a contract review made.
The problem they faced
The story was familiar. Several Scout groups were sitting on outdated energy contracts with bills that kept climbing. The people running them are volunteers. They are juggling sessions, equipment, safeguarding and fundraising, all in their own time. Reviewing energy suppliers is nobody’s idea of a good evening, and so it never happened. Meanwhile the bills quietly ate into money that should have been going to the young people.
What we did
We kept it simple, which matters when you are dealing with volunteers who have no spare hours. We reviewed each group’s existing contract, compared rates across the market, and handled the switch from start to finish. No jargon, no homework for them, no disruption. They handed us a bill, we did the rest.
The results
The savings spoke for themselves:
- 1st Crownhill Scouts saved 55% on gas, worth £2,042, and 58% on electricity, worth £1,085
- 1st Keyham Scouts cut their gas costs by 72%, a saving of £1,431
- 9th/21st Plymouth Scouts saved up to 77% on gas, worth £2,122, and 68% on electricity, worth £1,489
Those are not rounding errors. For a volunteer group, money like that is transformational.
What it meant on the ground
The point was never the percentages. It was what the saving freed up. That money goes straight back into what actually matters: equipment, trips, activities, and less pressure on the endless fundraising that volunteers shoulder. Every pound we took off the energy bill is a pound that now supports young people instead of an overpriced contract.
How we work with community groups
We keep the whole thing simple and jargon-free, and we carry the admin so the people running the group do not have to. That is true whether you are a Scout group, a sports club, a village hall or a charity. The same review, the same care, no cost to you. We’re paid by the supplier when you switch, never by you.
What to do this week
If you help run a community group in Plymouth, Devon or Cornwall and you have not reviewed your energy in a while, the odds are good there is money sitting on the table. Send us a recent energy bill at /upload-bill/ and we will check it for free and tell you exactly what you could save.