Author: The Rebels

The UK home energy market is set to *double* over the next 15 years. We’ve worked this out based on an explosive combination of new factors (an increase in electric vehicles, more people working from home) with old factors (a growing population, an increase in housing stock).  

We’re pretty sure this will be the biggest-ever period of growth in the market. And companies offering clean energy, affordable prices and superb customer service will see by far the biggest piece of that growth, as customers new and existing will move away from out-of-date suppliers.  

Commentators call it ‘the energy transition’, and Rebel Energy was founded to make it accessible to everybody, no matter what your income is.  

The pandemic has accelerated all of these factors – and added a new one.  

There is a sudden awareness that we can tackle the big issues facing us, and that these issues are interlinked anyway. We saw an incredible wave of altruism and a determination to buy local and to help the people around us.  

And people mean it. A number of studies have shown that, since the pandemic, people are making more ethical, sustainable and environmentally friendly choices. 

This is what change looks like.  

That’s what makes Rebel the energy supplier for this unique moment. As well as supplying clean, affordable energy, we keep things local. We generate our energy in the UK, and we invest in carbon-removal projects throughout the country. And the issue that is dearest to our hearts – ending fuel poverty in the UK. 

There has never been a greater urgency for businesses that tackle social issues. For people who were struggling financially before COVID, the added pressures of the past year have been devastating. The status quo—the poverty premium, rising prices, stagnant wages and disinterested business—is just not going to cut it anymore. 

When you support Rebel, you help us support the people who need it. 

We always knew now would be a good time to go to market. But we never imagined just how remarkably timely a company like ours would turn out to be. 

The team that we’ve put together at Rebel has a list of collective achievements that would make anybody sit up and take notice.  

Industry veterans, rising stars and eye-catching innovators – all working together to transform the energy market. To get one of these people is great. Two, really impressive. But all five? Ridiculous.  

Here’s a quick look at our recent hires.  

Mark Neveu, Head of Sales & Partnerships 

The indefatigable Mark is something of a legend in the energy world. In a 15-year career, he has directly negotiated partnerships with the likes of Google, Tesla, Oxfam and Waitrose. His results speak for themselves: a nine-fold expansion of Tonik Energy’s customer base and 50% year-on-year growth at Ecotricity. 

At Rebel, Mark is forming partnerships that will help shape the future of energy.   

Bwalya Kasase, Head of Operations 

Bwalya is one of the most highly-regarded people in operations in the energy industry, with over 14 years of brilliant work behind him.  

As our Head of Operations, Bwalya has already mapped out and automated most of our back-end processes. This is more disruptive than it sounds — many companies don’t do this for years, let alone before going to market. This makes us highly competitive from the off.  

Rich Faulkner, Head of Pricing & Risk 

Frankly, we don’t think there’s anybody sharper than Rich Faulkner when it comes to pricing and risk in the energy market. Before joining Rebel, he set the purchase strategy for a £1bn/yr commodity portfolio (during a time of sweeping regulatory and market change, no less) and pushed for investment in renewable energy. 

Rich brings nearly 15 years of experience to Rebel (plus an MPhys in Physics from Oxford). He is steering our work on pricing, and has already developed some ingenious strategies that allow us to help those in need.  

Seb Fox, Head of Commercial Projects 

Seb has had a bright start to his career in energy. He joins Rebel after being one of the key people at the hugely successful Future of Utilities Summit in 2020. A remarkable achievement for someone so new to the game. 

We’re delighted to have Seb running our commercial projects. In the past weeks, he has put together a masterful crowdfunding campaign for Rebel (which is currently live & can be viewed here).  

Ellie Rowlands, Marketing Communications Lead  

Ellie has already made a name for herself in the sustainability world, less than two years after graduating from the University of Exeter with a 1st. Her launching of a global behaviour change project with the Himalayan Institute of Alternatives and her stellar communications work at the ground-breaking Devon Climate Emergency caught our eye, and we’re delighted to have scooped her up before anybody else did.  

At Rebel, Ellie is leading a multi-channel communications strategy and developing partnerships with top agencies. 

We can’t imagine a better team to start transforming the energy market. 

Pancake Tuesday is a favourite day at Rebel HQ for all the obvious reasons (which are: eating pancakes, and then eating even more pancakes).  

This year, we probably won’t be giving up anything for Lent. Because, well, we’ve all given up quite a lot already and a slice of cake here and there might be just what we need to carry us through.  

But we will be thinking about the sacrifices people are making this Lent – not seeing friends, not seeing family, not going on holiday, not going out for a bite to eat, etc. And how all of those sacrifices are for the good of each other.  

Because, lets face it: usually our big sacrifices have a personal focus. Slimming down, saving money, doing dry January. All good things, of course, but the benefits probably aren’t rippling out too far. 

What we’ve learned in the last year is that we can make sacrifices for the greater good — sacrifices for the people around us, sacrifices for people we don’t even know. And those are the sacrifices that really matter. 

At Rebel, our belief is that, with will and imagination, we can solve the problems that have so far appeared unsolvable. And despite it all, this last year has shown us that a better world is possible. That things can change for the better.  

And a fairer, healthier, cleaner future isn’t a bad thing to think about over your morning pancakes.