Celebrating 4 years of E.ON Next.

Today marks the 4th anniversary of E.ON Next since our launch in 2020. In that time we’ve experienced four incredible years of growth and achievement thanks to the dedication and hard work of our fabulous Nexties.?

E.ON Next was launched by our parent company, E.ON, as their new face of energy to support the UK renewable energy transition. Our goal was, and continues to be, to have a positive impact in the industry by helping customers take climate action, providing great customer service, and offering access to tariffs with 100% renewable electricity . To celebrate our progress so far, we’re taking a look back at some of the highlights we have achieved together since E.ON Next began.

The story so far.

“We are proud to be moving energy forward with the creation of E.ON Next for our customers. For too long now the climate conversation has been about the things we need to stop doing, the overwhelming scale of the crisis. It can feel like any action taken on an individual level is just not enough. But we are hoping to change that by taking action on behalf of our customers – shifting our energy mix and offering new sustainable products – and helping them to play their part in meeting the UK’s net zero targets.” - Michael Lewis, former CEO of E.ON UK, on the launch of E.ON Next.

From the very beginning, our mission at E.ON Next has been to empower our customers to take climate action and help them get more out of their energy. That same mission is still just as necessary and just as present within our work and culture today.

E.ON Next was initially founded after the acquisition of npower by E.ON. Between 2020 to 2021, we migrated 2 million npower customers to E.ON Next, where we provided electricity backed by 100% renewable sources to all customers. Over the following year, we also finished switching all our customers onto Kraken - a new platform that has helped us provide a better customer experience and expand our range of tariffs.

During these first few years, the energy market became increasingly turbulent. Despite still being in our infancy as a brand, we ran many successful campaigns to help our customers navigate this difficult market. From smart meter incentives and energy saving events, to charity partnerships and ground-breaking new tariffs. We listened to the problems our customers were facing and we took action. That’s why we couldn’t be prouder to receive the Special Commendation for ‘Consistency through the crisis’ at the 2023 Uswitch Energy Awards1.

And last year’s achievements don’t end there. In October 2023 we launched our Winter Affordability Support Scheme to help vulnerable customers access discounted energy and even cancel their energy debt. Over the course of the year we announced two new charity partnerships to support our customer’s mental, physical, and financial wellbeing. Plus, we launched Next Pledge , our pioneering tariff with prices guaranteed to stay below the price cap - meaning unlike other fixed-term tariffs customers would also benefit if the price cap drops.?

But that’s just a taste. Check out the E.ON Next highlights from the last 4 years.

4 years at E.ON Next - making an impact.

Our Pledge.

We’ve brought innovation to our tariffs too, with the launch of Next Pledge and Next Drive. Next Pledge is a tariff that beats the price cap, and Next Drive is our EV tariff.?

With Next Pledge , customers can get energy prices guaranteed to stay ￡50 below the Ofgem price cap (T&Cs apply)*. Our Next Pledge tariff was called a 'no brainer', compared to other tariffs, by Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis in February 2024. Next Pledge guarantees savings△ vs the price cap and unlike other fixed-term tariffs allows customers to automatically benefit if energy prices drop.?

With Next Drive, our EV tariff, we help our customers to take advantage of lower electricity prices when charging their electric vehicles overnight**.?

Helping customers find their energy solution.

Beyond offering fixed tariffs with 100% renewable electricity , we’re also helping homeowners to measure and manage their energy usage by installing smart meters in homes up and down the UK. Over 5 million smart meters are now benefiting our customers. Plus, E.ON have installed 1.5 million energy-saving measures in 450,000 households in the last 15 years across the UK.

We’re also well on our way to becoming a one-stop-shop for energy saving tech by offering a range of innovative home energy solutions to our customers. From solar panels to electric vehicle home chargers , energy efficient boilers and heat pumps - our energy solutions, installed by E.ON UK, could help customers to cut their energy use and carbon footprint.?

Shifting energy habits with the Demand Flexibility Service.

We’ve committed to help make using less energy feel rewarding. So since November 2022 we’ve been helping our customers to save energy and money by taking part in the National Grid’s Demand Flexibility Service.?

The Demand Flexibility Service (DFS) is a project run by the National Grid Electricity Supply Operators (ESO). It rewards energy users for reducing their energy consumption during periods of high demand, which we call ‘events’.?

The National Grid ESO identifies peak times of day for electricity use, which happen because many of us share similar daily routines. By identifying periods of high demand for electricity consumption, the National Grid ESO can see when polluting coal back-up generators need to be used. During these periods of high demand, they ask us to use less electricity, then pay for the electricity we don’t use. The aim is to spread the demand for electricity to avoid relying on coal generators and keep Britain’s energy cleaner.?

By participating in DFS and sharing tips on how to cut energy usage, we helped E.ON Next customers to save a whopping 246,204.47 kWh of energy during 12 events. That’s enough energy to watch a 50W TV for 562 years. Or drive around the world 41 times in an electric vehicle!2 Here’s a quick rundown of the facts and figures of our DFS campaign:

• 144,878 E.ON Next customers took part in our events
• 88,408 customers took part in our biggest energy saving event
• ￡75 - the highest bill credit reward earned by a customer in a single event
• ￡263.68 - what our top saver earned in bill credit over all 12 events

Special mention also goes to our top three energy saving communities - Sheffield, Nottingham and Newcastle!

By keeping in touch with participants throughout the process and promoting energy saving tips, we’re helping our customers to build better energy habits, and get rewarded for using less.

Charity partnerships.

In our first four years we’re proud to have teamed up with three fantastic partners - Mind , Kidney Care UK and Teach the Future . Here’s a taste of what we’ve achieved.?

Mind.

At the start of 2022, and together with our parent company, E.ON, we partnered with mental health charity Mind. We’re helping to raise funds for Mind’s vital services including the Infoline, 'Side by Side' online peer support community, and mental health advocacy.

Along with internal initiatives and commitments to employee mental health, we’ve worked with Mind to bring benefits to our customers too. Our Vulnerability and Affordability team also recognise the impact of financial difficulties on mental wellbeing and can point customers towards Mind’s support if they are struggling.?

Kidney Care UK.

We teamed up with Kidney Care UK in November 2023 Kidney Care UK is the UK's leading kidney patient support charity, dedicated to improving the quality of life of people affected by kidney disease. Established almost 50 years ago, they offer advice, support and financial assistance to thousands of patients and their families every year. Kidney Care UK is also the leading provider of grants to kidney care patients struggling financially when their illness prevents them from working. Last year the charity supported over 15,000 people, with grants totalling over ￡1 million.??

Working hand-in-hand, E.ON Next and Kidney Care UK have been signposting the extra support available to people living with Chronic Kidney Disease – including those who receive life-saving dialysis at home. We’ve run targeted drop-in sessions for patients at Warm Hubs to highlight both the help they can access to pay their energy bills, and other types of support provided by Kidney Care UK. Warm Hubs are local council or community led spaces where local residents with hard to heat homes, or energy bill worries can enjoy a warm, safe, comfortable space. We’ve also worked directly with Kidney Care UK to increase uptake of our Priority Services Register which gives patients access to extra support from our specially trained Vulnerability Teams. If you need to speak to a Vulnerability Specialist, contact our Energy Specialists team.?

Teach the Future.

In October 2023 we announced our partnership with Teach the Future . Teach the Future’s goal is to revamp climate education in the UK and equip young people with climate action skills at all levels. They’re campaigning for more green vocational courses in colleges to train the practical skill sets needed to transform industries on the road to net-zero. With their ‘Teach the Teacher’ project they’re helping teachers in 200 secondary schools a year to improve climate education in their own classrooms. They’re also lobbying the government to pass the Climate Emergency Education Bill, written by young people for young people.?

At E.ON Next we share Teach the Future’s goal of building a sustainable future through education and are supporting their work to prepare the next generation for climate action. We’ve already kicked things off by raising awareness about eco-anxiety - a growing issue among young people. Helping to address eco-anxiety.

It’s all too easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge that climate change presents. Rising sea levels, extreme weather, food and water insecurity, endangered species3. The issues are daunting and can make us feel powerless to make changes, bringing about eco-anxiety. Eco-anxiety is how we describe feelings of concern, fear, anger, and hopelessness about the future of our planet. They’re a totally natural response to the very real issue of climate change.

At E.ON Next we are on a journey towards becoming a renewable energy company. As part of this mission we’re raising awareness about eco-anxiety in the UK. We’ve collated research and helpful resources for people experiencing eco-anxiety. We’ve also collaborated with eco-psychologists, climate campaigners and a charity (Mind) to lead the conversation and turn eco-anxiety into positive climate action. In 2023, our Power Up For Change campaign saw us work with climate concerned podcast creators, and even produce our own guided meditation and breath work tutorials, to give listeners resources to understand and manage their eco-anxiety. According to our post-campaign brand lift study by Acast and Differentology, 91% of listeners said they felt more informed about eco-anxiety, and 90% said that they were more likely to take climate action after listening.?

These are just the first steps in our campaign to prevent eco-anxiety by educating and empowering the younger generation. Watch this space!

A huge thank you to our Nexties.

I know the enormous amount of care and work that went into delivering these, and many more great accomplishments this past year. We are fortunate to have such a fantastic team of Nexties who are passionate about delivering great products and support to our customers. Without the great work each and every one of you is doing - we wouldn’t be where we are today. So, let’s celebrate these big successes together - but also take a moment to celebrate all the great teamwork that takes place every single day to get us there.?

*Next Pledge is a 12 month fixed term tariff with prices changing to stay below price cap every three months to stay below the price cap. Requires payment by Direct Debit and a Smart meter installation where possible. This tariff comes with an exit fee of ￡25 per fuel.?

Next Pledge tariff can provide up to ￡50 yearly savings vs. the cap, applied as a reduction on unit rates split across both electricity and gas (￡25 saving per fuel) for a dual fuel customer based on an Ofgem typical medium usage.

**Lower-priced electricity 9.5p/kWh when you charge between 12am and 7am. Full details of Next Drive tariff T&Cs here .?

△￡50 saving is applied as a reduction on unit rates split across both electricity and gas (￡25 saving per fuel) based on Ofgem average dual fuel customer. If you use less than this you will see a lower saving amount. If the government Energy Price Guarantee returns we'll move you back to our standard variable tariff. You will need to contact us if you want to stay on Next Pledge but you won't be protected by the Energy Price Guarantee.

1 https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/uswitch-energy-awards-2023/

2 https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/resources/press/press-release/

3 https://www.eonnext.com/blog/save-energy-and-a-bit-of-money-with-the-demand-flexibility-service