EnergyVision wins Wikipower group purchase in Flanders and Wallonia: “Group purchases must once again do what they were intended to do”
GHENT – EnergyVision has won Wikipower’s group purchase in Flanders and Wallonia with the cheapest electricity tariff. In Wallonia, this applies to both fixed and variable tariffs, while in Flanders it applies to the fixed tariff. Together, this represents around 7,500 interested households, which is expected to result in several thousand contracts. According to EnergyVision, this group purchase shows that households can indeed gain access to the cheapest energy when energy suppliers are given the opportunity to participate in a fair and transparent manner.
The fact that EnergyVision has won the group purchase for electricity in both regions demonstrates the strength of our model: we produce our own electricity, which enables us to offer competitive tariffs.
“A group purchase is organised to give households access to the cheapest energy,” says Maarten Michielssens, CEO of EnergyVision. “That is exactly what is happening here: EnergyVision was allowed to participate, submitted the cheapest offer and can therefore offer the lowest tariffs to participants. However, another group purchase facilitator – the company iChoosr, headquartered in the Netherlands – makes it very difficult for energy suppliers to participate by imposing rules that prohibit transparent communication with customers. This raises the question: who is still at the centre of the process – the customer or the commercial interests of the company facilitating the group purchase? The sector federation FEBEG has also raised this question with the FPS Economy.”
“Provinces genuinely want the best price for their residents,” says Michielssens. “We therefore ask them to examine the model critically. It cannot be the intention that a foreign company determines how much room an energy supplier is given to communicate with customers, how long customers remain tied to a particular supplier, and threatens to exclude suppliers on behalf of the provinces. If we are not allowed to tell customers directly that they can get a cheaper deal from us, we will have to look for other ways to reach people in those provinces. If necessary, we will send letters to all households in those provinces in the run-up to the group purchase. Not to circumvent a system, but to ensure that people can compare for themselves and know that a cheaper alternative exists.”
EnergyVision did participate in this group purchase, facilitated by the Belgian company Wikipower, and won the auction. “This group purchase shows that it can be done,” concludes Michielssens. “Suppliers are given the opportunity to compete, households receive the best offer and communication remains transparent. That should be the standard for every group purchase. That way, they can once again do what they were intended to do.”
