Totnes Community Energy Club Featured on BBC’s The One Show
Lucy Siegle interviews Pete Kibel from Dart Renewables, operator of Totnes Weir hydro
On Tuesday 3rd June, Energy Local Totnes was featured on BBC’s The One Show, in a short film exploring how the community energy club is benefitting members’ pockets, the local community, and the planet.
The episode is available to watch on BBC iPlayer at https://bbc.in/3T7EvOK with the feature beginning at 1m 27s. The episode will be available until July 3rd, and succinctly captures the club’s goals and benefits in under five minutes.
What is Energy Local Totnes?
Energy Local Totnes is a community energy club offering access to affordable locally-generated electricity, and is a collaboration between Totnes Renewable Energy Society (TRESOC), Energy Local CIC and 100Green. It is the first Energy Local club to be scalable, with the capacity to add more consumers as generation capacity increases.
Members currently source electricity from the club’s primary generator, the 330kW hydro plant on Totnes Weir, which delivered an average rate of 17.3p/kWh* in May, representing a 30% saving compared to the average UK electricity price.
Totnes Weir Hydro Plant
The club is progressing with plans to diversify energy sources by integrating solar power into its offering. A 35kW commercial solar installation is scheduled to come online in June, with domestic solar generators invited to sell electricity into the club once technical integration is complete.
How it Works
When members match their electricity usage to when local renewable energy is being generated, they are charged at 15p/kWh*. If club demand exceeds local supply, energy supplier 100Green steps in, and members move onto 100Green’s Time of Use Tariff. Over the course of a year, members can expect to save between 10% and 30%, with members who shift their usage to times when local generation is high saving the most.
All prices exclude VAT. Prices fixed until April 2026.
Vision for a Community-Led Energy Future
“Energy Local Totnes isn’t just about individual savings for members,” says TRESOC managing director, Dr Sally Murrall-Smith, “it’s about proving that community-led energy initiatives work. Our members are helping to build the foundation for real systemic change in how communities generate and share energy, and actively participate in reshaping Britain’s energy future toward one that’s more equitable, sustainable, and community-controlled.”
Membership Drive
Energy Local Totnes already has 48 members, with the goal to reach a total of 200 founding members by November.
Members joining before then will receive additional benefits – made possible by the club’s Redress Energy Innovation Grant – including free smart plugs (worth £15) that automatically operate appliances during low-cost periods, and free Consumer Access Devices (worth £80) for real-time energy monitoring. To receive these free devices, new members need to be ready to switch to 100Green by November 2025.
How to Join
To join Energy Local Totnes, residents must be prepared to switch electricity supplier to 100Green, have a smart meter installed (or be willing to have one fitted at no cost) and be located within the Totnes Electricity Substation area shown below.
To start the process, register your interest at https://energylocal.org.uk/user/register
Totnes Electricity Substation Area
Upcoming Information Sessions
The Energy Local Totnes team will be at Totnes Market Square on Friday 20th June between 9am and 2.30pm to explain the switching process and answer questions about membership.
Additional drop-in sessions are held at the Totnes Climate Hub, 36 Fore Street, on the second Friday of each month between 1pm and 3pm.
More information about Energy Local Totnes is available at www.tresoc.co.uk/elt