‘Additionality’ is a fund of money that accumulates from Bristol Energy customers signing up to our green tariffs.
The fund is mandated by OFGEM and within their definition it is to go towards providing an environmental benefit. But here at Bristol Energy, we wanted to do something more for the local environment and provide a social benefit too.
The Additionality Fund builds every time a customer joins a Green Tariff. If you are on our BE Simply Green Tariff, £1 per customer per year is added to the fund. For our BE Super Green Tariff customers, £5 per fuel per year per year is added. Since we launched our new green tariffs in January (2020), the Additionality Fund has seen a significant boost! In fact, the fund has raised over £42,000 in FY 2019/20.
Our strategy for donating this money is ‘as local as possible’ and we have previously donated to a local initiative called 'One Tree Per Child’, a programme that supports children in the Bristol region planting trees.
This year, after careful consideration, we have decided to donate the Additionality Fund to two separate projects – both of which will provide fantastic environmental and social benefits, but also huge social benefits. These projects are One Tree Per Child (further funding) and Avon Needs Trees.
Avon Needs Trees
Avon Needs Trees (ANT) is a registered charity (No. 1184386) based in Bristol that is buying land in the Bristol/Avon catchment area for reforesting.
Planting trees will sequester carbon from the air, enhance biodiversity and provide natural flood management, as well as water and air quality improvement, and more public amenity space.
ANT (as of 6 August 2020) have purchased ‘Hazeland’ - a 34-acre piece of land near Calne, Wiltshire. This is the first purchase of land ANT have done, but more are in the pipeline already.
Bristol Energy are extremely proud to donate £22,586 to Avon Needs Trees, with this money going directly to the Hazeland project to support the purchase and planting of trees. This money will also go toward tree surveys and biodiversity studies on Hazeland.
There are a number of social benefits attached to this project:
- The project is linked with a local autistic school and have plans to run forestry days
- GP Well-Being Officers and Walking for Health Officers who will ‘prescribe’ forest schools, mindfulness days and engagement activities
- Local Scout, Guide and Youth Action groups
One Tree Per Child
‘One Tree Per Child’is on a mission to see every child planting one tree as part of a primary school activity. To do this, they are partnering with local councils. In Bristol, this scheme is run by Bristol City Council.
One Tree Per Child plants trees in schools, parks and open spaces. All the trees, tools and equipment they use is sponsored by our partners. So far One Tree Per Child (Bristol) have planted 60,000 trees since 2014, and we continue to plant over 6,000 trees per year.
Bristol Energy are donating £20,000 to One Tree Per Child with the money going to fund great community tree planting projects this winter in Bristol.