Podcast #06 · Hayden Wood · Driving The Change To Renewable Energy In The Uk @Bulbenergy

Hayden Wood is the CEO and co-founder of Bulb Energy, an award-winning renewable energy startup, based in London. Hayden has a background in management consulting and together with his friend Amit, spotted an unmet need in the UK’s energy market. They created Bulb in 2015 and have enjoyed the challenge of building a socially driven enterprise whilst delivering low prices and next level customer service.

We really enjoyed this discussion with Hayden Wood, he shares a ton of wisdom and inspiration. In this episode you can hear all about the following:

• Hayden’s background (~1.35)
• How Hayden and Amit turned Bulb Energy from an idea into a reality (~2.30)
• Taking on the ‘Big 6’ energy companies in the UK (~4:00)
• How the energy industry works from generation to retailing (~5:20)
• How the idea for Bulb evolved from generating energy via a hydro facility in Hackney to being a 100% renewable energy retailer (~7:20)
• The growth of independent energy providers in the UK, the key drivers of this growth and the extent to which renewable energy is responsible (~10:10)
• The greenest year ever in the UK and getting to 100% renewable energy (~12:10)
• The cost of renewable vs non-renewable energy generation (~13:50)
• Big 6 price changes and the correlation with wholesale energy prices (~14.50)
• The cost of renewable energy is cheaper than people think and coming down faster than any other forms of generation due to the experience curve (~17:15)
• State of renewable gas, how supply is changing to meet demand and how renewable gas is generated (~20.00)
• Groundswell of positive energy coming together to address climate change and drivers of this movement (~22:10)
• How Bulb works, how the team is structured and Bulb’s growth through passionate members (~24:35)
• Where Bulb’s renewable energy comes from; the Bulb Generator community including small-scale generators (~26:50)
• Bulb’s reputation for customer service and how Bulb is designed to serve all 4 of their stakeholder groups including their customers, their team, the environment & community and their shareholders (~29:35)
• What B Corps stand for and the benefits of being a B Corp including constant improvement and the B Corp community (~36:00)
• Bulb as an activist brand and their views on the gender pay gap (~39:00)
• What’s next for Bulb and the focus for 2018 including revolutionising pre-payment meters and smart metering (~43:05)
• Words of wisdom and advice for others looking to get their startups off the ground (~45:45)
• Hayden’s go-to book recommendation (~48.30)
• Bulb’s innovative PR and marketing approach: the referral program (~50:30)
• How to connect with Bulb Energy on the socials (~51:30)