DATS 24 becomes a supplier of natural gas and 100 % green, Belgian electricity for private people
From today, DATS 24, the renewable fuel supplier of Colruyt Group, enters the energy market for private individuals. Colruyt Group has been providing its own energy consumption with green electricity for years now. Via Eoly, the group supplies this same electricity to a few large companies as well. DATS 24 is now ready for an important next step: the delivery of natural gas and 100 % green, Belgian electricity to private customers and families in Flanders and Wallonia. In recent months, DATS 24 already launched this offer to all Colruyt Group co-workers. More than 1,500 subscribed and became energy customers. This contributed to the optimisation of all processes. The time has now come to expand.
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
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Own, local, renewable energy: 100 % green, 100 % Belgian
In recent years, Colruyt Group has made great strides as a green energy producer. Just consider the energy the group produces by means of wind turbines in Halle and the surrounding area and wind farms in the North Sea. Together with the solar installations on distribution centres and stores, this provided about 270 % of the retailer's annual energy consumption in 2019. It is therefore a logical step that it wants to involve private customers and families in a renewable energy transition. DATS 24 will take care of this on behalf of Colruyt Group. Energy Minister Tinne Van der Straeten is particularly pleased that a new Belgian player is entering the market:
"This is an excellent thing for the consumer who gets an additional choice for a local player that supplies 100 % Belgian and 100 % green energy. A clear formula and corresponding tariff contribute to a simpler energy bill. This way, the consumer does not get entangled in a multitude of options. Colruyt Group has been a trendsetter in the field of sustainability for some time now and is helping to increase the share of renewable energy in our country."
Customers can choose the energy source for their electricity
DATS 24 wants to make a difference by focusing on green electricity, simplicity of product and services and attractive, low prices. The electricity provided comes exclusively from local, renewable energy sources. Customers can thus choose the source of their energy. This is primarily Colruyt Group's wind farm in Halle and the wind farms in the North Sea: effectively 100 % green and 100 % local. Customers can also choose green electricity from the biogas plant in Quiévy of Vanheede Environment Group. They produce green electricity from food waste, supplied by Colruyt Group's store formulas among others.
Straightforward: DATS 24 starts with 1 formula
DATS 24 chooses simplicity and transparency in a maze of formulas and rates and offers one single formula with variable price-fixing, whereby the customer can choose from 3 products: green, renewable electricity, natural gas or a combination of both. About three fourths of customers picked the combination formula during the pilot DATS 24 organised among the group's co-workers. About 70 % of the customers choose Colruyt Group's wind farms in the North Sea as the source of their green power.
"More and more private individuals and families consciously choose sustainably generated, green electricity, whether or not in combination with natural gas. And this choice turns out to be less evident than you would think and is not always simple. We offer simplicity and certainty as well as attractive pricing in the long term, as customers have come to expect of us. The variable formula turned out to be the most profitable formula for Colruyt Group all these years. So I really believe it is the best formula for our customers as well," says Raf Flebus, Business Unit Manager of DATS 24.
Simplicity and security of a Belgian retailer
The most recent CREG1 report with the annual price monitoring revealed that long-term variable contracts always guarantee users the lower rates. And that is precisely the formula DATS 24 proposes to its customers. Raf Flebus clarifies: "We want to reassure the customer that he makes the best decision for the long term: it is not only green and Belgian, but the prices are low and attractive".
That DATS 24 is part of Colruyt Group becomes clear in several other aspects. Customers can sign in online and request a simulation based on their consumption. If they do it by means of XTRA, the app all group brands use in their customer relations, they also have an online profile with a dashboard showing their consumption, their invoices and the sources they choose.
Co-creation with the customer
Colruyt Group co-workers could sign up at the end of 2020. They were more than 1,500 to do so. Laura De Smet, Store Manager of the OKay in Hoeilaart, was one of them:
"The offer immediately appealed to me. Loyalty to the company also played a part, I cannot deny that. But especially the fact that you can choose the source of your electricity gave me confidence that DATS 24 is committed to renewable and sustainability. For me personally, it was also cheaper than what we had back then."
DATS 24 was able to optimise and perfect the processes of this new activity. They intend to continue to work in this way with the first external customers.
Raf Flebus:
"If we detect a need to expand this formula among customers, we will listen to the customer and adapt our supply accordingly. We also intend to reward customer loyalty, rather than the fact that they have become customers. We want to give our customers peace of mind in the long term: ecologically as well as economically. We want to engage in a positive, lasting relationship with the customer and take steps to a cleaner, better world together."
More information: Maarten Van Houdenhove, PR an press officer DATS 24
+32 (0) 497 51 21 48 - maarten.vanhoudenhove@dats24.be