Dan Miller: M&S Energy Operations Manager

 

 

Everyone has an energy story #9

Q: What’s something easy that I can do that will make a big difference?

You can switch your electricity supply to a 100% renewable energy supplier. There are a range of suppliers, such as Bulb, Ecotricity, Good Energy, Octopus and others, the best of which offer the best customer service which can help when energy prices change so often.

This interview is with Dan Miller who is the M&S Energy Operations Manager. Here he explains why making that switch – and he recommends M&S Energy – can be good for both your purse and the planet. Interview by Nicola Baird. Photos by Kimi Gill

“Around 60 per cent of the UK population has not switched their energy tariff for the past five years, which means there is a good chance you are being ripped off,” says Dan Miller sitting in the garden at Blackstock Kitchen with an oat flat white. Of course, he would say that – he’s the Operations Manager for an energy company from M&S which sources its clean energy from its supplier Octopus. But as Islington Faces listens to his story it’s clear that where you get your energy from has a big impact on your carbon footprint. Choose a renewable energy supplier for your electricity and immediately you are helping cut the UK’s reliance on fossil fuels which are heating the planet and causing a climate crisis. It’s one of the quickest, simplest things each and every one of us can do to make a difference.

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“It’s such a little change, switching your energy provider or how you do your day-to-day shopping, but it’s one of the many things people can do that immediately changes the world,” he says. What’s so nice about Dan is he’s easy to talk to about energy. He doesn’t fall-back on tricky statistics about power measured in cubic metres or super green phrases and that might be because of his long experience working in M&S stores helping and supporting customers.

While Dan, 28, was studying Archaeology at York University he worked part time at Waitrose to support with his studies. After graduating with a BA and MA he went home to Leicester and back to his nearest Waitrose. “I’d worked in retail since I was 16 and decided that I thoroughly enjoyed it. I love interacting with such a wide range of people. I liked the day-to-day contact with customers so then I applied for the M&S graduate scheme and started at Newcastle in 2016. It was a chance to work as a store manager and on commercial roles for two to three years. Then this opportunity to work for M&S Energy based in the head office in Paddington came up. I moved to London in 2019, living first in Golders Green and then moving to Finsbury Park.

“At M&S there is a lot of talk about sustainability and what M&S is doing differently, and what you can do on a day-to-day basis. Plan A is integral to everything M&S does, and the more you dig deeper, the level of detail M&S goes into is remarkable. This is embraced within the culture and the people who work for M&S. We go to great lengths to reduce our plastic waste, reduce the amount of water used in denim production and to work proactively with our charities and lots of food waste is passed on to Neighbourly for giving away/distribution. This love for sustainability stemmed there and I wanted to take that further.” he says.

The M&S Energy tariff for customers began in 2008 but it wasn’t until September 2018 when they partnered with Octopus which provides 100% renewable electricity. “We take pride in having our ambassadors in M&S stores who can support with any energy switch, they are the face of our 5* service. Our face to face energy presence is in about 30 M&S stores, with the majority in the north of England, and it is really important. People can talk about what they can do, how they can save energy on their bills and how to make those small steps to reduce their energy consumption,” says Dan.

“Our biggest demographic is people over 40 years, however we have a huge range of customers from all different ages on supply, from renting, from buying their first house, families and retired couples. A lot of our customers have been with one of the big six energy suppliers for a very long time. On most energy tariffs, after one year of a fixed tariff you are bumped up to a higher rate, but you’re often not aware of it. It’s a tactic called ‘tease and squeeze’, tease you in on a great rate, and then squeeze every penny out of you! So, changing your supplier can mean a huge saving – the maximum saving can be around £160 for a year,” explains Dan. “The best thing about M&S Energy is that when you end your fixed tariff with us, you can either refix or we ensure our variable tariff is very closely matched. We want to put trust back into the energy industry, just as people trust M&S for quality food and clothing.”

Turns out that the keenest switchers are based north of the M25, but in particular in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and Scotland.

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Places Dan Miller loves in and near Islington

• I live on the edge of Finsbury Park, which has a lot of greenery, I really enjoy all forms of nature and wildlife. At our bird feeder there are lot of blue tits, starlings and ring necked parakeets. I like walking across Finsbury Park and looking at the birds and wildlife at Woodberry Wetlands. I’m also looking forward to Springwatch on TV.
• I love walking along the Parkland Walk extension at the back of Quill Street to Gillespie Park. Its glorious and there is a lot of nature considering it is so close to the railway line.
• I’m a big fan of Rudi’s Vegan Butcher on Islington Park Street. They have a great roast dinner selection which is like a vegan meal deal kit! I’m about 90 per cent vegan but still eat butter and cheese.
• I’ve seen on gig at the Hope & Anchor, but Islington Town Hall is great for gigs – the last band I saw was Los Campesinos. We need gigs to come back as Islington is a cultural hub for live music! I did a degree in Archaeology at York University and then a Masters in Cultural Heritage Management. My thesis was on the cultural significance of music venues and there are a lot I’d like to get listed. The Bull & Gate in Kentish Town for example is where Coldplay started.
• The most recent venue I have been to was the Dome in Tufnell Park on Saturday (just as venues began opening up in May) and saw a socially distanced gig, Goat Girl. Having less people adds intimacy and makes you feel so much more connected to the band. I like listening to a wide variety of live music at distinctive venues with a unique heritage. I’d like to give a shout out to Mark Davyd from the Music Venue Trust which has organisational links to 300+ venues and over Covid-19 has helped them with grants, court orders (especially for noise) and ways to generate income. https://domelivelondon.co.uk/

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M&S’s Plan A has an industry reputation for being an impressive sustainability programme.  Dan’s proud to be working at one of the first supermarkets to be carbon neutral, one that aims to make all packaging recyclable and one doing work on reducing the water used in denim production. M&S will also be raising awareness about the UN climate meetings (COP26) – which will be held this November in Glasgow – by showcasing fun and interactive ideas in their surrounding Glasgow stores to bring energy and sustainability stories to life.

Although my own tariff is with a different renewable supplier (Good Energy), Dan explains that the M&S tariff has good reasons for being popular. “It’s the number one rated energy suppler on Trust Pilot. On a monthly basis we show you how much energy is used, because naturally it will go up and down depending on the season, the weather and your needs. And we don’t want you to be left in the dark (energy pun!) about your consumption and what that equates to.  We make the energy conversation transparent: your bill will show you how much energy you’re using and we aim to showcase how you can bring it down – for example by turning off the lights when you leave the room. You’ll know exactly what you are paying for.”

In fact, it’s Dan who is in part responsible for the funding of Islington Faces’ energy stories which came through at the end of 2020.  Dan says that’s because: “For every customer who joins M&S Energy, £1 is donated to renewable energy projects, so you can play your part and make things happen in your local community. Or maybe you have an idea for a renewable energy project that needs funding – if so look out for the call for entries around November/December by checking www.mandsenergyfund.com

“Since M&S began its community energy projects in 2015 it has collectively funded 92 projects, these are typically installing solar panels and other smaller community-based work, though recently in Sunderland they funded a school turning a disused railway carriage into an eco-library. The Islington Faces energy story project, which has seen us focus on local people’s questions and stories about energy, stands out as unique. What you’re doing is incredible – informing people and sharing energy stories to make sustainability relevant,” says Dan, “talking sustainability in the community quickly turns to action!”

Over the past six years more than £1,000,000 of funding has been given to these community projects “and sparked £134,000 of crowd funded money from the public,” he says. It’s clear that M&S are keen to build on the chance to get local people solving their own energy challenges and make a difference

We finish off the interview because yet again there’s about to be a rain and hail downpour, which seems very unseasonable for May. I wonder if it will make people think more about climate change but Dan’s experience of talking to people about renewable power suggests something different. “I think there’s a general consensus that if the weather is bad, people don’t necessarily link it with climate change or something out of place. It’s only when it’s warmer that alarm bells start ringing,” he says, But it’s clear he knows these changes are super serious for agriculture, biodiversity and ultimately us all. “For wildlife around Islington if the weather changes this fast, then certain bird species will die out because of the change to the seasons – they can’t breed properly or can’t migrate,” he explains. It’s a good way to help all of us with homes and central heating to better understand the way global warming might adversely effect the things we love, but still rather take for granted.

This might seem like a depressing way to end a conversation, especially with a bird lover, but the general impression Dan gives is one of optimism and possibility. There is after all an easy way to make a change to your home’s carbon footprint and that is to simply organise a renewables energy tariff.

Do let Islington Faces know if this interview inspires you to have conversations about your power supply, or even to make a switch to a renewables tariff.  Here’s to clean power!

• To find out more see the website https://www.mandsenergy.com/ or marksandspencer.com
• M&S Energy currently offer a £30 giftcard when your switch completes.
• M&S Energy also offer a great refer a friend offer, so when you are on supply, you can refer your friends or family and you both split £100 credit.

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Do you have any questions about how to decarbonise your life or tackle climate change, eg, about travel, food, energy use? If so, please send us a message  on email to: islingtonfaces@gmail.com

Over to you
Also if you’d like to nominate someone to be interviewed who grew up, lives or works in Islington, or suggest yourself, please let me know, via islingtonfaces@gmail.com If you enjoyed this post you might like to look at the A-Z  index, or search by interviewee’s roles or Meet Islingtonians to find friends, neighbours and inspiration. Thanks for stopping by. Nicola