Aspiravi Energy

Aspiravi Energy, subsidiary of a group under public and private ownership 

Founded in 2002, the Aspiravi group is a relatively small company whose shareholders include 96 Belgian municipalities and almost 10,000 private cooperative members. This mix of public and private shareholders gives its sufficient solvency to continue investing in renewable energies. A successful investment given that, since 2014, the Aspiravi group has managed no fewer than 306 wind turbines, as well as a biomass plant, four biogas engines and two hydroelectric plants. In total, these installations can produce electricity equivalent to the consumption of more than 900,000 households. 

The group entered the energy supply market in 2015, creating the Aspiravi Energy cooperative. This mainly involves citizen participation. This means that each person can invest in the supplier’s renewable energy projects according to their means. There are a range of projects across various sustainable sectors (wind, biomass cogeneration, etc.), which reduces the risk for cooperative members even further.

Become a cooperative member and a customer

To become a cooperative member, the customer must purchase four shares in Limburg Wind or Aspiravi Samen, both limited liability cooperative companies. Since the price of a share is €125, the initial investment is €500 to become a cooperative member and have access to the Aspiravi Energy products available only to members. The advertised return is in the order of 5% per year. A share also entitles the member to vote in the General Meetings.

Finally, it should be mentioned that it is necessary to be a cooperative member in order to become a customer of Aspiravi Energy. In addition, the cooperative is only able to supply private individuals in Flanders at present.

A different social vision to other cooperatives

The particular feature of Aspiravi Energy, compared to the other cooperatives that supply energy, is the social contribution it makes to people in need. Thus, for each megawatt hour consumed, the customer pays a contribution (variable depending on the type of meter) which goes directly to charitable works. This contribution, which is free, is a minimum of €1.00/MWh for a meter which is read annually, in other words the standard household meter. 

So, if you are 

• keen to reduce your ecological footprint,
• sensitive to social welfare,
• and you would like to play an active role in renewable energy projects,

the chances are you will share the Aspiravi Energy ideology.

Accessible customer service 

As a cooperative, Aspiravi Energy embraces the values of proximity and accessibility that are typical of the genre. The cooperative members are regularly invited to interact with the company and get involved in their sustainable development projects.

In addition, Aspiravi Energy provides a telephone number and an email address for all customers to use. This means it is relatively easy to contact an adviser to request information. In addition, customers also have access to an online customer account.

Regarding payment options, you cannot change your instalment amount but you can choose between bank transfer or direct debit. As for billing, this can be by email or by post. However, the second option will incur additional fixed costs.

Sustainable products at fixed and variable rates

Aspiravi Energy currently offers two fixed-rate electricity products and two variable-rate electricity products. These four contracts all last for one year, but they differ in terms of their billing method (by post or by email).

In the past, the cooperative also offered deals for business customers, as well as for private individuals who were not cooperative members. However, it has now decided to concentrate on its principal target, namely the cooperative members. This decision means that it is able to offer its community a first-rate service.

✓ Eco Plus Fix and Eco Plus Flex, for digital billing

For cooperative member-customers who prefer a fixed rate and email billing, the supplier offers Eco Plus Fix.This product provides a degree of security since the price remains stable throughout the contract. 

An equivalent variable-rate product also exists, which also has email billing:Eco Plus Flex. With this contract, your price per kilowatt hour will be indexed each month according to the Belpex ‘Day Ahead’ index.

✓ Eco Life Fix and Eco Life Flex, for billing by post

Cooperative member-customers who prefer billing by post can choose the Eco Life Fix and Eco Life Flex products. The former offers a fixed rate, while the latter offers a variable rate which changes each month in line with market fluctuations.

The other difference between the Eco Life and Eco Plus contracts relates to the fixed costs. These will be noticeably higher for the Eco Life products since, firstly, they cover the postal costs and, secondly, they offset the environmental impact.

You may be interested in Aspiravi Energy if:

• You live in Flanders and you want to invest in a local, sustainable cooperative;
• You are sensitive to Aspiravi’s social aspect;
• You want to consume green, traceable electricity and you do not need a gas supply contract.

For questions about prices, changing supplier or moving house: 0800 37 456

Contact Aspiravi Energy