Participatory Budgeting: our cooperative project
October 8, 2021
Green Electricity Guide Breakdown for Customer Members
February 16, 2022
This post will track how CoPower is actually spending its electricity revenue as per the democratic budget to cover spending of income earned from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.
First, a note on how CoPower’s electricity revenue works. During this period, we had a retail partnership with Energy Locals that saw us getting paid per full quarter that a customer member is with us. We have updated this arrangement. The previous agreement meant our revenue uplift occurred in April 2022.
We have secured an updated set of commercial terms with Energy Locals and we have further details here for customer members.
Total electricity revenue (as at 13th May 2022)
June Quarter income: $1,500
September Quarter income: $1,557.50
December Quarter income: $1,770.00
March Quarter income: $27,025.00
Total spend (as at 27th May 2022)
Customer members have voted for 30% of the cooperative’s revenue to cover its operations, liabilities and building its capacity. When the 2021/22 participatory budget was voted on customer members put in place a $20,000 ceiling for expenditure.
Given the increase in sign ups this year we have exceeded the most optimistic end of the spectrum of electricity revenue for the period and gone beyond this figure for a total revenue of $31,852.50. As determined by our first customer member forum for this year, the balance over $20,000 is being held in our Bank Australia accounts so we have operating reserves as a cooperative.
The table below outlines the remaining 70% of $20,000.
| Project | Revenue allocation | Paid to date | Variance | Comments |
| International climate justice | 10% | $2000.00 | 0 | Revenue paid out to APHEDA’s climate and energy proposals as per the endorsed budget. |
| Invest in Solar PV | 10% | $4000.00 | +10% | Revenue paid out to the Energy Innovation Co-operative’s Southern CORE Fund as per endorsed budget and consultation on allocation. Additional transfers are now being made after customer members unanimously voted on using money that was previously allocated to GreenPower+ to this project. |
| Worker strike fund | 15% | $2500.00 | -2.5% | $500 donation made to striking country road workers. This item is slightly under budget but is dispute dependent and could change at short notice.
We’ve also made a $1,000 donation to striking casual and insecure NTEU members at Sydney University. In addition, we have donated a further $1,000.00 to striking UWU cleaners at Brisbane Airport. |
| GreenPower + | 10% | $0 | -10% | Payment of additional GreenPower required renegotiating all offers. This went back to customer members in early 2022 to see whether this should be done or whether the same funds should be directed to increasing payments to community owned renewables. Customer members voted to increase the spend on community owned renewables instead. |
| Subsidise bills for workers on low to no incomes | 25% | $2500 | -12.50% | Expressions of interest were sought from member organisations as to cohorts that would particularly benefit from this solidarity. UWU identified farm workers, many of whom are seasonal workers from Pacific nations. Putting money for this budget period to these workers was voted up by customer members. Five payments have been made under this provision. |
