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About Us
Who are
Energy Locals
Energy Locals is proudly Australian 100% owned and operated.
Our values, service, and products and services differentiate us from typical energy companies.
Aside from delivering cost-effective energy, we’re passionate about transparency, our Australian-based customer-service, technology and the environment. We have a social conscience too.
We are more than just an energy retailer providing sustainable cost-effective energy to residents in the “traditional” energy (grid) market, or offering expertise, products and services to developers to allow them to deliver infrastructure such as Community Energy Networks, so that their customers can enjoy even greater flexibility and cost-effectiveness while reducing their reliance on the grid and enjoying greener energy.
Our goal is to enable residential, commercial and business customers to use as much clean energy as they need to live comfortable lives at a great value price they can control.
Whether you are a resident looking for a better energy plan or a developer wanting to partner with us to deliver innovative energy solutions for your customers, we can help.
The company was founded in 2016 by Adrian Merrick, who has a decade-and-a-half’s experience running energy retail operations. Having worked for large energy companies, Adrian had a strong desire to use his experience to make energy cheaper, cleaner and fairer.
In 2021, Energy Locals merged with Energy Trade under the Energy Locals brand.
Meet the team
Across the Energy Locals team we bring experience from five different energy retailers, a regulator, an energy consultancy and two outsourced service providers in the energy industry.
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EnergyLocals acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of this nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.
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Multi Award Winning
Green Energy Retailer of the Year (retail only)
Adrian Merrick
Founder and CEO
Adrian was born in Melbourne and grew up in Adelaide before his parents moved to the UK when he was nearly 14. Since leaving home at 16 to join the Air Force, Adrian has quite literally dug holes to bury other people’s crap, served on a mountain rescue team, lived and worked in India, been part of a dot-com startup at the turn of the Millennium, started a teddy bear business (but don’t tell anyone about that), turned around a $700 million energy business, got an MBA, and spent 4 years running one of Australia’s largest energy retailers.
After 15 years in the energy sector, Adrian wanted to put his experience to good use to create something that genuinely helps customers and great organisations. And here it is: Energy Locals, which aims to kill off the traditional retail model by dismantling the things that customers find oh so frustrating about today’s energy.
Adrian is a self-confessed workaholic who finds work more of a hobby than a job. This can displease the team at times, who often wake up to a little collection of new messages. He relaxes – well, never really – and loves his hobby of DJing, even though he’s really quite bad at it. Unfortunately, with lockdown it is only his family who has had the joy of his hobby
Julian Duggan
Principal, Community Energy Networks
Julian co-founded Energy Trade in 2013 and has over 10 years of energy industry experience.
He is passionate about delivering innovative and cutting edge renewable energy solutions for the community.
Julian is a Sydney local but spent his younger years in the Victorian snowy mountains and high country. It was not uncommon for he and his family to find a remote location in the bush and camp for the weekend. Julian’s hobbies involved, friends and family and lots of sport!
Darren Read
Principal, Community Energy Networks
Darren co-founded Energy Trade and brings over 20 years experience of working with developers and builders. He leads a client-focused sales team who are passionate on tailoring the best sustainable energy solutions. He is enthusiastic about delivering the latest renewable technologies within the energy sector for all residents within our Community Energy networks to take advantage of.
Michelle Monaghan
Chief Operations Officer
Michelle has extensive experience across a number of industries – including a complete career change for 5 years in aged care, but most of her career has been spent in Energy. We are not sure what she is most passionate about – Energy, Footy or Family! It might depend on the day. A born and bred Sydney sider yet a passionate AFL fan (Go Swannies) Michelle keeps busy with work, family and pets! And keeping an eye out for emails from her workaholic boss.
Dirk Legenhausen
Chief Financial Officer
Dirk brings over 30 years of financial experience, having worked in the energy sector for Tango and Pacific Hydro for the last 10 years. Dirk started his career in Germany – but the Sydney 2000 Olympics drew Dirk and his family to Australia – spectators, not competitors!He fell in love with the country and he and his extended family have called Australia home ever since. Dirk enjoys taking out his frustrations with those who don’t share his passion for accounting and spreadsheets on the squash court and enjoys many active outdoor activities.
Sally Pollard
Head of People & Culture & General Manager of SES
Sally has over 18 years of HR experience in a number of different industry sectors including; energy, banking and finance, legal, insurance and government. The energy sector by far peaks Sally’s interest level and she is particularly excited about the renewable energy space. Sally is passionate about all things people and ensuring the team have a positive, lasting relationship with the business.
Having spent over 24 years in Australia after backpacking the world in her early 20’s, her family and roots are firmly ingrained in the Northern Beaches of Sydney. Sally enjoys netball and tennis and still remains fiercely competitive – even though her aging body tells her otherwise! In her spare time Sally also enjoys catching up with book club, more commonly referred to as “wine club”.
Luke Melisi
Partnerships
Luke brings more than 15 years’ experience to our Partnerships team – even though no-one believes he’s old enough to have been working that long! He’s worked across large customer facing businesses in the UK & Australia, making a move into the energy industry 9 years ago. When he’s not dreaming about playing golf, or reminiscing about when he used to be a half-decent footballer (“real” football with a round ball, as he argues), he’s driven to deliver innovative, outstanding products and customer experiences.
Luke brings to Energy Locals a real desire for change, having spent most of his career identifying ways to improve business performance to benefit its customers, and he loves to share that passion with prospective partners and customers alike.
Waffle
The Office Dog
Hello, I’m Waffle and I’m a five year old Groodle. I eat most things although ideally not fruit or vegetables. I think humans might call this a paleo diet or something like that. I call it a Dog Diet and anything that a vegetarian wouldn’t eat can be put in my bowl, thank you very much. I also eat things that seem to get people upset. I love thongs and have worked my way through quite a few pairs. Once I chewed and then hid a toilet brush under the sofa when I was on my own. That really confused them for a few hours. Personally, I thought it was a genius move.
I love going to the office. It’s full of people with interesting smells and food. They give me lots of attention which, as a dog, I very much enjoy. I’m not allowed in every day because there have been a couple of incidents. There was an awkward moment in a meeting room once (I was busting), and then there was the issue with the pot plants. I like digging and nobody told me that pot plants aren’t just tiny little gardens.
This lot work very hard. I help them relax by showing them that I care about only them, and what’s happening right now. And food of course. Anyway, gotta go – I think I smell chicken coming from the kitchen, so I’m off to put on my cute face and pretend I was last fed two weeks ago.