Write for Golden Rate
Clear, specific, UK-focused household energy writing, sourced from primary bodies.
We accept a small number of guest contributions each month on household energy topics. We are looking for pieces that help a non-specialist reader understand a specific problem or make a specific decision, grounded in current, verifiable facts.
What we commission
- Explainers on the parts of a UK energy bill that confuse readers (estimated vs actual reads, levelised standing charges, VAT treatment).
- How-to guides for meters: reading, submitting, troubleshooting, and what changes with smart meters.
- Policy pieces on the Ofgem price cap, the social tariff debate, prepayment rules.
- Energy-efficiency pieces grounded in real UK building stock (cavity wall, solid wall, loft, double glazing, heat pumps for existing homes).
- Guides to help with bills: the Warm Home Discount, Cold Weather Payments, grants, trust funds, supplier payment plans.
What we will not publish
- Pieces that recommend a specific supplier, tariff or comparison site.
- Round-ups of “best cheapest deals”. Prices change too fast to be useful, and the honest answer usually involves a reader’s own usage.
- Personal financial advice, or anything that reads as it.
- AI-written copy with no editing, keyword-stuffed posts, or anything that exists mainly to host a backlink.
- Articles about gambling, cryptocurrency, loans, adult content, or pharmacy products.
Length and style
We publish pieces between roughly 900 and 1,600 words. Plain British English. No bulleted intros, no “in today’s world”, no closing summary that repeats the article. Use the direct address, keep sentences short, and quote figures from primary sources with a link.
Sources
Factual claims must come from a page you can link to and we can open. Priority sources: Ofgem, GOV.UK, Citizens Advice, Energy Saving Trust, Simple Energy Advice, trade bodies (Energy UK), and statutory regulators. If a figure depends on a date (a cap value, a grant amount) say the period it applies to.
Originality and disclosure
Pieces must be original to Golden Rate. We do not republish articles that already appear elsewhere. If you have a commercial interest in the subject (you work for a supplier, an installer, a trade association), say so in the pitch; we may still run the piece, but with a disclosure line on the article.
How to pitch
Send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Pitch: [your working title]”. Include:
- A one-paragraph summary of the piece and the reader it is for.
- Your proposed H2 structure (three to seven headings).
- Three primary sources you intend to quote, with URLs.
- A short note on who you are and any relevant conflict of interest.
We reply to pitches within a working week. We do not read full drafts until we have agreed the angle.
Payment, rights and promotion
We are a small title and do not pay for contributions at the moment; we are upfront about that in the first reply. Contributors keep copyright and grant us an exclusive licence to publish for twelve months. After that, you are free to republish the piece elsewhere with a short note that it first appeared on Golden Rate.