Nigel's Guide to Green Energy: cut your carbon footprint, and do one of the most eco friendly things you can

More than a third of all carbon emissions in the UK come from burning fossil fuels
to make electricity: so one of the most eco friendly things you can do is switch to electricity that comes from a renewable source like wind power or solar power.

Buying a wind turbine for your home, or installing solar panels on your roof, can still be a bit expensive and it can also be confusing working out what you need. There are however some good independent companies that supply green renewable electricity - using wind power and solar power - and by switching to one of them, you can slash your CO2 footprint by 2 tonnes of CO2* per year on average.

According to Green Helpline, "There is capacity in the UK this year for 500,000 homes to make the switch to 100% renewable tariffs. Hitting this target will ensure that demand for renewable energy finally outstrips supply. This will ensure the investment needed to develop the additional capacity that is so essential in reducing the UK’s CO2 emissions as a whole."

Below are links to energy suppliers, and with the help of our energy saving range, you can also cut your home fuel bills at the same time!

Green Electricity Suppliers


Ecotricity currently generate about 24% of their electricty from renewables, and are the UKs largest investor in new wind turbines. They have 2 tariffs: New Energy promises to match the price of your local supplier, the other, New Energy Plus, offers 100% renewable electricity at a small premium. Sign up with Ecotricty and receive a £35 voucher to spend at Nigel's Eco Store!

Good Energy generate 100% of their electricty from renewable sources - wind power, small scale hydroelectric and solar - and they will also buy electricity from you via their Home Generation scheme, which pays you for the renewable electricity you generate from your own solar panels and wind turbines.

Green Energy UK supplies 100% green energy to homes and businesses across the UK. They also buy electricity made from cleaner, greener combined heat and power. Their electricity is sourced from a variety of renewable sources like the sun, wind, water and energy crops. There is a choice of two tariffs pale and deep offering a choice of 100% green or 100% renewable electricity.

Other Green Energy Tariffs
By law, all energy companies have to supply at least 5% of their electricity from renewable sources. They either buy it from another company or generate it themselves. Whether through genuine desire to do something about the environment, or greenwash I'll leave it up to you to decide, but most of the larger energy companies now offer green tariffs:

British Gas have 2 green tariffs: 'zero carbon' says it is a 100% carbon neutral energy supply, whilst 'future energy' is 'backed by renewable energy sources'. British Gas say they are investing in the UK's future renewable energy sources, and revenues from these tariffs will be used to help reduce the CO2 emissions of schools in Great Britain.

npower is one of the UK's leading electricity and gas suppliers to over 6 million customers and the new Wembley Stadium. Sign up online to their green energy tariff npower Juice and get £100 annual discount (if you take gas as well and pay by direct debit.)

Scottish Power have 2 green tariffs (choose the green tariffs option on page 2 of their price quoting system): H20 - 100% green electricity from hydro-electric, and two Green Fund tariffs, where the energy that you use is matched by energy generated from renewable energy sources, such as sun, wind, hydroelectric or waste, or where the supplier invests a part of the cost of the tariff into conservation or renewable energy projects.

You could also to consider...
Ebico has been leading the way in cutting household energy bills since 1998. As a not-for-profit company, their core aim is to put people before profits – and to provide affordable energy for every home. They put all their resources into providing EquiGas and EquiPower at fair rates for every customer – regardless of income or circumstances, or how you choose to pay. Equiclimate is Ebico’s innovative, carbon offsetting service for customers who want to redress the effects on the environment of their own energy use. EquiClimate is unique in using the new Europe-wide market in CO2 allowances to offset the emissions from customers’ homes.It's an ethical option.

Confused?
If you're confused, or want to compare different companies or prices, have a look at Green Helpline - they compare green tariffs and prices on all of the companies listed above.


* 2 tonnes of CO2 is:
1/3 of the annual CO2 footprint from household energy use in the average UK home.
• Enough to fill two olympic size swimming pools.
• The same amount saved by unplugging your TV for 44 years.
• The same amount emitted by the average car each winter.
Source Green Helpline

Search Our Store