Is it time to switch to GREEN ENERGY?
Cheap deals are hard to find right now, but renewables are on the rise
ONE of the quickest and easiest ways you can do your bit towards reducing your carbon footprint is by switching your electricity provider to a green supplier. And it could be easier – and maybe cheaper – than you think.
Heating our homes, generating hot water and powering our appliances means that around 22 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions come from our homes. But by making a few simple changes, you could reduce your family’s personal carbon footprint by as much as 25 per cent. So if your home is using 2.7 tonnes of CO₂ a year, the change could reduce that by an impressive 700kg of CO₂.
The power we use is supplied by the National Grid and contains a blend of renewable energy (solar, wind, etc), energy from fossil fuels (coal and gas) and from nuclear power. But if you switch to a green supplier or a green tariff, you can influence that mix.
Although nuclear energy doesn’t produce any carbon emissions, it comes from a mineral – uranium – which is not a limitless source. There is also the issue of what you do with the waste afterwards. But most green campaigners see nuclear as a useful bridge between fossil fuels and renewable energy sources.
So if you do want to go green, what’s the best way to do it? Most energy suppliers offer green tariffs – which mean some or all of the electricity you buy is ‘matched’ by purchases of renewable energy made on your behalf – or you can switch completely to a dedicated green energy supplier.
Switching is easy. Uswitch.com rates different suppliers on their green credentials, and helps you make the switch. All you’ll need is a recent electricity bill which should tell you the type of contract you’re currently on and its expiry date. Most of us are on fixed-rate electricity contracts (similar to fixed-rate mortgages), and switching before your contract has elapsed can sometimes incur a fee. You then just take a few meter readings and the rest is done for you.
All that said, Money Saving Expert’s Martin Lewis is currently advising people to hold fire from switching supplier right now, as the energy market is in a state of flux following the recent gas price rises (which has caused electricity prices to go up, too), and your existing tariff may be protected by a Government price cap.
NEW SUPPLIERS
Historically, green tariffs have been more expensive. ‘Until recently, we always used to say if a green tariff wasn’t more expensive than a standard tariff, that might be an indicator that it’s not as green as it seems, because investing in green resources costs money,’ says Sonia Lakshman, co-founder of Every One of Us (everyoneofus.uk), an organisation that makes it easier for you to make eco choices.
‘However, with the recent price hikes in both gas and electricity, it will be interesting to see if that gap begins to close over the next few months.’
When the market settles, Lakshman recommends switching to a dedicated green electricity supplier. ‘For us to move towards a green world, we need new infrastructure, and that means supporting the people who are building it, not those who are still relying on and investing in fossil fuels,’ she says.
‘A truly green electricity supplier should either invest in renewables themselves or have really solid purchase agreements with generators of renewable power, and they should have no involvement at all in fossil fuels.’
She recommends Green Energy (greenenergyuk.com), which also provides 100 per cent biogas (gas generated from farm, food and landfill waste, rather than natural gas); Good Energy (goodenergy.co.uk) and Ecotricity (ecotricity.co.uk).
It’s true that some smaller suppliers, including green suppliers, went out of business recently, but even if that happens to your supplier, Ofgem, which regulates this market, will assign another provider so your electricity will never be cut off.
‘To move towards a greener world, we need new infrastructure – and support for those who build it’