What makes an ethical energy company
Choosing an ethical supplier for your renewable energy tariff can be fraught with jargon and pitfalls. It’s hard to know how you can be sure where the renewable energy is really coming from. With a little help from Ethical Consumer, we’ve put together the basics on what to look for if you’re thinking of switching.
Our partnership with Good Energy
We’ve partnered with fellow B Corp and the leading voice in ethical energy supply, Good Energy, to help all our owners move towards renewable energy. There’s no financial gain to the partnership for us, we just have a commitment to fighting the climate crisis and think Good Energy are one of the best ways to do so. The only saving is for you, the owners of our properties. Read more about the partnership and discounts for our owners here. We’re also working with Good Energy to bring you information, advice and incentives to use renewable energy sources, including heat pumps and solar.
Here are the key questions to ask of an energy supplier
Are they actively creating new sources of green energy?
Increasing renewable capacity across the UK is vital to the future of clean energy production. Look for a renewable energy company that is investing in the creation of new renewable sources to help bolster the percentage of the grid’s renewable energy.
Are they committed to not building more fossil fuel plants?
Check that the supplier has made an open statement about their commitment to abandoning fossil fuels. Many companies are still investing in fossil fuel generation, while claiming renewable status through various purchase agreement loopholes (more on this later).
Are they helping their customers cut down on energy usage?
Even with the greenest energy sources, reduction of usage is still important. The less energy we use, the less we need to produce and the percentage of energy that renewable sources can provide grows. Look for companies giving advice and incentives to lower the usage of their customers.
How are they treating their more vulnerable customers?
Production of clean energy isn’t the only measure of a company’s ethics. See if you can find out whether or not they’re doing anything to help those hit hardest by things like the cost-of-living crisis. This is often a good barometer of their overall approach.
Are any environmental claims they’re making genuine and meaningful?
Many companies will claim to be renewable suppliers, but there are many ways this phrase can be used varying levels of meaning to it. In particular, beware of REGOs. REGO Certificates are awarded to renewable energy generators for each megawatt hour of energy they produce, but can be sold separately from the energy itself, allowing suppliers to source their energy from non-renewable sources, purchase an equivalent amount of REGOs and call themselves 100% renewable. If you want to dive into the technicalities of it all, Ethical Consumer is a great place to read more.
Are they helping customers move towards renewable tech?
Most energy companies would prefer you to have the heating on all day every day, but a truly ethical supplier is looking to help you make your home more efficient to heat and reduce your individual usage and footprint. Good Energy, for example, offer solar and heat pump advice and systems tailored to your needs, as they know every property and household is different.
The ethical consumer currently scores Good Energy, Ecotricity, Octopus and 100Green as the top four ethical energy suppliers in the UK. You can find out more about why here. You will have to sign up to be an Ethical Consumer Member, but we think it’s worth the money! We often use it as a tool to assess organisations we work with.