Ethical Energy Suppliers
So you’ve started the New Year looking to live more sustainably. You might have already switched up your diet, started to invest in sustainable clothing, but have you thought about your energy suppliers?
The energy sector generates the most greenhouse gas emissions, with the emissions sources including electricity and heat that power households, manufacturing, construction, and transportation. The current rate of greenhouse gas emissions being emitted is predicted to increase by another 50% by 2050 if we don’t make drastic changes. With this high predicted rise, our climate will get increasingly warmer, threatening coastal cities, producing regular heatwaves and leading to the potential wipeout of entire ecosystems.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. We can all do our bit to help cut down on emissions: one way being to use an ethical energy supplier that’s environmentally sustainable as well as socially responsible. So whether you're looking for the greenest, cheapest, best customer service or all of the above, here's 5 of our favourite choices for ethical energy suppliers in the UK:
Bulb
Bulb is one of the fastest-growing green energy providers in the UK, now supplying energy to over 1.4 million homes. Bulb buys its energy from independent generators, so it's able to guarantee its electricity is 100% green (produced from hydropower, wind and solar). It also supplies 10% green gas.
Bulb also offsets the rest of the gas it supplies by supporting carbon reduction projects around the world, making its gas 100% carbon neutral. For every switch to Bulb, they donate £2 to their charity, The Bulb Foundation. They also offer £50 for you and a friend when you refer a friend, and if you have the tools to generate your own renewable energy, you can sell some back to the grid through Bulb.
Ecotricity
Ecotricity offers one electricity tariff called Green Electricity which is 100% renewable and frack-free gas. As of September 2019, they were declared one of Britain’s greenest energy companies. They are also the only energy company in the UK to be certified by the Vegan Society.
The company invests its profits into building renewable infrastructure — from building further solar farms and wind turbines, to building the UK’s first grass-fed green gasmill.
Green Energy
Green Energy UK is the only supplier to offer 100% green gas as well as green electricity, making it the only true green energy supplier in the UK. This green tarif doesn’t come cheap though, and has shown to be substantially more expensive than the other green energy options available.
Octopus
Octopus are another 100% renewable energy company that invests back into sustainable tech. They’ve also branched out into electric vehicles, devising a system — the Powerloop — whereby drivers can run their homes off of their car’s power during peak energy times.
They are the best green energy supplier in terms of customer service, winning several awards for customer satisfaction. When you choose its Super-Green tariff, Octopus will supply 100% renewable electricity, and they promise to ensure that any carbon involved in the production of your gas will be offset. Similar to Bulb, they’ll also reward you and a friend with £50 when you make the switch.
Good Energy
Good Energy gets all its electricity from renewable sources like solar, wind and water. And for every unit of electricity used by their customers, the company supplies the national grid with a unit of electricity generated from 100% renewable power sources.
The company owns and operates two wind farms and four solar farm sites with more farms in the works. They also support more than 800 independent generators across the UK.
Good Energy offers carbon neutral gas, 10% being biogas and they have partnered with an offsetting organisation ClimateCare to offset the carbon released when their customers use gas in their homes.
Of course there are other green energy suppliers you could switch to instead, these are just 5 of some of the many options out there, but before you make the decision to switch your home or business over to a renewable energy provider, check that their energy mix is 100% renewable - this is information is easy to find and is a legal requirement to provide.