Green Energy

Switching to a green energy supplier has never been easier. In the UK we have more choices than ever before, as the market moves towards embracing renewable energy. In fact, these days it isn’t hard to find an energy supplier that can provide 100% green electricity. Most of the Big Six energy companies – British Gas, EDF Energy, E.ON, Npower, Scottish Power, and SSE – have tariffs that offer this.

However, if you want green gas too – or at least a certain portion of it – you’ll have to turn to one of the smaller energy suppliers.

But how to choose?

When you’re choosing a new green energy supplier you need to check their fuel mix and see if they can guarantee you’re getting green electricity – or if they’ll just offset your usage. You’ll need to decide which option is right for you.

You can find out what type of energy your supplier uses by looking at their fuel mix. Each year, energy companies must report to Ofgem exactly how their energy is generated, which gives us a fair way to see which suppliers are truly green and which still rely on coal, for example.

You also need to think about the stability of the supplier. You may fear that a smaller company is less reliable – and the news that many have gone bust in the last 18 months won’t allay those fears – but it’s worth knowing that even if your provider goes bust, your supply won’t be interrupted, you’ll just be moved to a different supplier.

It may well be worth the switch: the smaller suppliers tend to have better service and much happier customers, according to customer satisfaction polls. And some, like Bulb and Octopus have become as well-known as the Big Six suppliers.