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Green energy tariffs
Article updated: Friday 22 May, 2009
By becca.talbot@consumerchoices.co.uk
Want to go green but you're not sure how? Start helping the environment by getting your energy from renewable sources - most tariffs cost no more than what you’re paying already and you could even save money and enjoy extra benefits.
All energy suppliers are legally obligated to buy 8% of their electricity from green, renewable sources that don’t burn fossil fuels or create carbon emissions. This means that although you can't stop using gas and electricity at home, by signing up to an environmentally-friendly energy tariff you can do a little more to help save the planet.
Although the energy you use at home doesn’t come direct from a wind farm or solar panel, your provider will supply the national grid with renewable energy, and the national grid will then supply your home.
Green Energy Tariffs
| Company | Package Name | Green electricity | Green gas | Discounts | Extra costs? | Green policies | Benefits |
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E.ON
E.ON offers a Go Green tariff for both gas and electricity seperately, and a dual fuel tariff if you want to take both. Signing up to Go Green means that E.ON will match all of your electricity usage with energy from renewable sources such as hydro-electricity and wind power.
They will also offset all the gas that you use by funding sustainable projects through Climate Care - an organization set up to offset CO2 emissions.
As a Go Green energy customer you’ll also be able to take advantage of special offers and discounts on energy efficient products offered by E.ON.
- 100% renewable energy pumped into the national grid to match your usage
- Projects to offset your carbon dioxide emissions
- 500 Tesco Green Clubcard points every year
- Exclusive energy efficiency offers
Click here to visit E.ON Go Green and get an online quote.
npower
npower Juice allows you to source your gas and electricity from green energy without any extra cost. And if you sign up to both the gas and electricity tariffs and pay by direct debit, you’ll even get an £80 discount each year.
Like E.ON, npower will match all of your energy usage by purchasing the same amount from green energy sources - much of which is generated by the North Hoyle Offshore Wind Farm which has been generating npower Juice since 2003. It also offers ways that you can make your own energy for your home; by installing solar panels, wind turbines and even small-scale hydro generators.
npower will also contribute £10 a year to the Juice Fund to assist in financing more renewable energy projects.
- Up to £80 discount per year
- Juice costs exactly the same as standard npower electricity
- npower makes an annual contribution of £10 to the Juice Fund for every customer that stays on
- The Juice Fund assists the development of other renewable energy projects
- 100% renewable energy pumped into the national grid to match your usage
Click here to visit npower Juice and get an online quote.
Scottish Power
Scottish Power’s Green Energy H2O and Online Energy Saver 4 Green Energy Fund tariffs match your energy use with energy generated by the company’s hydro generators off the coast of Scotland at Lanark, Galloway and Cruachan.
Even Friends of the Earth have recognised their efforts. “The significance of Scotland’s hydro resource is often forgotten and we welcome Scottish Power’s Green Energy H20 tariff and the opportunity that this presents for consumers to choose to source their energy from a renewable tariff,” said the organisation’s Scottish arm.
Customers on the Green Energy H2O tariff can save up to £16.80 a year, while those who sign up to Online Energy Saver 4 Green Energy Fund can save £39.50 by opting for paperless billing and online account management - and could even qualify for an online Energy Service discount of £5.25 for electricity and £10.50 for gas, and the Green Energy H2O saving, on top - a total possible saving of £72.05.
- Benefit from combined discounts of up to £72.05 each year
- Customers can choose to donate their discount to Scottish Power’s Green Energy Fund to finance further renewable energy schemes
- Scottish Power are the UK’s largest wind farm developer and plan to be able to power around 250,000 homes in coming years
- 100% renewable energy pumped into the national grid to match your usage
Click here to visit Scottish Power Green Energy H2O and Online Energy Saver 4 Green Energy Fund and get an online quote.
EDF Energy
Existing EDF customers concerned about the impact of their energy on the planet can switch to the Greenwise Tariff which costs no more than EDF’s Standard Domestic Tariff, but once signed up EDF will contribute the same amount of electricity that you use back into the national grid from renewable sources. It will also contribute £13.86 per year into its Green Fund to finance renewable energy projects.
Those not already with EDF can switch and sign up to its Green Tariff and will pay an additional £13.86 on top of their standard electricity costs. This goes directly to the Green Fund and EDF will match energy use as with Greenwise customers.
Both Greenwise and Green Tariff customers get a free home energy survey, a free energy efficiency guide and two free energy saving light bulbs to get them started on the road to cleaner energy use.
Any customers wanting to do even more can also consider the Climate Balance tariff, which although it costs an extra £44 a year (£3.66 a month), will offset your carbon emissions by helping local communities and planting trees both in the UK and abroad.
- If you’re already with EDF you can do your bit without incurring any extra charges
- If you switch to EDF you only pay a small yearly surcharge for greener energy
- Option to offset your carbon emissions
- 100% renewable energy pumped into the national grid to match your usage
Scottish & Southern Energy
Scottish & Southern’s green tariffs take a more conservationist approach. As well as promising to match your energy usage by pumping renewable energy into the national grid, Scottish &Southern will donate money on your behalf to the RSPB.
If you join the RSPB Tariff as a dual fuel customer £20 will be donated (£10 per fuel) on joining and a further £5 per fuel for each year you stay on the tariff.
- Going green with Scottish & Southern doesn’t cost you extra
- Donations are given on your behalf to a known, trusted charity
- 100% renewable energy pumped into the national grid to match your usage
- Conservation rather than offsetting existing pollution
Click here to visit Scottish & Southern RSPB Energy and get an online quote.
British Gas
British Gas offers two different green energy tariffs; Future Energy for electricity and Zero Carbon which offers a dual fuel option. Rather than just committing to the 8% of green energy it has to supply by law, using its Zero Carbon tariff, British Gas will contribute 12%.
British Gas customers signing up to these tariffs will pay a small surcharge to know that they are receiving greener energy, helping to fund renewable energy sources and even making Britain’s schools more environmentally friendly places to learn.
Future Energy customers pay an additional £2 a month (£24 a year) while Zero Carbon customers will pay £7 extra on their bills (£84 a year). But they will know that their money will be well spent as they’ll be getting the greenest tariff on the market - completely carbon neutral.
- 100% renewable energy pumped into the national grid to match your usage
- British Gas has done the most to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions according to WWF, with the lowest CO2 levels of any major supplier
- Small monthly surcharge for going green
- CO2 offsetting of your carbon emissions
Click here to visit British Gas Future Energy and Zero Carbon and get an online quote.
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