Following recent comments from Boris Johnson regarding his ambition to establish the UK as the ‘Saudi Arabia of wind’, the UK’s “Net Zero” target has been receiving increasing amounts of attention from the media. In layman’s terms, Net Zero refers to achieving a balance between how much Carbon Dioxide is produced and how much is taken from the atmosphere. The UK is committed to achieving this balance by 2050, a target set out in 2015 at the UN Climate Conference in Paris.
There has been significant debate within the industry about the technologies and methods that will be most effective in helping us accelerate this transition. The proposed solutions come from various fields such as wind, solar and nuclear power, however one of the key ways people can take matters in to their own hands and reduce their personal environmental footprint is through switching to a greener energy supplier. We shine a spotlight on some of the players that are leading the way in our transition to a greener future:
Pure Planet
Giving consumers the option to power their homes with either 100% renewable energy and 100% Carbon offset gas, Pure Planet really are living up to their name and leading the way when it comes to the UK’s road to Net Zero. Pure Planet’s electricity comes primarily from solar and wind (with a little bit of Hydro for good measure) and all of their gas is carbon offset, allowing them to invest in sustainable projects around the world such as Plant, Preserve and Protect projects in the Peruvian Amazon. The company offer two main tariffs – fixed or variable and don’t make a profit on the energy that consumers use. Recommended by Which?, consumers can be safe in the knowledge that their sustainable journey will be powered by a trusted supplier and switching can be completed in just 17 days – the fastest in the industry.
So Energy
Founded back in 2014 when consumer trust in energy providers was at an all-time low, So Energy was born with a mission to transform how the energy industry works and put the customer first. Underpinned by three core values of honesty, simplicity and providing great value, the business has been working ever since then to put its customers at the heart of its proposition and making it as easy as possible for them to get a great deal on their energy. The brand take pride in their adoption of the very latest tech and pass on the savings that this enables to their customer base. In terms of their renewable credentials, So Energy supply 100% renewable electricity and let customers choose where they source their electricity from, whether that be wind, solar, hydro or biomass.
Good Energy
One of the industry’s more established renewable energy suppliers, Good Energy have been pioneering our transition to a cleaner future for almost 20 years when Net Zero was little more than a pipe dream. The UK’s very first 100% renewable energy supplier, Good Energy’s electricity comes from various locations around the UK, tapping in to local sources including sun, wind, rain and biomass. The business owns a number of solar and wind sites and the rest of their electricity is sourced from a community of small, renewable generators. When it comes to gas, 10% of their green gas comes from biomass and the remaining 90% is offset with community projects in locations such as Malawi, Vietnam and Nepal. As well as household energy, the business also invest in various clean tech solutions such as electric vehicles.
People’s Energy
People’s Energy is a utilities supplier with a difference. They weren’t set up for profit and put the planet and their customers first. Unlike “The Big Six” and larger energy providers, the company don’t have shareholders to answer to so have the agility and autonomy to make people-first decisions that genuinely help their customers. The Social Enterprise take pride in making energy affordable for everyone and their tariffs regularly come in as some of the cheapest on the market. This doesn’t mean however that they make compromises when it comes to their green credentials, all of their energy is derived locally and comes from renewable sources.
Green
Based in the North-East of England, Green is one of the Energy industry’s leading digital disruptors. Harnessing technology to enable a customer-centric approach is Green’s real calling card, offering their customer base a simple dashboard that they can use to track, manage and simplify their energy usage and spend. Green understand that issues happen all year round and aren’t constrained to between the hours of nine and five so their call lines are open between seven and eleven, supported 24/7 by the live chat function on their website. Sourcing all of their energy in the UK, it’s no surprise that for every unit of energy Green use, one is produced and injected right back in to the UK Grid.
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