Why?
The decarbonisation of the electricity grid in the UK has been an important source of emissions reductions to date in the UK with over half of our electricity coming from non-fossil fuel sources and over 70% of our electricity coming from wind alone on record breaking windy days. The UK government has set a target for the electricity grid to be fully decarbonised by 2035.
Changing your energy provider and investing in renewable energy are great ways to influence your environmental impact on a national scale. There are many forms of renewable energy available to harness which range from wind, solar and wave power to tidal, biomass and hydroelectric power. All of these green ways of creating energy are mostly carbon neutral. Energy companies have been diversifying their energy portfolio to include these sources and reducing the carbon cost of energy generation.
How?
Switch your energy provider
As the owner or main tenant of a building or flat you should be able to switch your energy supplier at any time. Speak to your landlord if you’re not sure. If you share a tariff with other tenants, why not ask around if the others would like to make the switch too.
Ofgem offers a comprehensive guide on how to switch your energy supplier here. Some 100% renewables contracts are more effective at promoting renewable power generation than others. As explained in this Transitions Cambridge blog finding suppliers that either invest in renewables directly themselves or by buying Power Purchasing Agreements.
High energy prices in winter 2022/2023 mean that this is not a good time to switch tariffs and most people are advised to stay with their current tariff. Many energy companies have gone bust and others have removed tariffs, meaning that there is less choice for new customers. If there are no options to switch at the moment, set yourself a reminder to check back again soon.
The Big Clean Switch will recommend renewable energy suppliers (when it’s economical to make the switch) and make the switch on your behalf. There are also many other advice and price comparison sites listed in the Support section below.
Invest in renewable energy and get money off your bill
There are schemes available e.g. from Ripple Energy, that allow you to jointly invest with others in renewable energy projects. Your upfront investment means that you can buy electricity back over the lifetime of the project at the operating cost of the particular wind/solar farm that you have invested in, rather than the market price which fluctuates. Your upfront investment reduces the 30-40% of your bill that is due to the electricity price (the remaining 60-70% share of your bill is for taxes, levies, supplier and grid costs will be unaffected by the scheme).
Support
The Big Clean Switch: service that will recommend renewable energy suppliers and make the switch on your behalf.
Other energy price and contract comparison sites include: Energy Helpline; Energylinx; The Energy Shop; Money Supermarket; My Utility Genius; Runpath; Simply Switch; Switch Gas and Electric; Quotezone; Unravel It; Uswitch. All of these sites have been accredited by Ofgem.
Transitions Cambridge have written a blog on what to watch out for to make sure that you switch to a company that is genuinely accelerating the decarbonisation of the electricity grid.
Ripple energy: scheme that allows you to jointly invest in renewable energy projects and buy back electricity at the operating cost rather than the market value.
