5 Green Energy Suppliers (U.K.)

Morgane
September 27, 2018
March 11, 2024

I believe living sustainably requires to adopt a holistic approach (or is well, doomed). That means, being zero waste and reducing the visible amount of rubbish we produce is great and is one thing but, what about the rubbish we produce we do not see? Like… the one in the air. Or the one produced for us to be able to switch on lights in our homes? Choosing a sustainable energy supplier may not be as glamorous as walking around with beautiful reusable coffee cups but guys, it is just as important.

What’s even green energy?

Green energy, or renewable energy, is energy that is collected from sources that are naturally replenished on a human timescale. That means, these sources do not need a whole other planet or hundreds of millions of years to form again. The main sources of renewable energy are wind, sunlight, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat. Burning biomass is also often also considered a renewable energy.

Want to hear about non-renewable energy sources? Nuclear power (which on top of not being renewable creates nuclear waste), coal, petroleum and natural gas are good examples.

Renewable electricity currently represents 27.9% of the UK’s total electricity source. That number keeps growing year after year. Do you want to be part of the future, too? (bonus point: it might even be cheaper for your wallet)

1. Bulb

100% of Bulb’s electricity is renewable, and 10% of their gas is green gas (biomethane, which is the gas produced from organic matter like sewage and manure). I really love the transparency that Bulb offers to their clients—they give very specific information about their energy source with a list of all their generators.

Bulb is the energy provider that I personally picked for my home as I like the idea that the business I am supporting is willing to do things entirely sustainably, instead of just having a “green plan” on top of other not-so-green ones.

As they’re my personal favourite energy provider, I’m happy to be able to share a link for you to get £50 off when you make the switch! (full disclaimer: I’ll also get a £50 credit on my electricity bill, and I thank you SO MUCH for that! 🙂 )

Energy sources: hydropower, anaerobic digestion, solar power and biogen.

2. Octopus

Their Super Green Octopus Tariff offers 100% renewable electricity and full carbon offsets for gas. This means that from an energy point of view your home is carbon neutral, leaving no footprint on the planet. I don’t know about you guys, but I like that idea a lot.

Energy sources: their main energy source is solar (who said there’s no sunshine in the UK?!) and they also recently invested in wind generation and anaerobic digestion.

3. Ovo Energy

The classic plan they offer is made of 64.7% renewable energy, and 35.3% natural gas (reminder: natural gas, despite its slightly misleading name, isn’t a renewable energy source). They also offer a green upgrade to get 100% renewable energy.

Energy sources of the Green Energy plan: wind, solar, geothermal, wave, tidal, hydro, biomass, landfill gas, sewage treatment plant gas and biogas.
Bonus point: they plant 5 trees on your behalf when you sign up to the green upgrade.

4. Pure Planet

Pure Planet offers a plan with 100% renewable electricity and 100% carbon offset for gas (if any). Their point? They want a planet for the next generation too.

Energy sources: wind, sun and water.

5. Squeaky

for businesses only.
Squeaky’s priding themselves to have not only renewable energy but also fully clean energy. They will also supply you from your closest generator, which keeps costs low.

Energy sources: local wind, solar, geothermal, wave, tidal and hydropower.
Bonus: on top of all this green goodness, Squeaky is also a bCorp.

Image source: T. Chick McClure—thank you.

Morgane

Morgane is a London-based writer passionate about sustainable living, ethical fashion and social justice.

References[+]

References
↑1	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Renewable energy in 2017