Help Desk

Green Energy

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 eight per cent of the electricity they supply 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.

Feature of Green Energy

Traditionally access to environmentally friendly public utilities such as gas, electricity and water has been limited and in most cases prohibitively expensive, but there has been a profusion of new `green` utility schemes in recent years which mean the environmentally friendly approach is finally within reach for all.

This comes not a moment too soon. Green peace estimates that in most developed countries, domestic gas and electricity generation creates around half of the carbon emissions causing global warming.

More embarrassing for those of us in the UK, perhaps, a recent report by the World Economic Forum concluded that Britain has the second worst record for environmental protection in Europe.

And, with the government proposing subsidies of 3p per unit of energy for green utilities amid demands that at least 10% of our electricity should come from renewable sources within 10 years, the case for green energy is growing.

It's impossible to ensure that the electricity coming through your plug socket is green unless you generate it yourself, but `match buying` means your supplier commits to buying electricity to the value of your use from a renewable supplier.