So, then I found Ecotricity, the UK's largest independent green energy company, set up by "Eco Hero" Dale Vince OBE (new-age traveller turned corporate hot-shot) with the express purpose of changing the way that electricity is generated and supplied in order to bring about significant environmental improvement. As a company without shareholders it can make decisions based on what is best for the planet, not on what maximises profit. They spent the most per customer on building deep-green resources (by almost 10x) of any energy provider (more info - this site is authored by Ecotricity so unsurprisingly they come out the best, but the facts do seem to be backed up by the big provider's sites).
Ecotricity has two tariffs:
1. New Energy - 26% energy from "new green" (i.e. Ecotricity's green sources), rest "brown", tariff is matched to that of your regional provider. Proceeds are ploughed into building more new green capacity.
2. New Energy Plus - same committment to building new sources, but ALL your energy is green - the 26% new green is topped up with "old green" (existing wind, solar and tidal). This is scarce so tariff is 0.5p more per unit.
We decided to go with the all-green option. If our electricity usage is the same as last year, this will cost us £16.27 more than the part-green option (which would cost the same as our current supplier EDF).
And they will plant a tree when we switch. And you can climb up their wind turbine in Norfolk - we are already planning a visit!
So where's the catch?
- They are small. nPower's total spend on new green resources was 7x Ecotricity's in 2004 . But they are growing (looks like the spend will be pretty similar this year) and they are totally dedicated.
- How do you know that Dale is going to invest your extra cash in the most efficient way possible? I guess you don't. But there is no premium on the tariff, so it's no difference to you and they are definately building new turbines.
- article in the Ecologist on the subject of changing electricity suppliers which favours Ecotricity, which provided many of the facts in this post
- article in The Independent about measuring your "carbon fitness"
which I used to calculate CO2 emissions - Ecotricity's website
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