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Business supplier Smartest Energy will issue 500 UK companies with energy labels which identify the source and carbon content of the clean electricity they buy.
The labels aim to boost the renewables industry and provide increased confidence to business consumers.
The labels trace every megawatt the company uses to its source of origin and reports the exact carbon footprint of the power used and their contribution to meeting UK climate targets.
Sustainable building company Willmott Dixon and the University of London are among the businesses which will receive labels.
Smartest Energy chief executive Robert Groves said: “For a while now, business customers have been calling for increased transparency around renewables to help them make the decision to switch that much easier. We now supply over 3TWh of renewable power…all backed by origin certificates and evidenced by our energy labels, so the momentum for businesses to buy renewable is really growing.
“We call on other suppliers to provide the same level of clarity that we give our customers to help drive the renewables market and enable businesses to buy clean energy with confidence.”
Smartest Energy is working with the Carbon Trust to produce the labels. Every megawatt hour supplied is backed with an origin certificate, which is tracked and allocated in an Emissions Factor Model and certified by the Carbon Trust to be compliant with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Product Standard.
Carbon Trust managing director Hugh Jones said: “We have been working with Smartest Energy for the past two years and are very supportive of their continued efforts to provide clarity around 100 per cent renewable electricity.
“Businesses have an important role to play in ensuring the UK meets its carbon reduction targets and it is initiatives like this that are helping to empower businesses to choose renewable power. The energy labels provide businesses with the rigour and traceability they require to navigate the complexities of renewable energy and carbon reporting.”
A report from the Aldersgate Group, which represents companies with a turnover of more than £400 billion, revealed that the energy labels measure could see low carbon electricity meet nearly half of all commercial demand by 2020, up from 14.4 per cent to 48.3 per cent.
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