Three suppliers given gold accreditation for renewable tariffs

Just three energy suppliers have been given the highest classification for renewable energy tariffs in Uswitch.com’s  green accreditation scheme.

Launched last year, the scheme sees an independent panel of experts grade tariffs as gold, silver or bronze based on the level of renewable energy suppliers buy directly, as well as the amount of investment they are making to support the growth of renewable power.

Bronze standard green tariffs provide electricity that is matched with renewable generation certificates (REGOs).

Silver standard green tariffs include at least 39.7% of electricity bought directly from renewable generators via power purchase agreements (PPAs). This is a slightly lower number than the 42.9% required last year as it is based on the proportion of renewable energy generated during 2021.

Dual fuel tariffs that have slightly less electricity purchased via PPAs (around 29.7%) can still reach silver standard if they include some green gas (biomethane) in the gas mix and/or offset the gas consumed through schemes that can be traced to specific carbon offset projects.

In total 10 tariffs offered by three suppliers were given a gold classification, meaning they provide 100% of renewable electricity from power purchase agreements (PPAs) and 10% green gas.

Additionally they provide a “meaningful contribution” towards increasing and/or promoting renewable electricity, such as investing into future renewable generation.

Six tariffs submitted by Good Energy, three from Green Energy UK (GEUK) and one from British Gas were judged to be “market leading” for their green credentials by an expert panel.

The panel includes:

• Maxine Frerk, director at the Grid Edge Policy consultancy and chair of SGN’s Customer Engagement Group
• Matthew Hannon, professor at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, University of Strathclyde Business School
• Jeff Hardy, director at Sustainable Energy Futures and senior research fellow at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College
• Rosie McGlynn, founder and director at Mentone Energy Consultancy
• Richard Neudegg, head of regulation at Uswitch.com
• Chris Welby, senior responsible officer at Elexon

Overall, every tariff offered by Good Energy and GEUK has been green accredited.

Four tariffs from Scottish Power, three from Octopus Energy and two from EDF Energy were accredited silver, while 19 other tariffs were classified bronze.

Meanwhile Octopus and Ovo Energy were both recognised for their green energy initiatives. Each supplier received a special commendation in the ‘Mobility’ category for their work to make electric vehicles (EVs) more accessible and affordable for customers beyond merely offering an EV tariff.

They also received commendations in the ‘Future Homes’ category. Octopus  was recognised for its trials to shift energy consumption to off-peak periods, while Ovo was commended for its holistic approach to upgrading homes by installing heat pumps and insulation to make homes more energy efficient.

Justina Miltienyte, head of policy at Uswitch.com, said: “Despite the upheaval in the energy market over the past year, consumers still want to do their bit for the environment, so it’s great to see that there are ten gold tariffs being offered.

“However, suppliers must continue to find ways to help consumers go green, whether through their tariffs or other initiatives.

“Ovo Energy and Octopus Energy are making significant progress by offering innovative initiatives around the home and transport that help people not just reduce their energy bills, but also cut their carbon footprint.

“We hope to see more suppliers follow in their footsteps and launch further schemes which could receive special commendations next year.”