First ecolabelled tariff in the UK
A UK first for EKOenergy, Green Energy UK is offering residential customers 100% renewable energy that meets EKOenergy’s strict environmental criteria.
Green Energy UK, launched in 2001, was one of the very first companies in the UK offering a green only energy tariff. They were the first energy company to offer a time-of-use energy tariff, for example, and they are currently the only energy seller in the UK offering 100% renewable gas to customers.
While Green Energy’s tariffs are all green, the EKOenergy gas and electricity tariff is setting a new standard for the UK energy industry. The tariff will go beyond solely fighting emissions and address the other wider impacts to the environment to ensure species such as birds and fish are protected.
Doug Stewart, CEO of Green Energy UK said they consider this as the first step in their journey to converting all their energy over to such higher standards.
EKOenergy’s strict sustainability criteria, approved by over 40 environmental NGOs, ensures that the energy that customers buy is produced by power plants that do not adversely impact nature or biodiversity. For example, EKOenergy only labels wind and solar installations that are built outside of areas recognised as important bird areas.
What’s more, when customers buy energy with the EKOenergy ecolabel, a small amount of money goes to EKOenergy’s Climate Fund. This finances renewable energy projects in the developing world. One recently completed project, for example, saw the installation of solar panels, the provision of electronic education equipment and the development of water and sanitation facilities in 9 schools in the rural Andean region of Apurimac, Peru.
“To those people who want to make a particular stand for the environment and the climate change emergency, and go one step further, we’ve introduced Green Energy EKOenergy, offering residential customers 100% green energy, with independent verification. We consider this as the first step in our journey to converting all our energy over to these higher standards.” Doug Stewart, CEO of Green Energy UK
Green Energy UK are also the only private energy company in the UK to offer free shares to their customers. CEO Douglas Stewart, gave away half of his personal shares in the company, reducing his personal stake in the company from 50% to 25%: “When I said I wanted to give half the business to the customers our financial advisers said I must be mad. But I wanted them to feel part of what I was trying to do and to share the vision.”
„Dual Fuel tariff“
Green Energy UK’s new Dual Fuel EKOenergy tariff offers customers the option of buying both green electricity and green gas that is supported by the EKOenergy ecolabel. In the case of green gas, EKOenergy only labels gas that is produced from residues. This means that only waste material from agriculture and forestry can be used, such as animal dung, unusable parts of crops or unusable parts of trees such as branches, bark and leaves. Green energy UK produces their green gas in anaerobic digestion chambers that break down pig waste.
The Dual Fuel EKOenergy tariff, then, is a great option for customers who want to buy environmentally sustainable energy and help support local power plants who take into consideration their impact on nature.
Together we can do more
Gabby Mallett, Director of Operations, National Energy Foundation said: “We welcome the launch of a true green energy, delivered by Green Energy UK, and certified by EKOenergy. Delivering greener energy is vital if we are to help businesses and homeowners reduce the environmental impact of energy use in buildings across the UK. Pioneering certification schemes such as EKOenergy’s are key to providing confidence to energy customers that the energy they are buying is 100% renewable and delivers additional environmental benefits.”
We at EKOenergy are thrilled that Green Energy UK have chosen to support our ecolabel and look forward to working closely with them in the hope of promoting environmentally sustainable energy in the UK!
Posted on 1 October 2019
