If you care about the environment, then take a look at Good Energy. Headquartered in Wiltshire, this up and coming energy provider takes renewable energy to the next level. All of the electricity that it supplies comes from renewable sources in the UK, dramatically reducing your carbon footprint. The company is starting to generate some real attention – for example, it won the 2014 Social Impact Company of the Year Award, which is awarded by the London Stock Exchange.
A mix of renewable energy sources
Good Energy relies on a number of completely clean energy sources to supply electricity to its more than 40,000 customers. More than 67% of its energy comes from wind power – the company has two of its own wind farms, one at Delabole in Cornwall, and the second near Doncaster in South Yorkshire. In fact, the Delabole wind farm was the first commercial farm built in the UK. The company also generates more than 25% of its electricity using solar energy, with solar farms in both Cornwall and Dorset. They actually plan to ramp up solar capacity further, with a total of 100 MW already in construction, and more projects slated for the future.
Building a community
In addition to generating its own clean power, the company is also actively involved in growing a community of individuals and small companies that generate clean energy. This is a growing trend in the UK, with over 66,000 renewable energy generators at last count. The company has a number of targeted schemes that support power generators, depending on how much electricity they generate. For example, its HomeGen scheme buys power from householders who want to generate electricity for themselves using technologies such as solar panels – and then sell the excess. At the other end of the scale, the company also enters into power purchase agreements with larger generators who produce over 100 kW.
Available throughout the UK
Although the company is based in Wiltshire, that doesn’t mean that you need to live locally to sign up for their clean energy tariffs. The company offers power throughout the UK, since it distributes its power through the National Grid. In fact, you can switch to the company in just the same way that you switch to any other electricity provider, and you can also purchase natural gas from them as well. There’s no disruption, you don’t have to get a new meter, and the whole process takes about five minutes. That seems like a worthwhile investment to protect the environment, particularly since the company promises to match your existing tariffs.