Many people in the UK are now switching to green electricity to help save the environment from climate change, the depletion of valuable non renewable resources, and various other problems. Other reasons for this may be to feel less guilty about contributing to the above factors, and also that it may be more economically beneficial to their household or business to find a cheaper, renewable alternative. They may also wish to set an example to other people, for example any customers, to prove they are an environmentally friendly company, which is likely to lead to more support.
Some suppliers will match the price of your current electricity bills, although others do ask for a small additional payment depending on the source of the renewable energy offered. The best thing to do is to search online and ask around for the best quote available on the current market.
In Britain, suppliers are legally required to buy a percentage of their electricity from renewable sources under the Renewables Obligation, but there is a risk that they may sell such green electricity under a premium 'green energy' tariff, rather than looking for additional green electricity supplies. They might also sell the associated Renewables Obligation Certificates to another dealer who has not been successful in reaching their quota, instead of 'retiring' the certificate from the marketplace.
Non-domestic consumers can get out of paying the Climate Change Levy by obtaining a Levy Exemption Certificate from a renewable energy supplier. As these are not needed by households, it is possible for the supplier to sell the certificates to businesses.
A lot of councils have now turned to green energy tariffs in order to provide the electricity for the majority of their council buildings or street lamps. These can be bought from current renewable energy plants, know as a green tariff, or support a fund to help the development of future renewable energy generation, called a green fund. The aim is to reduce overall energy consumption and set an example to the public. If they set an example, it is likely that many other people will follow. If they didn’t, then they would ask themselves why should they bother if no one else is putting in the effort.
The government have also implemented various changes to encourage a more green electricity nation. For example, energy saving light bulbs have now dominated the market, as the old ones are no longer allowed to be produced and sold in British shops. This forces people to use bulbs which require less energy to work, and although they take longer to turn on, they are a much more environmentally friendly option. If you think of the number of bulbs each household, or business, has at any one time, and multiply that by 2 or 3 times a year in which they will need to be changed, this is a large proportion of the energy market, so changing this has been a very good move..