UK Energy’s Getting Greener

There are a growing number of energy suppliers that offer 100% renewable energy tariffs to domestic and business customers, however, not all of these suppliers generate 100% renewable energy.

This is because energy suppliers can buy renewable energy from renewable energy generators, then sell it to their customers. 

Suppliers can also buy Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates from these companies, which allows them to claim that they provide zero-carbon energy, despite generating their own energy using fossil fuels.

The UK domestic electricity supplier fuel mix

In order to make this information available to consumers, there has been government legislation put in place called the Electricity (Fuel Mix Disclosure) Regulations 2005.

This requires all electricity suppliers in Great Britain to disclose the fuels they use to generate the electricity they supply. These fuels come in the form of coal, natural gas, nuclear, renewable and other energy sources.

This information enables customers to make an informed choice about the electricity they buy.

How green is your energy supplier? 

We have developed a data visualisation based on the fuel mix of 58 UK domestic electricity suppliers in 2019, sourced from Electricity Info. 

The visualisation reveals how electricity is generated (coal, gas, nuclear, renewable, other) by each supplier, as well as each supplier’s CO2 emissions. 

The visualisation shows that renewable energy production is on the rise. Almost 30% of UK energy suppliers (16) are currently generating 100% renewable energy. This is followed by almost 20% of suppliers (11) that are generating 95% renewable energy. 

Supplier carbon emissions

The visualisation also reflects each supplier’s carbon dioxide emissions in 2019, resulting from the electricity they generate. 

Electricity generation is currently the biggest single source of CO2 emissions in the UK, responsible for approximately a third of total emissions. 

The government has announced a target of net zero for UK greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, following recommendations made by the Committee on Climate Change. 

This change to legislation came into force on 27 June 2019 and amended the Climate Change Act 2008 target of an 80% reduction in GHG emissions compared with the levels in 1990.

If you’re interested in finding out how you could switch to a green energy supplier for your business, call us today on 0800 411 8830, or use our online quote tool to see how much you can save on your business energy rates.