Archived press release

Foe publishes green electricity league table

8 May 2002

A new green electricity league table published today by Friends of the Earth tells householders which electricity suppliers provide the best green electricity products. Topping the table is Unit[e].

Since the energy market was opened up to competition in 1998 it has been possible to sign up to the power company that offers the cleanest electricity, rather than having to deal with the company in your region. This means that householders can now choose to pay for their electrical appliances to be powered by clean renewable energy, instead of coal, gas or nuclear. Green electricity is an easy way to help tackle climate change and reduce pollution, and can add as little as £1 a week to the average fuel bill.

There are basically two types of green electricity tariffs: Energy based - where the supplier buys renewable energy to match the amount you use; Fund based - where the supplier puts money aside to fund green projects. Some suppliers use a combination of both.

Friends of the Earth’s green league table aims to cut through the confusion surrounding green electricity. Since April this year a new law requires all electricity suppliers to buy some green power (currently 3 %). This is welcome but it has made it difficult to assess which companies are leading the green energy revolution and which are just doing the legal minimum.

Bryony Worthington, Energy Campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:
“Unit[e] tops the green energy league table because it buys all its electricity from green sources. They also offer the clearest commitment to doing more than is legally required.”

“By choosing a green energy supplier to provide our homes with electricity, everyone can make a positive contribution to fighting climate change and reducing pollution. Changing to a new green tariff is also easy. You simply contact your new green supplier, fill in a form and, once your meter’s been read, you’ll be switched on to greener power.”

Notes

1. Using renewable energy helps fight climate change because it reduces the production of carbon dioxide - a dangerous climate changing gas. Conventional power stations using fossil fuels to generate electricity produce 28% of the UK’s green house gas emissions – the single largest source. Using green energy also reduces other types of pollution caused by coal, gas and nuclear power.

The Friends of the Earth league table of the different green electricity tariffs currently on offer has been compiled using information provided by Greenprices (www.greenprices.com).

The results, which are based on an interpretation of OFGEM’s guidelines for green electricity suppliers, show one clear winner – Unit[e] although Friends of the Earth stress that almost all suppliers will need to change their marketing material to make it completely clear what they are offering.

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH’S GREEN ENERGY LEAGUE TABLE
(Tariff/Company)

1. Unit[e] (Unit[e])
= 2 Ecotricity (Ecotricity)
= 2 Green Energy 100 (Green Energy UK)
= 4. Eco Energy (Northern Ireland Electricity)
= 4 Green Energy 10 (Green Energy UK)
= 6 Juice (Innogy Group)
= 6 * Ecopower (TXU Energi)
= 6 * Green Tariff (London Electricity Group)
= 9 * RSPB Energy (Scottish and Southern Energy)
= 9 * Green Energy Offer (Scottish Power)
11 * Green Fund Tariff (Seeboard Energy Ltd)

Unranked
GreenPlan (Powergen) – New product due at end of May
Servista (Servista) – Didn’t answer questionnaire.

All ranked companies listed above offer energy based tariff unless marked with an asterisk * which indicates a fund based tariffs.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust