9th Feb 10
100% renewable electricity supplier launches new green tariff to comply with green guidelines
Good Energy, the UK’s only dedicated 100% renewable electricity supplier, welcomes the new Green Energy Supply Certification scheme for electricity which meets Ofgem Guidelines for Green Supply, and is one of the first suppliers to have a tariff certified under the scheme.
Good Energy has been campaigning for greater transparency for green tariffs for many years and was one of the original signatories to the guidelines when they were first proposed last year.
The new certification scheme, launched today, is designed to encourage greater uptake of green tariffs from consumers by offering greater clarity and clearing up confusion over domestic green electricity supply. Under the guidelines, suppliers will only be able to market their products as green if they are accredited by an independent panel as having met certain environmental criteria. Specifically, a green tariff must consist of:
- 100% renewable electricity, backed by the appropriate certification of REGOs and LECs
- Additional measures to mitigate a minimum of 50kg of carbon per customer per year, or 1 tonne if done using Carbon Emissions Reduction Certificates
- Accompanying standardised information including a detailed break-down of the supplier’s fuel mix
Good Energy has today launched a new ‘100% Green & Gold’ tariff which mirrors its original 100% renewable electricity tariff while incorporating additional carbon abatement in the form of Gold Standard Certified Emissions Reductions (CERs).
Juliet Davenport, Founder and CEO of Good Energy, said: “Greater clarity for green electricity is something we’ve campaigned for for many years. We’re delighted that the new guidelines support the model of 100% renewable electricity that we’ve always operated and hope that others will be encouraged to follow suit. Under the leadership of the independent panel, we believe that these guidelines will significantly boost demand for renewables in the UK.”
“Consumers want to know that they are making a genuine difference to climate change and thanks to the green energy scheme announced today they can now be assured of it. The existence of these guidelines should put an end to greenwash in the electricity market and sounds the death knell to the dubious double-counting practices of ‘carbon cowboys’ once and for all.”
Gold Standard Certified Emissions Reductions represent quantifiable emissions reductions generated by projects that meet best practice sustainability standards - for example investing in wind power in India and energy efficiency in the UK.
The 100% Green & Gold tariff is one of the first tariffs to be accredited under the new Ofgem Green Guidelines.
Solitaire Townsend, chair of the certification panel, said: “We are happy to be able to certify this green tariff. Good Energy led the working group for the scheme, and we are grateful for their commitment to transparency and best practice in the market”
Notes to Editors:
About Good Energy’s new 100% Green & Gold tariff:
Good Energy is the only electricity supplier to supply only 100% renewable electricity through all of its domestic supply tariffs. The new 100% Green & Gold tariff includes an extra carbon abatement measure in the form of Gold Standard CERs to ensure the tariff complies with Ofgem’s new guidelines. Carbon additionality can be achieved in a number of ways and Good Energy is working on applying a more innovative alternative to its existing 100% renewable electricity tariff which it hopes to announce in April.