Product Description
Green energy suppliers are different from normal energy suppliers in two main ways. Firstly the energy that they supply – which is mostly electricity – comes from renewable sources in the form of wind farms, solar power and occasionally water turbines. Secondly, the majority of Green Energy suppliers reinvest a proportion of their profits into additional renewable energy projects around the UK.

Main Players
There are several suppliers that specialise in renewable energy and these include Green Energy UK, Good Energy and Ecotricity. In addition, some of the larger energy suppliers also invest in renewable energy projects even though their energy doesn’t come from them. Scottish Power, Centrica, Scottish & Southern and EDF energy all fall into this growing group.

Pros of Green Energy Suppliers

• The energy, mostly in the form of electricity, that comes from these suppliers is produced using renewable sources.
• A percentage of the profits that each company makes is ploughed into the development of additional renewable energy projects.
• The price plans from these companies are very similar to those of the major energy suppliers.
• Using electricity from a Green Energy supplier can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 30% which is very beneficial to the environment.

Cons of Green Energy Suppliers

• Some of the Green Energy suppliers do provide electricity from renewable sources but they fail to invest in future projects. This only makes them slightly more green and environmentally conscious than the regular energy suppliers.
• Green energy isn’t available from the specialist companies throughout the UK yet and so the availability will rely on your location.

Things to Consider when Choosing a Provider
The provider you choose will depend to a large extent on whether you want your money to go towards future renewable energy projects or whether you are just happy to receive energy from renewable sources now. Companies such as Ecotricity do both i.e. they supply and reinvest, however Green Energy UK and Good Energy only supply green energy now. They don’t put any of their profits into future developments. Some of the major energy suppliers, such as Scottish Power and Centrica, do invest in new projects but their energy isn’t green at present.

Another thing to consider is the price of their energy plans. In general, the specialist green suppliers only work with electricity however their price plans are normally only slightly higher than equivalent plans from the major energy suppliers. Using electricity from a Green company though can reduce your carbon footprint by over 2 tonnes each year which will help benefit the environment in the long run.

BUYability Summary
According to the comparison tables, it is possible to save money each year by changing to a Green Energy supplier and so it is worth considering. In addition to the possible savings, you will also be doing your bit for the environment by greatly reducing your carbon footprint and you could be contributing, indirectly, to the development of new renewable energy projects for the future. The only possible drawback is that Green energy from renewable sources isn’t available in your area yet but you won’t know unless you look will you?