E.ON has announced it is now providing all of its residential customers across Britain with a 100 per cent renewable electricity supply on all tariffs as standard, and at no extra cost.
The change means more than 3.3m homes now have an electricity supply matched by renewable sources, including wind, biomass and solar. E.ON’s announcement is said to be the largest of its type to date in the UK, significantly increasing the number of households in the country backed by 100 per cent renewable electricity.
This comes as a survey of electricity customers shows more than three in five Britons (61 per cent) not already on a renewable tariff, would be likely to change to a renewable electricity supplier if at a reasonable price.
And with more than three quarters of people in Britain concerned about climate change (77 per cent), and a similar number saying they could do more to be more sustainable (79 per cent), the move demonstrates the need for companies to support consumers in taking steps to reduce their environmental impact.
“Climate change is the defining issue of our era, and one that energy customers are increasingly concerned about,” said E.ON UK chief executive, Michael Lewis.“We believe large-scale action can make significant change possible and we’re committed to playing a leading role and setting an example for others to follow, that’s why we’re providing all of our residential customers with 100 per cent renewable electricity as standard – a change at a scale never seen before in Britain.
“Our announcement is an important first step in a journey towards a more sustainable and personalised energy system, but the future of energy doesn’t stop here. The opportunities include helping all of our customers to better manage their energy through smart, personalised and sustainable technologies.”
E.ON is directly supplying a large proportion of this renewable electricity through its own renewable generation fleet, as well as agreements with independent wind generators around the country to directly purchase the electricity produced. The remaining electricity used by customers is matched with 100 per cent renewable electricity sourced externally through such things as renewable electricity guarantee certificates from the likes of wind, biomass and solar sources. These certificates guarantee that an equivalent amount of renewable electricity was generated to the amount supplied.
E.ON owns more than 20 onshore and offshore wind farms in the UK, as well as biomass plants in Scotland and South Yorkshire.
