The Best UK Renewable Energy Suppliers

Renewables have been mounting their challenge against fossil fuels for over a decade now, and we’re finally starting to see some results. 

Powering your home with renewable energy was once a pipe dream for UK homeowners, but thankfully, green technology has advanced over time. Clean energy is now much more affordable, with more and more people able to cut both emissions and energy bills in half.

As more people get on board with green energy, more green suppliers have started popping up around the UK – but who can you trust? 

It’s second nature for many people to jump the gun, and opt for one of the ‘big six’ energy suppliers in the UK – SSE, EDF Energy, British Gas, Npower, E.ON, and ScottishPower – who still provide 95% of the energy in the UK. But opting for smaller renewable energy suppliers will often leave you with a better deal, cleaner energy, less confusion, and good quality of service.

So, if you’re ready to part ways with these ungainly energy behemoths, scroll down to check out the best renewable energy suppliers in the UK. To find out how much you could save on your home energy bills, simply pop your details into this quick form, and our suppliers will contact you with a free quote. 

What’s on this page?

Bulb Energy

Bulb has a strong set of green credentials. The company offers 100% green electricity, and 10% green gas. The rest of its gas is offset by carbon reduction projects, making it 100% carbon neutral. 

It only has one tariff to choose from, which may limit your choice, but also keeps things straightforward with no risk of confusion. 

Bulb also prides itself on having a consistent stream of good reviews from customers, boasting an impressive 4.7 stars on Trustpilot from over 35,000 reviews. It’s frequently praised for its smooth switching process, clarity on bills, and excellent customer service. For the minority of reviews that do stoop below three stars, Bulb’s customer service team makes sure to address these issues promptly.

By switching to Bulb, it’s estimated that the average customer lowers their carbon impact by 3.5 tonnes of CO2 a year. That’s the hard work of around 1,770 trees. And if you’re in it for the money, you can look forward to a £50 reward if you refer a friend. It’s a win-win!

Octopus Energy

Octopus Energy can turn your home into an eco oasis with its three green tariffs. It offers a green tariff with 100% renewable electricity and full carbon offsetting for gas, a tariff for electric vehicle drivers, and a tariff that tracks wholesale energy prices and allows customers to see their costs daily.

What’s more, this green energy supplier has garnered almost 25,000 ‘excellent’ reviews on Trustpilot, so you can be sure you’ll be benefitting from a helpful and professional service. In fact, Which? ranked Octopus Energy as 2019’s best energy firm, based on the company’s customer service, complaints handling, and value for money. What more could you want?

Pure Planet

Founded as recently as 2017, Pure Planet is the new kid on the block. This forward-thinking energy supplier has been making waves with its app-only business model. 

Of the 6,500 reviews on Trustpilot, customers seem generally happy with the efficiency of the app, competitive pricing, and the process of switching to Pure Planet from their old supplier. Online feedback also seems satisfied with the company’s value for money, too, which is often a major customer concern.

You can look forward to Pure Planet’s 100% renewable electricity, as well as 100% carbon-offset gas. Similar to competitor Bulb, it offers only one tariff, so you can rest assured you’ll be dealing with a simple, straightforward plan.

Green Energy UK

Technically, Green Energy UK is the only true green energy supplier in the UK – not only does it provide 100% renewable electricity, but 100% green gas too! Rather than offsetting its gas like a lot of other companies, Green Energy UK actually produces all of its gas via anaerobic digestion.

Before you race to your phone to start switching suppliers, however, be aware that like most things in life, this tariff comes at a price – which a lot of the UK simply can’t afford. 

Energy and costs aside, Green Energy UK has bagged itself a valiant 4.5 rating on Trustpilot, with any complaints that do find their way onto the site being addressed right away. Customers are generally satisfied with Green Energy UK’s attentive communication and smooth switching process, as well as its timeliness and care when responding to any queries. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for! 

OVO Energy

Once a little fish in a big pond, OVO Energy has spent the last decade climbing through the renewable energy ranks. At the end of 2019, the company even managed to acquire Big-Sixer SSE (and its 3.5 million customers), though for now they plan to run the two brands separately. 

With three different plans to choose from, OVO gives you the option to tailor the price of your tariff, along with how long you’d like the fixed contract to last for. For those of you more focused on the environmental aspects, you’ll be pleased to hear that all plans come with 50% renewable electricity as standard, or you can upgrade to 100% renewables for just £5 a month extra. 

On top of this, with just over 37,000 reviews sitting on Trustpilot – 86% of which are rated either great or excellent – OVO Energy is swimming in positive feedback. The most frequently applauded features include the company’s efficient customer support and its great value for money. The slightly less flattering reviews, on the other hand, typically discuss confusion around the online accounts and meter readings. 

So Energy

So Energy is a relatively new green electricity firm. Founded in 2015, the company claims its up-to-date technology will ensure that prices are always kept low. The company also supplies 100% renewable electricity, though it doesn’t currently supply green gas – hopefully that’s one for the future. 

The company offers tariffs targeted at customers who want to pay by monthly direct debit, and doesn’t currently offer a prepayment meter option. As So Energy was only founded a few years ago, there aren’t as many reviews as some competitors – however, of the approx. 4,000 reviews on Trustpilot, 96% have given the company a rating of either ‘great’ or ‘excellent’.  

A personalised touch that we love is the ‘vote for your source’ section on the So Energy website. This handy tool allows customers to have a say in how the supplier will source their renewable energy – whether its solar, wind, or hydro. 

Tonik Energy

As well as 100% renewable electricity, Tonik customers have the option to include 10% green gas in their tariff, which is produced from animal and vegetation waste. And rest assured that any emissions resulting from the rest of the gas are offset by investment in carbon reduction projects. 

Though most of the company’s reviews applaud it for its affordable tariffs and easy switching process, there are a few comments that touch on areas which need to be improved. It seems as though Tonik’s lack of communication and attention to customer service is what’s causing them to fall behind some of their competitors. 

But as well as supplying electricity and gas, Tonik Energy also focuses heavily on ‘connecting members to new technologies and innovative ways to power their homes’. On its website, you’ll find solar PV panels, home battery storage from Tesla, and chargers for electric vehicles.

Green tariffs from the Big Six: Are they any good?

Not feeling comfortable going for a smaller energy supplier? You’re not alone – this is why a huge percentage of the UK source their energy from one of ‘the Big Six’. Check out their energy sources below, and keep an eye out for how little renewable energy is used:

Data from company websites

*The results for E.ON are standard fuel mix for business tariffs. All residents will fall under their ‘green’ tariff – see further below for more information.

Though these charts depict the fuel mix for each energy supplier, each company also provides a ‘green’ tariff for customers. But beware – larger companies often use a loophole in the green energy system, which means their ‘green tariffs’ are not as green as they seem. 

Every time a clean energy generator (e.g. solar farm, wind farm) creates 1 megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable electricity, Ofgem issues a certificate called a Renewable Energy Guarantees Origin (REGO). These energy generators then sell the 1 MWh of electricity and the REGO certificate as two separate products. 

Unfortunately, some energy companies often buy renewable electricity from generators without the accompanying certificate, because obviously this is cheaper, and they’re not bothered about proving exactly where their electricity is from. 

This leaves unsold REGO certificates available for purchase. Energy suppliers can buy these certificates and pretend that they’re sending clean electricity to the grid, when in reality, they’re just sending the dirty stuff. This purchasing of REGO certificates to mask non-renewable electricity is known as ‘greenwashing’. 

So make sure you do your research on these big energy suppliers before trusting them with your carbon footprint. 

We’ve briefly summarised the Big Six’s green tariffs below:

British Gas

British Gas’s Green Future tariffs match 100% of the electricity and 10% of the gas you use with renewable sources. Though it doesn’t generate its own renewable electricity, it buys it from UK generators. On top of this, British Gas carbon offsets the other 90% of its gas by partnering with ClimateCare and purchasing carbon credits, such as Verified Emissions Reduction certificates or VERs.  

EDF Energy

EDF Energy’s ‘Blue Tariff’ is sourced solely from nuclear power, making it ‘low carbon’. However, the company’s coal and gas power stations also stand ready to provide electricity when needed. 

EDF’s GoElectric Tariff, aimed at people with electric vehicles, is sourced from 100% renewables. The tariff offers cheap off-peak charging for 10 hours per day, from 9pm until 7am on weekdays. It also offers off-peak charging all weekend. 

E.ON

Last year, E.ON made the announcement that residential customers will have all of their electricity matched from a renewable source – such as wind, biomass, or solar – as of 9 July 2019. 

However, after a bit of digging around, it’s come to light that actually, E.ON are greenwashing 48% of their ‘renewable’ tariff – meaning that around half the energy on the tariff isn’t really renewable.  

Npower

Npower has one tariff for its eco-minded customers: the Go Green Energy Fix April 2021 tariff, whereby the company matches 100% of your electricity and/or 15% of your gas by purchasing the equivalent volume of renewable energy certificates.

Unfortunately, this is no longer available to new customers, and there are no other alternative plans available.

ScottishPower

As of 28th January 2020, ScottishPower is offering a suite of new fixed tariffs for domestic consumers, backed by 100% renewable electricity sourced directly from ScottishPower’s own wind farms across Great Britain. 

The company says it invests more than £7 million every working day towards delivering cleaner, smarter power for customers, and it already generates enough renewable electricity to power around 1.5 million homes.

SSE

SSE’s Green Electricity tariff is 100% renewable, generated by wind and hydro. It’s certified by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs), and independently verified by EcoAct (a Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) accredited provider). 

What’s the verdict?

There are a lot of options for you to choose from, but hopefully after reading this, you’ve sussed out which supplier meets your needs. It will all depend on your budget, and just how environmentally friendly you want to be.

We’re gradually witnessing the decline of fossil fuels, so it’s best to jump on the renewable energy bandwagon now before these dirtier tariffs skyrocket! 

Wondering how much you could save? Simply enter your details into this quick form, and our suppliers will contact you with a free quote.