Many businesses adopt a green approach to their business as part of their ‘Corporate Social Responsibility' by reducing wastage such as using too much paper, recycling bins etc. Those are all great ways to help the environment but some businesses may want to take it further and explore Green energy for their business.
What is Green Energy?
The energy that comes from renewable and natural sources such as sunlight or wind is defined as Green Energy.
Can I get Green Energy if I am a business?
Yes, for instance, we are a Business Energy broker and we have a range of Green tariffs where the power is generated from 100% renewable sources. Our Green energy is generated exclusively through wind (hydro assets.)
Do I have to be a large business to take advantage of Green energy?
It depends on your Energy broker but with us, green energy is available to small, medium and large businesses.
Is it cheaper to use Green Energy?
We’ll be honest with you; we can’t guarantee that it will be cheaper because fossil fuels still dominate the market, so often they do fluctuate their pricing to beat others in the market.
We can say that we do tend to have one supplier in particular who will charge a rate for their “Standard” energy source and same rate if the customer chooses green energy.
How much Carbon is actually saved by switching to Green Energy?
If you have your exact kWhs per annum that you use we can give you an exact figure but for the purpose of this blog we are going to assume that your annual usage is 100,000 kWhs per annum.
If you were to sign up for a 2-year deal, you’d save 70.31 tonnes of carbon.
(Source UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting via Fidelity)
I am still in a contract, does it matter?
Again, it depends on your Business Energy broker. With us, no, it doesn’t matter; if your contract ends in the next few years we can lock in your tariff now at the prices we quote, ready for when your contract does end. We can do this for up to 5 years in advance.
This means that you won’t be subject to price increases and you don’t have to panic near the time to switch quickly or risk being charged deemed rates. Your new contract will take effect automatically.
Is there any other advantage of Green Energy?
Many businesses use the “green” approach as part of Corporate Social Responsibility and it can be a great marketing strategy depending on your market.
Apart from business strategies, any advantages will depend on your Energy broker but with us;
- Our green energy conforms to ISO14030 Environmental performance.
- We provide a “Guarantee of Origin” certificate. We can only give this because our energy meets the GHG Protocol Corporate Standard, where the electricity purchased can be matched to REGOs (Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin) allowing you to report zero emissions for “Scope 2” purchased electricity.
The “Guarantee of Origin” certificate looks rather nice in a reception area of the business and it’s something tangible to promote or refer to when people (customers or prospects) visit.