Over 65% of UK households have now signed up to green energy suppliers

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It is believed that around two-thirds of the nation’s homes are now receiving their energy from green suppliers and tariffs backed by Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGOs) certificates.

This is according to new research from energy consultants Cornwall Insight, which also showed that there has been a significant rise in consumer preference towards such tariffs. The estimated 65% of households who’ve made the switch is a remarkable increase from the 'less than 20%' that was previously reported back in 2017.

In addition to this, Cornwall Insight claims that the figures would be higher if green tariffs from companies that also offer brown electricity were included.

More consumers ‘doing their bit to reach net zero’

These encouraging figures are believed to stem from an increase in people wanting to be more environmentally friendly with their energy and the fact that there’s a wider choice of tariffs now available on the markets.

Oliver Archer, Senior Analyst at Cornwall Insight, offered his thoughts on the situation and expanded on these points: "This boom in green tariffs is in part being driven by consumers doing their bit to reach net zero with renewable credentials increasingly being factored into decision making when switching energy providers.

"For example, Ofgem’s Consumer Perceptions of the Energy Market survey showed that in Q1 2019, 9 percent of respondents gave green energy as the main reason for switching supplier. In Q4 2020, this had risen to 19 percent. However, switching trends do not tell the whole story. Nearly 80 percent of the increase seen between 2019 and 2021 can be attributed to a few large suppliers re-branding as 100 percent green through 2019 and 2020.

"It is also difficult to tease out the relative contributions of price, service, and renewable tariffs to the fast growth of green challenger brands such as Octopus Energy and Bulb.”

Switching to a green energy supplier is easy

Another reason why the preference for green energy suppliers has increased could be down to how easy it is to find and switch to one. By using an online energy comparison service, and with only a few personal details, you can quickly see what the best energy deals are in terms of green tariffs from different providers.

In addition, you can filter the results you get with a comparison service by different tariff features and supplier options. This means you could also get a greener deal and be able to make the most of quality customer service from some of the best energy suppliers in the UK right now.

Lastly, alongside being more eco-conscious, it’s highly likely that you’ll also be able to save significant amounts on your annual bills. But again, an online energy comparison service will show you how much you could save before you decide to switch.

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Rich is a freelance copywriter and content strategist with over 10 years' experience. His career has seen him work in-house and in various agencies, producing online and offline content marketing campaigns and copywriting for clients in the energy industry.