One of the best things you can do for the planet is ensure that your home is heated as efficiently as possible. Central heating accounts for a massive proportion of your carbon footprint, so the more you do to reduce it, the bigger an impact you'll make.
The simplest way to do this is to cut down on how much heating you actually use. But that isn't always easy as the winter weather sets in. And this is where renewable energy packages start to look seriously attractive. But what about the cost?
One way around this is to source as much energy as possible from renewable sources, which some people do by generating their own, but a growing number are doing by choosing a 'green' energy provider. At the moment, only on in the UK, Good Energy, uses 100% renewable sources such as wind and solar power to provide energy for its customers. It's not the cheapest option available, but it is by far the greenest. Like many hippyshopper readers, I'm thinking that this year may be the time to make the switch to this service, but need some real life testimonies before making that investment.
Have you used Good Energy, and how did you find the service? Do you know of any other tariffs that actually live up to the claims they make about sustainability? Please share your experience by commenting below.
We use Good Energy and their service has been great. It's expensive but we use Bye Bye Standbye plugs a lot and keep bills down by being tight with our energy consumption! We're not freezing in the dark or anything, but it does help to make you more aware of when you're wasting power.
I use Ecotricity, they seem ok. They're actually building new renewable energy thingies - unlike some other suppliers which just buy electricity from pre-existing turbines etc.
They promise "..for every pound our customers spend on their Ecotricity bills, we spend a pound building new sources of green electricity."
Also, if you phone up their customer services you speak to people with suitably country-bumpkin Gloucester accents. Which is fun.
Hi Chris, that's interesting - I think the accents thing might just swing it for me!
So would you say they're as reliable in terms of service as any other supplier? No problems with, say, running out of wind, or similar? ;) Don't joke - I've actually had people ask me that when I've told them there are suppliers that rely on nothing more than renewable.
Well, you don't get your energy directly from the wind turbines - we're on the national grid like everyone else - I just pay my money to a company which guarantees to build more renewables into the grid.
They also have a tariff where the electricity they buy for you 100% renewable - which is a bit more expensive.
Cost-wise they price match edf energy - who I was with before - so it's not actually costing me any more.
Also - it was one of their turbines which had a UFO fly into it http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/organgrinder/2009/jan/08/windpower-thesun