Ecotricity vs the rest
Why should you choose Ecotricity instead of another energy supplier?
It’s a good question. Ever since we delivered 100% renewable electricity to our first customer in 1996, we’ve been proud to be Britain’s greenest energy company.
Almost 30 years on, there are a lot of energy companies out there who claim to offer green energy. But do their claims hold water? Who’s telling the truth and who’s greenwashing? And how can you tell?
It’s got to the stage where you need to spend a week reading reports and looking up statistics on websites to get the facts and make an informed comparison between energy companies.
So, we thought we should do some of the legwork. We’ve carefully investigated seven energy suppliers, to find out what they offer beyond the headlines.
We’re also a Which? Eco Provider
Ecotricity is a Which? Eco Provider for energy. This independent rating is based on a range of sustainability criteria, including generating renewable power, buying and selling renewable power and selling green gas.
There are three other Which? Eco Providers: Octopus and Good Energy.
| Green Electricity Supplier | Green Electricity Generator | Green Gas Supplier | Green Gas Generator | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ecotricity | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Octopus Energy | ✔ | ✔ | ||
| Good Energy | ✔ | ✔ |
As far as green electricity goes, Good Energy does not generate their own green electricity, they just buy it from elsewhere. We believe that to fight the climate crisis we need to be putting every penny towards building new wind and solar parks.
Ecotricity is the only company in this list to generate its own vegan green gas, sustainably made from grass. Octopus don’t sell green gas, while Good Energy sell what they call green gas – but it’s made from a variety of sources which includes animal by-products.
Vegan energy
Ecotricity is the only energy company in the world certified as vegan by both the Vegan Society and Viva!, the vegan charity.
As you’d expect, vegan energy is produced without involving animals. Renewable electricity from solar, wind and geothermal is therefore vegan.
Gas is more complicated. Several big energy suppliers use by-products from livestock farming in anaerobic digestion vats to produce biomethane, which is then delivered as household gas or burned to create electricity. This energy finds its way into around 60% of homes in Britain.
They call it ‘green gas’, but livestock farming is one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions in the UK and around the world. Energy companies who use animals to make energy are supporting the factory farming industry, which is a huge problem for the climate.
Bills into Mills
Ecotricity is a not-for-dividend company. We put every penny towards building new sources of green energy. It’s the only thing that makes a real difference in the fight against climate crisis.
All facts are correct as at 17 December 2024.
The facts speak for themselves.
We’re proud to have been named a Which? Recommended Provider for Energy Companies in January 2024 and a Which? Recommended Eco Provider.
We’ve built 24 wind parks all over the country, which are home to 74 beautiful windmills, as well as sun parks utilising the latest bifacial panels. And we’re always planning more, as fast as possible.
We’re the only energy company in the world certified as vegan and our green gasmills are busy making sustainable gas from grass.
When you’re with us, every penny of your bill makes a difference in building more green electricity, making genuinely green gas and helping to make fossil fuels a thing of the past.
Switch to Ecotricity today and we’ll turn your bills into mills.