E.ON Switches UK Customers to 100% Green Energy

E.ON has announced that its UK customers are now receiving 100% of their energy from renewable sources at no extra cost.

The Big Six energy supplier said it is responding to the growing public awareness over climate change and the demand for action by moving all of its 3.3 million UK domestic customers onto 100% renewable electricity tariffs.

The German-owned firm is already one of the biggest green energy producers in the UK and it intends to generate around half of its customers’ energy from its own windfarms, solar projects and biomass plants. It will also purchase energy directly from independent wind power generators up and down the country.

The energy supplier said it will supply the remainder of its power from other sources including natural gas and coal, but it will offset these emissions by buying Renewable Energy Certificates which guarantee that the same amount of energy produced is matched through renewable generation.

E.ON are claiming that this is the biggest green energy switch the UK has ever seen, and that it will greatly increase the proportion of British households that are supplied by 100% renewable electricity. However, it is not the only UK energy supplier to offer 100% renewable energy, with smaller suppliers including Shell Energy, Bulb and Co-op Energy already offering their customers 100% renewable electricity across all their tariffs. Another Big Six supplier, Scottish Power, has also committed to greener energy generation through its various wind farms.

“Climate change is the defining issue of our era, and one that energy customers are increasingly concerned about,” said Michael Lewis, chief executive of E.ON UK. “We believe large-scale action can make significant change possible and we’re committed to playing a leading role and setting an example for others to follow, that’s why we’re providing all of our residential customers with 100% renewable electricity as standard – a change at a scale never seen before in Britain.

“Our announcement is an important first step in a journey towards a more sustainable and personalised energy system, but the future of energy doesn’t stop here. The opportunities include helping all of our customers to better manage their energy through smart, personalised and sustainable technologies.”

E.ON’s announcement comes after a YouGov survey revealed last month that 61% of people in the UK not currently on a renewable tariff would consider switching to one if they could do so for a reasonable price.