[booms]

Interested to see...

 

[Astolat]

I’m on a 100% non-carbon tariff...

I’ve always believed nuclear was a realistic stepping stone from fossil fuels to fully renewable, so I’m OK with that.

 

[Greenbyname...]

Yes, Good Energy. Plenty of greenwashing out there, but only a handful of genuinely green suppliers. Most just buy cheap renewables certificates so they can claim to be green, but do little to promote or provide renewable sources. I've been with Good Energy getting on for 20 years, paid a bit over the odds for our power but wanted to be certain our supplier was doing its best for the environment.

Yes, we could save money on cheaper tariffs, but I'm not sure the supplier would be as green as Good Energy.

 

[Snax]

Octopus as far as I know isn’t a certificate greenwasher, and I’ve been happy with them so far

 

[WithEthyl]

I am, but far more important than my tariff being green or not, is that I make an effort to use electricity off-peak during the times when its cleanest and avoid using it at peak times when emissions are highest.

All green tariffs are something of an accounting exercise, they don't match your actual power consumption with green generation in real-time, but match volumes over a much longer period of time. The actual electricity used to meet your demand will for a sizeable portion of the time be coming from fossil fuels, albeit matched against green electricity volumes generated at an earlier or later time. But your consumption still results in emissions and those emissions are affected by the power plants running at the time, which is generally determined by the time you use it, emissions being highest at peak times, lowest over night.

These 100% green claims are all rather misleading.

 

[freddym]

I am, but far more important than my tariff being green or not, is that I make an effort to use electricity off-peak during the times when its cleanest and avoid using it at peak times when emissions are highest.

All green tariffs are something of an accounting exercise, they don't match your actual power consumption with green generation in real-time, but match volumes over a much longer period of time. The actual electricity used to meet your demand will for a sizeable portion of the time be coming from fossil fuels, albeit matched against green electricity volumes generated at an earlier or later time. But your consumption still results in emissions and those emissions are affected by the power plants running at the time, which is generally determined by the time you use it, emissions being highest at peak times, lowest over night.

These 100% green claims are all rather misleading.

Yes, that's the reality in the UK regardless of what label your supplier puts on it

 

[cDy]

I am, but far more important than my tariff being green or not, is that I make an effort to use electricity off-peak during the times when its cleanest and avoid using it at peak times when emissions are highest.

All green tariffs are something of an accounting exercise, they don't match your actual power consumption with green generation in real-time, but match volumes over a much longer period of time. The actual electricity used to meet your demand will for a sizeable portion of the time be coming from fossil fuels, albeit matched against green electricity volumes generated at an earlier or later time. But your consumption still results in emissions and those emissions are affected by the power plants running at the time, which is generally determined by the time you use it, emissions being highest at peak times, lowest over night.

These 100% green claims are all rather misleading.

And you can see when the most electricity is from renewables at G. B. National Grid status

 

[BornAgainEcoWarrior]

And you can see when the most electricity is from renewables at G. B. National Grid status

Or see the forecast intensity for the day ahead at www.carbonintensity.org to plan ahead.

 

[BornAgainEcoWarrior]

Although TBH much of the time not using energy between 4-7 PM, and then just looking outside to see if it's windy the rest of the time more or less gets the prediction right.

 

[80698]

I want to say the last time I switched and was looking around, pretty much all but the very cheapest, small unknown companies were all offering green electricity either as standard, or for a very small surcharge. At this point I imagine most people, especially on a forum like this are likely to be on such a tariff by now.

 

[cdlb]

Electricity is 100% renewable (apparently). Just don't look over there at my petrol burning PHEV, gas boiler or gas hob...

 

[BabyEVDriver]

Yes Octopus, but only because of the Go tariff. If someone came along with 3p overnight and 10p all other times, but they burnt coal, rubbish, dead baby seals and African children to generate leccy, i would switch asap, and sleep at night. I want cheap, how they make it cheap i dont care, as long as it's NIMBY.

 

[Orrery]

Yes, Bulb. Mainly hydro.

So, just 7% in the hall of shame, eh?

 

[phproxy]

Yes..'though I heat with gas..

but I export more 'leccy than I use..

but I eat steak and go abroad on holiday, but I walk to the shop..

 

[phproxy]

Yes, Bulb. Mainly hydro.

So, just 7% in the hall of shame, eh?

Is it mainly hydro if it's "up to 40% renewable generation" only a windy day with low demand

How Bulb buys its electricity

Bulb supplies 100% renewable electricity to all its members from solar, wind and hydro. You can find out about the generators we work with by exploring our generator map. Every unit of electricity ...

help.bulb.co.uk

 

[Jimbo]

Agile seems to be the best approach - the more green energy in the grid, the cheaper it is. Negative prices when there is a glut of renewable online are a further incentive.

 

[HandyAndy]

I'm on a standard tarriff, but I generate about 4000 kWh, of which I export about 1500 kWh annually back (via FIT) for others on grid to use. Does this electricity get re-sold as "green" energy "cheap renewables certificates " mentioned in post #3 ? My FIT export total amounts to 3000 kWh p.a. (the other 1000 is non-FIT add-on panels), so how much money does my (I assume non-green) supplier make from selling certificates? Just curious. FWIW I regard my Ampera's electrical miles (1500 kWh worth) as totally solar-powered, as house consumption is down 1000 kWh p.a. and panels generate enough to explain that plus providing 1500 kWh p.a. for the Ampera as well as exporting a similar 1500. (New EV using 2X the juice means next year I may no longer have that 1500 to export, but that's another story).

 

[andyswarbs]

Octopus is a great foundation. Then its Agile tariff helps you choose the best renewable times. This becomes easy with the Ohme charger & its app set to "Favour Green Energy." Finally the Octopus Watch app is very educational in several ways including:
a) by showing the proportion of input to the grid from various types - imports, gas, nuclear, biomass, wind & solar,
b) thus predicting the best times in the next 48 hour window which helps the EV owner decide whether to charge today or tomorrow to maximise green credentials and/or cost profile and
c) showing easiy how the mix is worst at peak periods (4-8pm daily.)

 

[Mike Etchells]

Cost is what i look for.
If it's 'green' energy so much the better, but if it's not green but cheaper then I'll go for it.

 

[james rogerson]

I am on OCTOPUS AGILE I expect that when it is windy and blowing a gale I am using GREEN energy, when it is still and foggy I am using whatever comes out of the wires.
The fun of being on AGILE is trying to decide wether to charge the EV today or wait till tonight