Change Electric supplier to Ecotricity

[Ballycfc]

Having told my daughter, who is a secret Green I was getting a PHEV and she still drives a big gas guzzler, she was very interested but the cost is beyond her. It didn't stop her digging around for how else I should change to help the environment. She rang me to tell me that I should change my utilities to Ecotricity as they are all about renewable energy, or in the case of gas partly. To be a good dad I said I'd have a look but as I was tied in with BG, it probably wouldn't be happening. What I found out was that they were would be more than 30/40% cheaper than my current deal with BG, then also noticed if you click the little box that says you have an electric car they give you a further £40 a month discount. Which pretty much means free charging at home.

Total bonus for me was I then found that my BG deal finishes next month All the time I have spent saying I'm not messing about changing suppliers just to save a little bit, bye bye BG after nearly 20 years but the savings with Ecotricity are just too much

Unless anyone on here knows different???

 

[ChrisMiller]

If you've been with the same supplier for 20 years (especially British Gas), you'll almost certainly find any other supplier significantly cheaper. I'm not sure that Ecotricity are all that cheap in comparison with the alternatives - a bit like buying organic in the supermarket, if it makes you feel better about yourself, knock yourself out!

 

[Bladevane]

Unless you have a direct line from one of Ecotricity's wind turbines the electrickery you buy will be sourced from any of the UK's (and possibly mainland European) power generators. By buying from Ecotricity you buy in to the notion of power coming wholly from renewables. As has been said, look around for deals, especially as the Big 6 are dropping prices.

 

[jaapv]

That is a bit cynical. Obviously the electrons themselves are not coloured green or any other shade . However, companies that supply "green" electricity guaranty that the amount of power they supply to their "green" customers is either generated by durable resources or covered by emission rights.

I do not know about the UK, but over here one can participate in a wind turbine and the amount of power generated by your share will be deducted from the electricity bill.

 

[Bladevane]

Not cynical, realistic. I'm sure in times of zero or very low wind in the UK Ecotricity does not turn off power to its customers. Just as when the local CCGT trips off the bars the lights don't go out for a 20 mile radius.

As far as I know we don't have the option for shares in wind turbines in the UK. My German work colleagues do though.

 

[jaapv]

Yes, as I said, electrons are not coloured. However, over a certain period of time the amount of renewable energy delivered must equal the amount generated. That that cannot be the case at any given moment of time (yet) because of varying loads is quite obvious. Were getting there -gradually-. For instance on a windy sunny day Germany - the leading country in Europe- is completely sustainable, on a dull and windless day it will be not. Note that in the power-surplus scenario non-green customers will be getting wind, water and solar power as well.

Balancing the load (like in my recent post below) may contribute towards a solution, storing energy by many new initiatives will contribute in the future. P2G technology might be part of the answer too. We are only at the beginning, all the more reason not to throw the towel.

Interesting site:
http://www.energy.siemens.com/hq/en/sustainable-energy/

(Maybe you can notice that many of my patients and neighbours work in the heavy industry and main Shell refinery next door to me :mrgreen: :mrgreen: .)

 

[AndyInOz]

Here in Australia, the wind power stations turn on and off according to demand.

One of the things that make that demand is people asking for green power (hydro, solar or wind), and providers who charge for green power are audited to ensure that they are buying enough renewable energy from the National Electricity Market.

This shows the current status of the various wind farms in Australia (updates frequently) showing which ones are currently contributing to the grid. You can watch them coming on line as demand goes up.

http://energy.anero.id.au/wind-energy

 

[JSC]

Hi All

Just to provide some additional information on cost of domestic supply in the UK, I currently use FirstUtility and thought I'd compare Ecotricity with their rates.

On electricity, I've locked in to a fixed price deal with FirstUtility at 11.021p / KWH with a 15.79p / day standing charge, this compared with Ecotricity at 13.6p / KWH and 27.39p per day standing charge - so Ecotricity are really not very competitive even when you get your £40 per year EV discount.

For information, the gas price from FirstUtility is 2.198p/ KWH with a 17.3p per day standing charge and Ecotricity charge 3.9p/KWH and 24.15p per day, so no better.

I'm not promoting FirstUtility particularly, but I switched to them some years ago because they seemed very competitive and this still seems to be the case.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone has done any other comparisons - particularly with respect to any suppliers who offer lower rates overnight

 

[maby]

That is a bit cynical. Obviously the electrons themselves are not coloured green or any other shade . However, companies that supply "green" electricity guaranty that the amount of power they supply to their "green" customers is either generated by durable resources or covered by emission rights.

I do not know about the UK, but over here one can participate in a wind turbine and the amount of power generated by your share will be deducted from the electricity bill.

Until the country has sufficient "green" generating capacity, you are just making someone else less "green". They don't feather the windmills if there are no Ecotricity customers waiting for power, you know - they just feed the power to people like me who don't care either way.

 

[Bladevane]

Point of order - they are wind turbines. Windmills are used for milling grain.

 

[maby]

Point of order - they are wind turbines. Windmills are used for milling grain.

I was referring to them as "windmills" in the Quixotic sense!