Switch with Which? Energy-efficient household products

If consumers are to take energy efficiency of appliances seriously, they should also consider whether their electricity supply is green.

By accessing Switch with Which?, the online comparison site from consumer group Which?, consumers can make green energy a preference in their search requirements to assess whether an alternative electricity supplier might offer a “green” tariff, and switch on-line.

According to Which?’s marketing director, Chris Gardner, “there is ongoing debate in the market as to how to rate ‘green-ness’, since suppliers base their products on different criteria. Electricity generation can be defined as ‘green’ if it is generated from renewable sources such as wind, water and biofuels (waste products and crops). There are two types of green tariff. The first type gives a fixed donation to a fund for renewable projects - for example, building wind turbines. The second provides electricity from green sources. This doesn't mean that the energy you need to boil your kettle comes from a particular wind farm - all electricity from green and non-green sources feeds into the national grid and can't be separated. What it means in reality is that the supplier buys the same amount of green energy as you use, to feed into the national grid. Comparison of tariffs on switchwithwhich.co.uk reveals that green tariffs are not necessarily more expensive yet will probably have as much or more impact on the environment than a marginal difference between appliances.”