Australians can now access information about which electricity retailers really are environmentally friendly as they claim to be. Choosing electricity retailers with good credentials are no longer a problem just as long as the consumer makes use of this guide. “The Green Electricity Guide”, an online resource was released earlier this year by Greenpeace, a non-governmental organization focused on environmental activism. This guide contains all the information Australians need to make the right choice regarding electricity retailers.
In the past years, concerned Australian citizens have no access to information about the kind and quality of electricity supplies they are being given. Thus, they have had not much of a choice when it comes to clean energy. Unfortunately, in some states, this is still the case.
Electricity choice becomes easier for consumers
However, the situation is improving and many Australians are now given many options from the electricity retailers listed on “The Green Electricity Guide”. Choosing electricity retailers with good credentials are no longer a problem just as long as the consumer makes use of this guide.
The need to choose became imperative because there is a growing difference between retailers which are still relying on burning fossil fuels, and the newer breed of solar energy retailers which are more forward-looking and supplies environment-friendly electricity.
In this respect, the guide is very useful to electric consumers especially those who are looking for solar energy retailers and other clean forms of energies. By consulting the guide, a consumer can easily locate the right choice of electricity retailer that can supply the quality of electricity that he needs.
Green Electricity Guide ranking breakdown
The guide differentiates electricity retailers in three rankings. The first rank is Green. Electricity retailers included in this ranking receive high scores on most criteria set by the government. These retailers generate their electricity supply mostly from renewable sources.
The second ranking is Orange. Utilities included in this ranking perform moderately against the government criteria used by the guide. Most of these companies are pure retailers which may not have any position on the Renewable Energy Target.
The third ranking is Red. The utilities listed in this ranking perform the worst against the environmental criteria the guide uses. Most of these utilities rely heavily on fossil fuels such as coal and gas to supply electricity to consumers.
In the guide, the breakdown and ranking of electricity retailers are given separately in each state or territory. These utility retailers were ranked from best to worse by using specific criteria which include investments in fossil fuels or renewables, the carbon emissions intensity of assets, support for, or hostility to the RET, green power products and many more.
Among the first five highest ranked companies are Diamond Energy, Powershop, Momentum Energy, Red Energy and Aurora Energy. Solar supporting retailers include Red Energy, Lumo Energy, Diamond Energy and Synergy.
It is surprising that the two biggest energy retailers in Australia were included in the bad rankings. These are Energy Australia and Origin Energy. From the 20 electricity retailers nationwide, they were ranked second and third from the last. AGL, in comparison performed stronger relatively in the environmental criteria. Incidentally, these three retailers account for the electricity supply of 75% of households in Australia.
