Green-minded Brits could be rewarded for switching utilities suppliers

A spate of recent studies have revealed that millions of British
households are not only cutting back on their energy usage so as to
combat the impact of the global economic slowdown but also in order to
do their bit for the environment.

Now, it appears that conscientious consumers will be further rewarded
for their environmental concerns with the launch of a new service aimed
at delivering substantial savings for eco-friendly households that
switch utilities suppliers.

While the new service being launched by Smartest Energy is currently
only aimed at the business sector, it is surely a sign of the way the
utilities market as a whole is moving, with private households set to
receive similar advantages in the foreseeable future.

Under the scheme, businesses will be able to specify how much renewable
energy they would like to be provided with and also from where their
power is sourced.

For example, a small manufacturing firm could state a preference for
wind energy, though may choose to mix this up with some other source for
economic reasons.

According to a report in Business Green, this would essentially mean
that business customers "could effectively construct their own supply
agreement, providing those companies that want to support renewable
energy but cannot justify the price premium often associated with green
tariffs with a way of minimising the premium while continuing to support
the renewable energy sector".

Should the service prove a hit - and with the likes of Toyota and the
Yorkshire Building Society already on board, it looks like this will be
the case - it is expected that a similar scheme could be rolled out for
consumers, spelling good news for those households keen to shop around
and switch utilities suppliers in search of the best deal, though
equally concerned about their carbon footprint.

At the same time, homeowners have further been boosted by the news that
the Conservative Party will make the growth of the green energy sector
one of their main priorities should they get into power at the next
election.

Among the proposals put forward by the opposition are the introduction
of smart meters in all UK homes, which will help to cut consumption and
therefore utilities bills, as well as the speeding up of the
introduction of feed-in tariffs for renewable energy, spelling good news
for those Britons with solar panels or small wind turbines on their
properties.