Renewable energy supplier Good Energy has accused Britain’s second largest supplier of greenwashing its tariffs.
In a blog, Good Energy accuses Britain’s second biggest supplier of providing electricity at a higher carbon intensity than grid average, which it said runs counter to Ovo’s marketing and advertising messaging around enabling zero carbon lives.
The supplier also questions Ovo’s use of Regos, and the premium it charges customers for its green tariff. (Renewable energy guarantees of origin, or Regos, are certificates issued for every megawatt hour of power generated by renewable sources. All EU member states have a similar scheme and Regos are traded to prove the equivalent amount of renewable power has been generated somewhere along the line.)
Good Energy cites a 2019 Which? report that found that Ovo bought no renewable power direct, and owned no generation.
Good Energy has long called out suppliers over claims of ‘greenness’, including rival and subsequent major shareholder, Ecotricity. When Shell bought First Utility, the Chippenham-based supplier also flagged doubts about the quality of many Regos.
Ovo, which has invested in PPA platform Renewable Exchange, might have questioned some of Good Energy’s claims, particularly around grid intensity and the validity of Ofgem’s Rego scheme. But the firm declined to offer official comment.
While Good Energy and Ovo compete in the domestic energy retail sector, they are also both eyeing opportunities presented by electric vehicles and connected buildings. Good Energy is ultimately looking at smart charging and vehicle-to-grid, while Ovo sister company Kaluza is also building a virtual power plant from smart heating and aggregated EVs.
Although SSE kept its business customer book as part of the £500m deal with Ovo, Good Energy is placing increasing emphasis on the b2b market.
Related stories:
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Ovo takes stake in blockchain firm Electron
Ovo aims to unlock 12GW of flex from domestic storage heaters
Kaluza: EVs can displace large-scale batteries
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Good Energy are spot on. Ovo – and all the others doing REGO washing need calling out. There is a reason only 3 suppliers got Ofgem’s green derogation, and that’s because each jumped through a lot of Ofgem ‘green hoops’ before being thus derogated