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We care about creating a cleaner planet and helping your business to reduce its carbon footprint. That’s why we offer a range of low carbon and renewable energy options, to support your organisation’s sustainability ambitions.
Proud to be verified by the Carbon Trust Our Natural Renewable Electricity for Business option has been independently verified by the Carbon Trust, giving you complete confidence in your renewable status.
Recognised leader on climate change actionWe’ve been recognised for our action and disclosure on climate change by the CDP, a not-for-profit charity that runs the global disclosure system that helps organisations manage their environmental impact.
Working towards net zero togetherWe manage 15GW of energy assets. That’s twice the size of the UK’s nuclear fleet. Around 80% are natural power sources like wind and solar, which are helping to transform the UK’s energy landscape.
We offer zero carbon electricity as standard on all new and renewed fixed term contracts. But if you want to boost your organisation’s green credentials further, you can opt for one of our low carbon or renewable energy plans for an added premium:
Smart meters are the clever way to measure your business energy use. Once your smart meter is connected and sending smart readings to us you'll receive accurate bills.
Energy360 DataView is the free platform we’ve created to help existing buisness customers view their data – and ultimately – get better control over their energy consumption.
Business energy savingEnergy saving tools and tips to help you manage your business energy and improve energy efficiency.
Supporting your carbon reportingOur Natural Renewable Electricity option can help to show you’re reducing your greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and working towards your sustainability goals.
Help for struggling businessesWe understand that rising energy costs are concerning and we are committed to support all of our customers. Find help and support below.
We are committed to helping tackle climate change and it’s important to us that you know the origin and quality of your renewable energy.
That's why we're proud to offer a 100% renewable electricity product for business customers, independently verified by the Carbon Trust.
The Carbon Trust is a mission-led organisation that is seeking to accelerate the delivery of sustainable, low carbon economies by helping governments, businesses and organisations across the world to reduce carbon emissions and achieve greater resource efficiency.
Out of 62 registered and active business electricity suppliers, only three have been verified by the Carbon Trust for their business renewable electricity products. We're the largest electricity supplier to receive this assurance.
Our renewable electricity for business product carries the Carbon Trust 100% renewable electricity label. This label gives your customers and stakeholders a clear visual signal that helps you verify the origin of your renewable electricity as part of your sustainability reporting requirements.
Find out more about the Carbon Trust product carbon footprint label.
*100% of the electricity supplied is renewable, backed by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) [1]. The emission factor conforms with the GHG Protocol Scope 2 guidance and may be used for the 'market-based' method.
When renewable energy is distributed through the grid, it’s mixed with energy from non-renewable sources. This means we can’t send solely renewable electricity or gas from the grid through to your business.
So how does a renewable or low carbon energy contract work? For a Renewable Gas or Natural Renewable Electricity contract, it’s backed by Guarantees of Origin:
For 100% of the energy you use, we guarantee that the same amount of energy from renewable sources will be fed into the National Grid. This is backed by Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) and Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin (RGGOs) as proof.
These are official documents that evidence that units of electricity or gas were generated using renewable sources. It makes it possible for energy suppliers to buy renewable energy from the energy market to match your electricity and/or gas consumption.
For Carbon Neutral Gas contracts, 10% of your gas consumption will be matched by renewable sources, and backed by Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin. For the remaining 90%, we’ll buy carbon offsets from qualified and registered projects around the world. Here’s how carbon offsets work:
Carbon offsetting is a way that businesses can cancel out unavoidable emissions by investing in climate action projects elsewhere. These projects either help to remove carbon from the atmosphere, or help to avoid more carbon being released, like helping communities switch to renewable energy sources.
Carbon offsets give your business evidence that your carbon emissions have been offset by a project elsewhere in the world; and it gives the project additional funding to develop further. We take the governance of these projects seriously, and have a quality framework in place to ensure all carbon offsets that we use make a real difference.
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A: Renewable energy comes from natural sources or processes that constantly replenish such as the sun, wind, waves, biomass and geothermal heat. Unlike energy produced from fossil fuels, renewable energy is a cleaner, more sustainable alternative that won't run out, and it helps reduce your carbon footprint.
Renewable energy has a much lower environmental impact than energy generated from fossil fuels and it can play a role in slowing global warming by cutting the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Because renewable energy is produced from sustainable sources, it won't run out - ensuring security of supply and less reliance on imported fuels - and it could eventually replace fossil fuels altogether.
A: There are various types of Guarantee of Origin certificates, depending on the energy type
Guarantees of Origin (GoO)
GoOs demonstrate that electricity has been produced from EU renewable sources. One GoO is issued for each megawatt hour (MWh) of renewable electricity that’s produced. These are the European equivalents of the UK’s Renewable Electricity Guarantees of Origin (REGOs).
Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO)
REGOs demonstrate that electricity has been produced from renewable sources in the UK. One REGO is issued for each megawatt hour (MWh) of renewable electricity that's produced.
Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin (RGGOs)
Are unique identifiers issued by the Green Gas Certification Scheme (GGCS) for each kilowatt hour (kWh) of biomethane (or green gas) injected into the grid and registered with the Scheme. RGGOs provide information about where, when and how the green gas was produced – it's your guarantee that the gas is authentic and has not been sold to anyone else.
Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) scheme
The Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGO) scheme provides transparency to consumers about the proportion of electricity that suppliers source from renewable generation. The scheme is overseen by Ofgem who act on behalf of the Department for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). One REGO certificate is issued by Ofgem per megawatt hour (MWh) of qualifying renewable electricity generated.
Find out more about the REGO scheme
Green Gas Certification Scheme (GGCS)
The GGCS is a simple and reliable means of tracking the commercial transactions of biomethane (or green gas) through the supply chain to the end consumer, eliminating double counting or double selling of registered green gas. It provides assurance for consumers who buy the gas, confidence in the energy sector and an incentive for gas producers to inject green gas into the grid instead of using it to generate electricity.
The Green Gas Certification Scheme is run by the Renewable Energy Association's subsidiary company, Renewable Energy Assurance Ltd.
A: We match 100% of the electricity you use on a renewable contract with electricity/gas from renewable sources. This means that for 100% of the electricity you use, the same amount from renewable sources will be fed into the National Grid. For gas we do the same, except we match 10% to renewable sources and 90% to Carbon Offsets.
It isn't possible to trace the gas/electricity from a particular source right through to your business because it is combined with electricity/gas from non-renewable generation in the grid. But we can show that we fully match your supply by buying Renewable Electricity Guarantees of Origin certificates (REGOs) or Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin (RGGOs) each time we buy electricity/gas from renewable generation.
A: The Carbon Trust are a global authority on sustainability and carbon reporting. They have detailed knowledge of the energy industry and are well placed to support both the development of our renewable electricity products and verify the process by which we gain renewable electricity verification.
Through the Carbon Trust assured process of tracking and allocating Renewable energy guarantee of origin certificates, we can make sure we don't allocate the same certificate to the electricity consumption of more than one customer, or use certificates from a different reporting year to match with customers' renewable electricity supply.
British Gas are one of a handful of registered electricity providers to gain Carbon Trust verification for our business renewable electricity products giving you complete confidence in the quality and origin of your renewable status.
A: A carbon offset is a reduction in emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere.
Offsets are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e).
Carbon Offsetting is accredited through VERS (Verified emission reductions) obtained from certified carbon offsetting projects.
Carbon offset projects help counteract the release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, whilst simultaneously improving the livelihood of people around the world.
We match 10% of the gas you use with Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin Certificates (RGGOs) which certify that this amount of gas is from renewable generation. Naturally occurring biogas, produced from matter such as leftover food, sewage and agricultural waste, is treated in order for it to be of high enough quality to be used in the gas grid. It is processed to remove impurities and upgraded to a higher methane content which is more comparable to natural gas.
Whenever possible, for the remaining 90% we buy carbon offsets to help neutralise the emissions from the gas our customers use from a Gold Standard Foundation projects from around the world, helping to fund carbon emission savings in other parts of the world.
A: The British Gas Renewable Electricity for Business product enables you to report zero grams CO2 per kilowatt hour Scope 2 emissions from purchased electricity when reporting using the market-based method, in accordance with the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance
To report carbon emissions according to the GHG Protocol Scope 2 Guidance, you don’t need the actual certificates themselves, although you need evidence that we have correctly allocated enough certificates to your supply and that this has been verified, which is achieved through the Carbon Trust assurance process. For large business customers we can provide a list of the certificate serial numbers and will do so annually in September/October. For small business customers a copy of our product-specific Fuel Mix and associated emissions factors can be found on our website.
Emission factors are calculated for each British Gas product by multiplying the megawatt hours of power generated by each type of generation technology for a 12-month period up to 31st March each year (to align with the Fuel Mix Disclosure reporting year) by a corresponding emission factor for each technology type. Emission factors for each technology type are taken from Ofgem, using the published values corresponding to the relevant Fuel Mix Disclosure reporting year. The Ofgem emission factors cover carbon dioxide only, and do not include other Kyoto greenhouse gases [GHGs] such as methane which may be emitted by some forms of electricity generation. Ofgem allocates a zero g CO2/kWh emission factor to all electricity generation classed as ‘renewable’, which includes energy from waste and biofuel. For wholesale electricity purchased by British Gas, the UK residual mix emission factor for the corresponding Fuel Mix Disclosure reporting year is used.
For gas, developed by The World Resources Institute (WRI) and World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD), the GHG protocol sets the global standard for how to measure, manage and report greenhouse gas emissions.
* We may record calls to help improve our service to you. Calls to 0800 numbers are free from mobiles and landlines. Calls to 0330 / 0333 numbers will cost you no more than 01 or 02 numbers from landlines and mobiles and may be included with your call package if you get 'inclusive minutes'. Text messages are charged at your standard message rate and may be included in your call package.
[1] 100% Renewable Electricity: Every unit of electricity British Gas supply to you during your contract will be matched to electricity from a renewable energy source and we hold the necessary number of Renewable Energy Guarantees of Origin (REGOs) as evidence of this supply. In the event something changes, and we can no longer guarantee a renewable supply we will write and let you know.
[2] Carbon Neutral Gas: 10% of the gas British Gas supply to you during your contract will be matched to a renewable energy source and 90% to carbon offsetting projects. British Gas will hold the necessary number of Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin (RGGOs) and emission reduction certificates as evidence of this supply. We buy independently verified carbon offsets from qualified and registered projects. We will use reasonable endeavours to purchase enough Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin (RGGOs) to match 10% of the gas you use on this tariff and enough carbon offsets to offset the carbon footprint created from 90% of the gas you use. However, failure to do so will not constitute a breach of contract by us or give rise to you having the right to terminate the supply contract. In the event something changes, and we can no longer guarantee a carbon neutral supply, we'll write and let you know.
[3] 100% Renewable Gas (RGGO): Every unit of gas British Gas supply to you during your contract will be matched to gas from a renewable energy source. British Gas will hold the necessary number of Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin (RGGOs) as evidence of this supply. We will use reasonable endeavours to purchase enough Renewable Gas Guarantees of Origin (RGGOs) for the gas you use on this tariff. However, failure to do so will not constitute a breach of contract by us or give rise to you having the right to terminate the supply contract. In the event something changes, and we can no longer guarantee a renewable supply we will write and let you know.
