Green energy is an increasingly popular choice but consumers still have “misconceptions” around how pricey deals can be, according to a new survey.
Over half (58%) of people in a survey of 2,000 of bill payers said they wouldn’t be likely to switch to a green deal and 42% said they believed green energy tariffs would be more expensive than other energy deals.
A third said they didn’t trust green suppliers as much as big, well known traditional suppliers and 14% said they didn’t know enough about them to consider taking out a contract.
But comparison site USwitch, which conducted the study, said of the top 10 cheapest energy deals on the market, 50% were currently from green energy such as wind turbines and solar panels. It said the study indicated providers could do more to educate consumers about the benefits of green energy and that there had been a big surge in the number of affordable green providers.
Last year, it said, only two of the cheapest energy providers were green.
“Huge investment in sustainable gas and electricity has led to almost a third of the UK’s electricity coming from renewable sources - as more suppliers differentiate themselves by focusing on the environment, green tariffs are becoming much more widespread and much cheaper,” Shona Eyre, from USwitch, said.
Interestingly, it said, younger bill payers were far more likely to consider an environmentally-friendly deal, with 70% of respondent aged between 18 and 24 saying they would.