Ecotricity is a 100 per cent green electricity supplier. The world’s first, in fact.
Founded by Dale Vince, who the media like to call “eco-hippy turned businessman”, in 1996.
Ecotricity kick-started the green energy movement.
So popular with its customers that it has raised more than £30 million in ecobond issues for further development of its green electricity network, the company built an electric car – the Nemesis (a pretty bad ass name) created an “Electric Highway” through installing electric charging points for vehicles at motorway service stations around the country and is now focused on Green Gas. It’s a pretty revolutionary idea – that Ecotricity can make its own gas and put it into the national gas grid. And if it goes mainstream, well, there are huge implications, for the UK fracking industry, for one.
The Ecotricity model:
It uses customers’ energy bills to fund the building of new sources of Green Energy, or ‘Bills into Mills’ – energy bills into windmills. It’s a ‘not-for-dividend’ company – all profits go towards this mission.
On average it spends more each year per customer on new sources of Green Energy than any other energy company in Britain – bar none.
What we love about Ecotricity: It’s chutzpah and vision.
What it could work on a bit: Being more competitive on the old bill-i-o-s for households who are thrifty and as well as aspiring greenies.