Ecotricity: green tariffs and company profile

Ecotricity is the UK's first green electricity supplier, and it remains one of the small group of suppliers selling tariffs backed entirely by renewable electricity¹. It is licensed as Ecotricity Limited, holds a feed-in tariff licence, and its home customers reach it on 0345 555 7600 or at home@ecotricity.co.uk². It is also one of three companies exempt from the energy price cap on default tariffs, alongside Good Energy and 100Green, which means the cap does not set its default rates⁴.

The green claim is real but partial. Ecotricity sells 100% renewable electricity, of which 10% is generated by Ecotricity itself and the rest bought on the wholesale market from other renewable generators¹. On gas, the position is much thinner: Ecotricity supplies a proportion of green gas from biomethane, but it is not the supplier offering 100% green gas, which is 100Green⁵.

For a household, the practical questions are what the tariffs commit to, what the price cap exemption means for a bill, how the company rates on service, and what happens at the end of a fixed term. The answers sit in the published principal terms for each tariff and in independent survey work.

Ecotricity at a glance: the UK's first green electricity supplier

Ecotricity's distinguishing feature is that it buys renewable electricity and REGO certificates directly from renewable generators. The Centre for Sustainable Energy places it among the most significant suppliers doing this, naming Good Energy, 100Green, Octopus and Ecotricity as the companies providing significantly greater support for renewables development than the market norm². That is a different claim from simply buying certificates on the open market, and it is the basis on which the company has built its position since it began supplying.

The supply mix is not entirely self-generated. Of the renewable electricity Ecotricity sells, 10% is generated by Ecotricity itself, with the remainder purchased on the wholesale market from other renewable generators¹. That matters for how a household reads the word "green": the tariff is backed by renewable generation, but the company is not self-sufficient in it, and it depends on the wholesale market and on other generators for the great majority of what it sells.

Ecotricity also holds a feed-in tariff licence, and its published contact details for that scheme run through a separate email address, Microtricity@ecotricity.co.uk, with solar export handled through its own pages². The company's home customer email is home@ecotricity.co.uk³.

The independence picture is therefore mixed. A household on an Ecotricity tariff is buying renewable electricity and supporting direct purchase from generators, but it remains connected to the national grid, dependent on a supplier for billing and settlement, and dependent on the wholesale market for the electricity itself. Nothing about a green tariff changes the physical supply.

What the tariffs cover: EcoFixed, EcoLoyalty and standard options

Ecotricity's published tariff types are fixed tariffs, where the price per unit is guaranteed for a set period, standard tariffs, and Economy 7 tariffs³. The named products in the current range are the Domestic EcoFixed 1 Year Fixed Tariff, published in May 2026, and the Domestic EcoLoyalty 2 Year Fixed Tariff, published in September 2026⁶. The EcoLoyalty tariff is a retention product: it is offered to existing customers coming to the end of a fixed tariff rather than to new ones, and it carries paperless and Direct Debit conditions⁸.

The EcoFixed terms include a provision for customers who arrive after their previous supplier exited the market. Ecotricity states it will take reasonable steps to fulfil any agreement made with Ofgem, including honouring any credit balance held on the account with the previous supplier⁶. That is a meaningful protection for anyone who has been through a supplier failure, and it connects to the wider supplier of last resort process.

Both fixed tariffs can end earlier than their stated term. The EcoLoyalty terms list three triggers: the customer switching to another supplier, the customer agreeing a new contract with Ecotricity, or Ecotricity being required to end the tariff under a Supplier of Last Resort process⁸. The third is outside either party's control and is a reminder that a fixed term is a price commitment, not a guarantee that the supplier will still be trading.

How green is the supply: 100% certified green electricity, but only about 1% green gas

The electricity side is straightforward. Ecotricity is one of three firms, with 100Green and Good Energy, that only sell tariffs backed by 100% renewable electricity and also supply a proportion of green gas from biomethane⁴. Uswitch's green accreditation requires 100% of electricity to be bought directly from renewable generators, which is the standard Ecotricity's supply is measured against¹.

The gas side is where the green claim narrows sharply. The supplier offering 100% green gas, achieved through anaerobic digestion, is 100Green, not Ecotricity⁵. 100Green supplies at least 10% green gas on all its tariffs and 100% on its Ekoenergy tariff, and is the only firm from which a household can buy both 100% renewable electricity and 100% green gas⁶. Ecotricity supplies a proportion of green gas, but the great majority of what a dual fuel customer burns remains fossil gas.

That distinction is the one households most often miss. A green electricity tariff usually promises 100% renewably sourced electricity as a minimum, with some including renewably sourced gas⁷. The electricity is the certified part; the gas is not, unless a supplier specifically sells 100% green gas. For a household heating with gas, the larger share of energy use and emissions sits on the gas side of the bill, where Ecotricity's offer is a small proportion rather than the whole.

The dependence that remains is therefore twofold: on the gas grid for heat, and on the electricity wholesale market for the renewable power itself. More on what suppliers are actually selling is at green energy tariffs.

Price cap exemption and what it means for bills

Ecotricity is exempt from the energy price cap, along with Good Energy and 100Green, because of the way it buys its renewable electricity². Three energy companies in total are exempt from the cap on default tariffs³. The exemption is not a loophole: it reflects the higher cost of buying renewable electricity directly from generators rather than through the certificate market.

What the cap does and does not do is widely misunderstood. It limits how much a supplier can charge for each unit of electricity and gas used, not the maximum total bill⁹. There are separate caps for gas and electricity, and the cap does not limit annual bills, which depend on how much energy a household uses¹⁰. It applies to customers on a standard variable tariff paying by standard credit, Direct Debit, prepayment meter or Economy 7 meter¹¹. It limits the unit rate and the daily standing charge but does not limit the total energy bill¹², and it does not limit the total bill in Scotland either¹³.

For an Ecotricity customer the consequence is direct: the default or standard tariff is not held down by the cap, so the protection that applies to most households on a standard variable tariff does not apply here. Fixed tariffs are the route to price certainty, and the published fixed products carry exit fees in defined circumstances. A household weighing this should read the exemption as a trade-off between the sourcing model and the safety net that applies elsewhere.

Customer service and independent ratings: 3.36 out of 5 and a Which? Eco Provider

Ecotricity's overall customer service rating from Citizens Advice was 3.36 out of 5 for January to March 2026⁷. For context, So Energy scored 2.86 out of 5 and E (Gas and Electricity) scored 3.22 out of 5 over the same period⁷. The rating sits in the upper part of that small comparison group without being the highest.

Which? awarded Ecotricity Eco Provider status for Energy for 2026, one of four companies to receive it alongside Octopus Energy³. Which? rated 14 energy suppliers in that analysis³. Ecotricity has also won the Customer Service category for small suppliers in a 2026 industry award¹⁴, and in earlier Which? survey work it received four stars for overall customer service and for the quality of communications about energy costs¹⁵.

The wider picture is that customer service is a weak point across the industry rather than a strength. A majority of consumers, 60%, give their supplier a rating of between 4 and 5 stars¹⁶, which means a substantial minority do not. Which? has called on providers to tackle customer service failings, with British Gas bottom of its annual rankings¹⁷. Against that backdrop, a 3.36 out of 5 is a middling to good result, and the Eco Provider status reflects environmental sourcing as much as service quality.

Smart meters: free installation, no legal obligation, and how to opt out

Smart meter installation is free to the household. Suppliers install them at no extra cost, and a household should not be asked to pay¹⁸. The rollout is an obligation on suppliers rather than on households, and there is no legal requirement for a household to accept one²⁰. Energy suppliers must install smart meters at no extra cost¹⁹, and the installation carries no upfront charge²¹. Suppliers will install one at no extra cost to consumer homes²².

Ecotricity's fixed tariff terms make the smart meter more than a suggestion. On the May 2026 one year fixed tariff, if a meter is not installed or is refused within three months, and the delays are not due to Ecotricity, the account reverts to the Out of Contract tariff, which is protected by the price cap, and exit fees become payable⁶. A household that declines a smart meter on that tariff is therefore moved onto different terms, and the price cap protection that applies to the Out of Contract tariff is the consequence rather than a penalty rate.

That is the clearest example of how a tariff condition and a household choice interact. Declining a smart meter is lawful, but on this product it changes the contract. Households wanting to understand the wider obligations can read suppliers and smart meter installation.

Billing, Direct Debit and payment terms

Ecotricity's payment terms are set out in the tariff documents rather than in a single billing policy. On the EcoLoyalty 2 Year Fixed Tariff, Ecotricity takes the full amount of the gas or electricity bill 10 working days after the bill was generated⁸. That is a fixed collection window rather than a variable one, and it applies to the variable Direct Debit arrangement on that tariff.

Payments show on the account quickly. Card payments, Direct Debits and bank transfers show on an Ecotricity account by the end of the next working day³. The company's published bank account number for payments is 01741350³. For households used to longer settlement times elsewhere, that is a same-or-next-day posting.

On prepayment, Ecotricity states there is an emergency credit of £10 on a Pay As You Go meter, which allows supply to continue even when the balance has run out³. Emergency credit is a small amount designed to maintain supply after regular credit runs out, and it is reclaimed from the next top-up²³. It is a bridge of hours or days, not a substitute for topping up, and it does not prevent debt accumulating.

Where a household is struggling, Ofgem's guidance is that a supplier can agree a payment plan, a payment break or a reduction, review payments and debt repayments, and give access to hardship funds²⁴. Asking the supplier directly is the route, and the options are set out in the regulator's consumer guidance. Separate charitable funds exist across the industry, with eligibility set by each fund rather than by the supplier²⁵.

Moving home, switching away and closing your account

Giving a supplier notice before a move is the practical step that avoids problems. The Energy Saving Trust advises allowing time for the supplier to transfer the account to the new house, if that is offered, or to close the account²⁶. Closing an account in credit is the point at which a refund becomes due, and households that closed old energy accounts when moving home or switching suppliers during the past five years may be due a refund²⁷.

Ecotricity's exit fee structure is narrower than it first appears. On the EcoLoyalty 2 Year Fixed Tariff, exit fees of £100 per fuel apply if Ecotricity moves a customer before the fixed term ends because they no longer meet the eligibility criteria⁸. There is no exit fee where a customer remains with Ecotricity and switches to a tariff requiring a change in metering setup, such as moving to an EV tariff or switching between a standard rate and Economy 7⁸. The same waiver appears in the EcoFixed terms, with the exit fee still applying when switching between fixed tariffs where the metering setup stays the same⁶.

Moving home is not itself listed as a trigger for the £100 charge in the published terms. The charge is tied to eligibility and to the supplier moving the customer, not to a change of address. Households wanting the wider picture on closing accounts and refunds can read final bills and credit refunds and moving home and your energy supplier.

Where Ecotricity sits for household energy independence

Ecotricity's contribution to a household's energy independence is on the sourcing side. It buys renewable electricity directly from generators, and the Centre for Sustainable Energy identifies it as one of the most significant suppliers doing so². A household on its tariff is supporting that purchase model rather than the certificate market, and 10% of the renewable electricity it sells is generated by the company itself¹.

The dependence that remains is substantial and worth stating plainly. The household is still on the national grid, still supplied by a company for billing and settlement, and still dependent on the wholesale market for the great majority of its electricity. On gas, the dependence is on the gas grid and on fossil gas, because Ecotricity supplies only a proportion of green gas rather than 100%⁴. The price cap exemption means the default tariff is not held down by the cap that applies to most standard variable customers². Smart meter terms on the fixed tariffs tie the contract to accepting an installation⁶. And the fixed term can end early if Ecotricity is required to exit under a Supplier of Last Resort process⁸.

For a household, the honest summary is that Ecotricity changes where the electricity comes from and who is paid for it, and does not change the physical dependence on the grid, the gas network or a supplier. Households weighing that against other options can compare it directly at Good Energy vs Ecotricity and read the wider context at energy suppliers and household energy independence.