Good Energy vs Ecotricity

Good Energy and Ecotricity are the two suppliers most often weighed against each other by households that want their money to support renewable generation rather than the wholesale market alone. Both sell 100% renewable electricity tariffs and both supply a proportion of green gas from biomethane, and both are exempt from the energy price cap because of how they buy their power¹. That exemption is the single most important commercial fact about the pair: it means neither is bound by the default tariff ceiling that applies to standard variable tariffs, so a household comparing them is comparing two unregulated-by-cap offers rather than two capped ones³.

The two companies differ in where the electricity comes from. Good Energy buys from more than 1,700 independent renewable generators¹, while Ecotricity generates 10% of its renewable electricity itself and buys the rest on the wholesale market from other renewable generators⁴. Both are named by the Centre for Sustainable Energy among the most significant suppliers buying renewable electricity and REGO certificates directly from generators, a group that also includes 100Green and Octopus².

For a household thinking about energy independence, the practical question is what each supplier leaves you dependent on. Neither removes the grid, the meter or the standing charge. What they change is who owns the generation and how closely your consumption is matched to it in time, and on that measure the two take different routes.

Good Energy vs Ecotricity at a glance

The two suppliers sit in the same niche but not the same business model. Ecotricity describes itself as the UK's first green electricity supplier and is a key player in renewable generation as well as supply⁴. Good Energy is a pure buyer and matcher, sourcing from a large community of independent generators rather than owning the plant¹. Both appear on Ofgem's Feed-in Tariff licensee contact list, which is the official register of suppliers with FIT obligations⁸.

Both were named Which? Eco Providers for 2025 alongside 100Green and Octopus Energy¹. The recognition is independent of price: Which? assesses environmental performance, not value for money, so a household should read it as evidence about sourcing rather than about bills.

How each supplier sources its green electricity

The distinction that matters most between these two is real-time matching versus own generation. Good Energy reports an 87% half-hourly match between renewable generation and customer demand in 2026, and the Matched Clean Power Index ranked it first among suppliers for real-time matching in May 2026³. That figure is the supplier's own and describes how closely, half hour by half hour, the renewable output it contracts matches what its customers actually draw. A high match means less reliance on certificates bought after the fact to cover a gap.

Ecotricity takes the other route. It generates 10% of its renewable electricity itself and purchases the remainder on the wholesale market from other renewable generators⁴. Owning generation gives it a direct stake in new capacity, which is why the Centre for Sustainable Energy groups it with Good Energy, 100Green and Octopus as suppliers providing significantly greater support for renewables development than the market average². The trade-off is that a smaller self-generation share means more of the electricity a customer uses is bought in rather than produced by the company they pay.

For a household, the difference shows up in what the tariff is actually backing. Both firms only sell tariffs backed by 100% renewable electricity and both supply a proportion of green gas from biomethane¹. Neither can make a home independent of the grid: the wires, the meter and the standing charge remain, and the electricity still arrives through the same network regardless of who generated it. What changes is the direction of the money and the strength of the link between what you use and what was generated.

Gas: biomethane share and carbon offsetting compared

Good Energy publishes a specific biomethane figure: 10% of the gas it supplies is biomethane, with the remainder natural gas, and it offsets all of the emissions associated with the production and distribution of both the biogas and the natural gas it supplies to customers⁵. The offsetting is done by investing in Gold Standard carbon offsetting schemes⁵. That is a clear, checkable position: a tenth of the molecule is renewable, and the carbon account for the rest is settled separately.

Ecotricity supplies a proportion of green gas from biomethane, and the Centre for Sustainable Energy groups it with Good Energy and 100Green on that basis¹. The published proportion is not stated in the same terms as Good Energy's, so a household comparing the two on gas should treat the biomethane share as a question to put to each supplier directly rather than assume they are identical.

The wider point is that gas is where green supply is weakest. Electricity can be matched to renewable generation half hour by half hour; gas cannot, because the network carries whatever is put into it and biomethane injection is a small fraction of total volume. Offsetting addresses the carbon account but not the physical dependence on the gas grid, and a household that wants to cut that dependence has to look at the fabric of the building and the heating system rather than at the supplier's fuel mix. Good Energy's own energy mix shows 27% biogeneration and 9% hydro, with 32% of its renewable electricity coming from biogeneration⁵.

Green credentials: certification and independent rankings

Good Energy is a B Corp certified energy supplier, meeting standards for environmental and social responsibility across its business⁶. B Corp certification is awarded by an external body and requires a company to meet verified social and environmental performance requirements, which makes it a stronger claim than a self-declared green label.

Both suppliers have a long record with Which?. Good Energy has been a Which? Eco Provider for six years running³, and Ecotricity was named a Which? Eco Provider for the sixth year running in 2026⁹. Which? named 100Green, Ecotricity, Good Energy and Octopus Energy as Eco Providers for 2025¹, and in 2024 reported that Ecotricity and Good Energy had been named Eco Providers for four years in a row¹¹. Ecotricity was also a Which? Recommended Provider in the 2024 research, which covered 18 energy firms¹².

The two records are not identical in kind. The Eco Provider endorsement is about environmental performance; the Recommended Provider status is about the wider customer experience. A household weighing green credentials should note that both suppliers have held the environmental recognition for years, so the endorsement does not separate them. What separates them is the sourcing model described above and the service record below.

Ofgem's review of how suppliers support customers in vulnerable situations placed Ecotricity in a group identified with moderate weaknesses, alongside E (Gas & Electricity) and Green Energy UK¹³. That review dates from November 2022 and is the most recent official assessment of its kind in the record, so it should be read as a historical finding rather than a current rating.

Tariffs and pricing: fixed terms and the price cap exemption

The price cap applies to default tariffs regardless of how bills are paid, and it does not cover fixed, green or time of use tariffs¹⁴. It applies to customers on a standard variable tariff paying by standard credit, Direct Debit, prepayment meter or Economy 7 meter¹⁵. Because Good Energy, 100Green and Ecotricity buy their power in a way that takes them outside the default market, they are exempt from the cap². The practical consequence is that a household on a Good Energy or Ecotricity tariff has no ceiling behind it: the protection that caps a standard variable tariff for most customers does not apply, and the price is whatever the tariff says.

Ecotricity runs a series of fixed tariffs with published principal terms. The Domestic EcoLoyalty 1 year Fixed Tariff for July 2026 is a retention tariff for existing customers, and its terms state that where a customer is switched to Ecotricity after a previous supplier exited the market, the company will take reasonable steps to fulfil any agreement made with Ofgem, including honouring any credit balance held on the account with the previous supplier¹⁶. That is the clearest published statement from either supplier on what happens to credit after a supplier failure, and it mirrors the supplier of last resort process that Ofgem operates.

Payment method affects cost. Paying by Direct Debit is usually cheaper than paying on receipt of a bill¹⁷. Ecotricity's retention tariffs carry conditions that go further: the September 2026 two year EcoLoyalty tariff is paperless and Direct Debit only, with £100 per fuel exit fees, while the August 2026 one year version carries a £75 per fuel exit fee. A household that prefers to pay another way, or that may move before the term ends, should read the principal terms before agreeing.

Smart meters: installation, partners and opting out

Ecotricity states that having a smart meter installed is currently free, and that although it recommends the benefits, there is no legal obligation to have one installed⁶. A household that wants to decline can email their name and account number to smart@ecotricity.co.uk or call 0345 812 5555⁶. Smart meters do not need an internet connection to work, because they communicate over existing mobile or radio signals depending on location⁶.

The installation process itself follows industry rules. Where a household has separate suppliers for gas and electricity, individual appointments must be booked with both, and it is recommended that the electricity meter is changed first¹⁸. Private renters can choose a smart meter if the energy bills are in their name or they prepay for energy, after checking the tenancy agreement and letting the landlord know¹⁹. SMETS2 meters keep their smart functions across all suppliers using the national network, and are now the meter type used for any new smart meter installation¹⁹.

Opting out has no effect on the rest of the supply contract. The Energy Ombudsman handles disputes about smart meters among its common case types, alongside bills, customer service and switching problems²⁰. Where a smart meter is installed under the Energy Company Obligation, the rules require the advice given on the benefits of using one to include guidance on arranging installation and an invitation to make a non-binding pledge to arrange it²¹. That is a condition on suppliers delivering efficiency measures, not a requirement on the household.

Service ratings and complaints

Complaints about either supplier follow the same escalation route. Ofgem's guidance is that a household can contact the Energy Ombudsman if it is not happy with the way the supplier has handled the complaint²². The Ombudsman is approved by Ofgem to deal with complaints about energy bills, mis-selling, problems with supply and problems with switching²⁴. The most common dispute types are gas and electricity bills, smart meters and Feed-in Tariffs, customer service, problems arising from switching, the way a product or service was sold including doorstep sales, and the supply of energy to a home²⁰.

The escalation conditions are specific. A household can complain to the Ombudsman if a reported problem is not fixed within eight weeks, if it and the supplier cannot agree on how to fix it, if a deadlock letter is received, or if it is not happy with the decision it has received²⁵. Useful details to have ready include the supplier's name, the account holder's name, the account number and the date the complaint was first raised with the supplier²⁶.

On published service measures, Good Energy scored 3.49 out of 5 overall in the Citizens Advice customer service rating for January to March 2026 and ranked sixth in the supplier comparison table³. That is a mid-table position rather than a leading one, and it is the most recent independent service figure available for either supplier in this comparison. Ecotricity's most recent official assessment in the record is the 2022 Ofgem review placing it in the group with moderate weaknesses¹³. Households that want the current picture for either supplier should check the live Citizens Advice comparison table, which is updated quarterly, and the energy supplier customer service ratings page for how the scores are built.

Which supplier fits a household seeking energy independence

Neither supplier delivers independence on its own. Both leave a household connected to the grid, dependent on a supplier for billing and metering, and, if gas is used for heating, dependent on the gas network. The price cap exemption means there is no regulatory ceiling behind the tariff either, so the household carries more price risk than a customer on a capped default tariff². That is the honest starting point.

What the two offer is a different kind of leverage. Good Energy's model ties a household's money to a large community of independent British generators and to a high half-hourly match between generation and demand, reported at 87% in 2026³. Ecotricity's model ties it to a company that builds and owns some of its own generation, at 10% of the renewable electricity it supplies⁴. A household that wants its payments to support new capacity directly may weigh the self-generation route; one that wants the closest possible match between what it uses and what was generated may weigh the matching route. Both are legitimate readings of what green supply means, and the evidence does not settle which is better.

The bigger independence gains sit outside the supply contract. Good Energy installs solar and batteries using its own in-house team rather than subcontractors⁷, and offers export rates of up to 25p per kWh to customers who install both a solar and a battery system through it⁷. Installing a battery through Good Energy unlocks its Exclusive export tariff for 12 months⁶. For a ten panel system the company estimates 65% of generated power is exported at 12p per kWh, rising to 70% for a sixteen panel system⁶. Those are the maker's own estimates and describe its own products, not an independent assessment.

For a household that already has solar and wants to add storage, the question of whether Good Energy will fit a battery to a system another company installed is one for the supplier, because the answer depends on the equipment in place. What is clear is that its installations use its own team⁷. Households weighing the wider picture can compare the two suppliers' profiles on the Good Energy and Ecotricity pages, and read how supply choice fits into the broader question of energy suppliers and household energy independence.