Ecotricity Tariffs and Green Export Rates

Ecotricity is the UK's first green electricity supplier and remains a key player in renewable energy generation¹. Its household offer is built around one core product, the Domestic Green Variable Tariff, whose rates are variable and may change². Alongside Ecotricity and its green rivals Good Energy and 100Green, it sells only tariffs backed by 100% renewable electricity, and supplies a proportion of green gas from biomethane³. Only about 10% of its renewable electricity is generated by Ecotricity itself; the rest is purchased on the wholesale market from other renewable generators¹.

The feature that most separates Ecotricity from the big suppliers is regulatory. Its Green Variable Tariff is derogated from the Ofgem price cap, which Ecotricity says allows it to build more green generation assets². Ofgem's derogation covers Good Energy and 100Green too, for the same reason⁴. That means the quarterly cap figure you read in the news does not set a ceiling on an Ecotricity bill.

What a green supplier sells, and how Ecotricity differs

A green electricity tariff is one where the energy supplied is matched by electricity from renewable sources such as solar, wind or waves⁵. Ecotricity sits in the small group of suppliers, with Good Energy and 100Green, that only sell renewable-backed electricity and add a slice of biomethane gas³. The trade-off is price: green electricity tends to cost more because green suppliers carry higher operating costs, including forecasting and demand-management processes⁴.

For a household thinking about energy independence, the honest position is that a green tariff changes where your money goes, not where your power comes from. The electricity arriving at your sockets is the same grid mix whatever tariff you are on; what a green tariff does is fund renewable generation and, in Ecotricity's case, help finance new build through the cap derogation². The deeper independence comes from generating your own power, which is where the export tariff later on this page matters. Shifting your usage also helps: time-of-use tariffs are generally cheaper when renewable generation is high and demand is low⁴.

The tariff range: variable, fixed and Economy 7

Ofgem describes three main types of energy tariff: fixed rate, standard variable and multi-rate⁶. Ecotricity's core product is a variable tariff whose rates can change², and its fixed offers are published periodically under the EcoFixed and EcoLoyalty names, described in the next section. On the multi-rate side, the relevant product type is Economy 7, a time-of-use electricity tariff that charges two different prices for electricity depending on when you use it⁷, with a cheaper rate for 7 hours a day, usually at night⁸.

Economy 7 matters to households with storage heaters or, increasingly, electric vehicles. The price cap applies to customers on a standard variable tariff paying by standard credit, direct debit, prepayment meter or Economy 7 meter¹¹, and Ofgem's October to December 2025 analysis put the additional cost of paying by standard credit rather than Direct Debit on an Economy 7 meter at £84¹². Benchmark rates give a sense of the shape: Economy 7 tariffs are assumed to be 34.38p on-peak and 15.43p off-peak, with a 58:42 split¹³, and 15.43p/kWh was the average off-peak rate in January 2026¹⁴. More detail is in our guide to Economy 7 tariffs.

Fixed EV tariffs: EcoFixed and EcoLoyalty, one and two year terms

Ecotricity's fixed deals are aimed at two groups. The EcoFixed tariffs are open fixed EV tariffs; the EcoLoyalty tariffs are retention offers for existing customers coming to the end of a fixed term. Both names appear in monthly versions of the principal terms, published for May, June, July, August and September 2026⁹, and the EV versions share a common shape: a 12-month fixed term, an off-peak window between midnight and 5am, a smart meter requirement, online account management and monthly Direct Debit⁹. The two-year EcoLoyalty fixed tariffs, launched from August 2026, run to 24 months on the same paperless, Direct Debit-only conditions, with £100 per fuel exit fees¹⁵; the one-year non-EV EcoLoyalty tariff carries a £75 per fuel exit fee¹⁶.

The published EcoFixed terms state plainly that "this contract has fixed charges for 1 year (12 months) from the start date of this tariff"⁹. EV tariffs of this kind usually offer a lower rate per unit of electricity used at night, similarly to domestic Economy 7 tariffs¹⁷, which is what makes them work for overnight charging. The conditions are strict, and the smart meter deadline is the one to watch: if a meter is not installed or is refused within 3 months, and the delays are not due to Ecotricity, the account reverts to the Out of Contract tariff and exit fees become payable⁹.

If you move house during the fixed term, no exit fees apply where the tariff transfers to the new property; rates may change with the new property's location, but the term remains the same⁹. Our pages on EV tariffs and on taking a fixed tariff when you move cover the wider market.

How eco electricity certification works in the UK

The word "green" on a tariff is regulated more tightly than it used to be. Suppliers making environmental claims must show that the environmental gain is because the customer chose the tariff, publish their fuel mix and environmental benefit information, and prove where renewable energy came from with enough certificates¹⁸. Green tariffs usually promise 100% renewably sourced electricity as a minimum¹⁹. Ecotricity meets that bar across its whole range³, and its 10% self-generated share¹ is what distinguishes it from suppliers that buy in all their certificates.

Two caveats are worth holding in mind. First, some green tariffs work partly by offsetting: green energy tariffs make use of both green and renewable energy, and one guide puts the share of CO2-emitting fossil fuel electricity offset at 57%²⁰. Second, the greenest use of a green tariff is to time your consumption: using electricity when the grid is generating mostly renewable power, since time-of-use tariffs are generally cheaper when renewable generation is high and demand is low⁴. Comparison sites also grade greenness: Uswitch rates the greenest tariffs under its Green Accreditation scheme¹⁹. Among Ecotricity's green rivals, 100Green stands out for a wildlife tariff that avoids electricity generated where there are migrating birds and fish or fragile ecosystems²¹.

Your gas: renewable, fossil and carbon offset options

On the gas side, the green content is much thinner. Ecotricity generates a small amount, about 1% of green gas, for its dual-fuel tariffs¹. That compares with 100Green, which supplies at least 10% green gas on all tariffs and 100% on its Ekoenergy tariff¹⁸. The rest of the gas Ecotricity supplies is fossil gas from the network, the same molecules every supplier delivers. Some green tariffs offset gas and electricity that would leave a carbon footprint by contributing to green projects such as afforestation programmes²², and standard energy tariffs can attract additional fees, such as the climate change levy, to support ecological initiatives including green energy²⁰.

Green energy, in the official definition, is renewable power from wind, water, sun and biofuels²³. Biomethane gas fits that definition; offset tree planting does not change the fuel burned in your boiler. If a household's aim is to cut dependence on fossil gas, a 1% green gas share is a rounding error, and the levers that matter are insulation, heating system changes and electricity self-generation. Several suppliers offer green gas tariffs without requiring you to sign up for electricity or dual fuel²⁴, so gas-only households can compare on that basis; our dual fuel versus separate tariffs page sets out the wider trade-offs.

The Smart Export Tariff: getting paid for the electricity you export

Ecotricity operates an export tariff under the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG), the scheme under which households with installed renewables get paid for the electricity they export to the National Grid²⁵. The starting point is generation: solar panels on your roof, and the payment comes "in return for a payment known as the Smart Export Guarantee (SEG)"²⁵. To get paid for exporting solar electricity, you need to sign up for the export scheme²⁷. Energy Saving Trust describes the future home as combining a smart time-of-use tariff and an export tariff, so you can sell any extra electricity you generate with your solar panels²⁸.

The practical significance for independence is real but bounded. Export payments turn your roof into a small revenue source and shorten the payback of a solar installation, but the rate is set by the supplier, not by any cap, and there is no obligation on any supplier to offer a particular rate. Our pages on the Smart Export Guarantee, on SEG rates and on applying for an export tariff cover the mechanics, and exporting from a home battery covers the storage case.

Tariffs, billing and why the price cap does not apply

The price cap protects customers on standard variable tariffs, which are the default²⁹, and applies to payment by standard credit, direct debit, prepayment meter or Economy 7 meter¹¹. Fixed tariffs chosen by the customer are not protected by the cap¹⁰, and the same goes for business energy contracts, heat networks and heating oil³⁰. You are protected by a default tariff cap if you are on a standard variable tariff or a tariff you have not chosen³¹, and if you are eligible and on a tariff priced above the cap, you save money³¹.

Ecotricity's position is different because its variable tariff is derogated from the cap², an approach Ofgem has applied to Good Energy and 100Green as well⁴. The policy dates back to Ofgem's original consultation, which proposed no general exemption but considered derogations where a tariff genuinely adds to support for renewable energy and incurs materially higher costs³². Customers paying by Direct Debit receive discounted rates; pay-on-receipt-of-bill rates are higher². A credit check is carried out on application, recorded on your credit file and possibly affecting your credit score, and ongoing payment history is reported to credit reference agencies². From October 2026, the removal of VAT from domestic electricity bills takes effect, applying to all customers and all tariffs at Ecotricity.

Customer support and the complaints process

Ecotricity's phone lines are open Monday to Friday 9am to 7pm and Saturday and Sunday 9am to 5pm, on 0345 555 7100, or 01453 761482 from abroad, and the company states an average response time of 2 working days for email and app queries. Switching is quick where accounts are clear: the transfer should not take more than 5 working days², and a new contract can be cancelled within 14 days of entering it².

Complaints have a defined escalation route. If a complaint has not been resolved within 8 weeks of the date you told Ecotricity about it, you can refer the matter to Ombudsman Services: Energy, on 0330 440 1624 or at ombudsman-services.org/sectors/energy; the service is free and independent, and Ecotricity is bound by its decision⁹. That binding element matters: an ombudsman decision is not advice a supplier can ignore. Ecotricity has also featured among winning suppliers in collective switch schemes run by Uswitch in May and September 2026, alongside E.ON Next, which indicates it has been price-competitive in those windows. For the wider rules suppliers must follow, see tariff rules and consumer protections.