Data released by Good Energy, the UK’s only 100% renewable electricity supplier, shows that most UK consumers (71%) are concerned that the majority of fuel used to generate electricity in the UK is imported from overseas.
The Good Energy data reveals fuel to generate electricity in the UK is imported from nearly 40 countries from as far afield as Australia, Russia, and Qatar*, making us susceptible to international events beyond our control. Almost half (44%) of British consumers were unaware that the majority of fuel used to generate electricity in the UK is imported.
71% of consumers worried about where the UK sources fuel for electricity Data reveals the countries that hold our energy future in their hands….
Data released by Good Energy, the UK’s only 100% renewable electricity supplier, shows that most UK consumers (71%) are concerned that the majority of fuel used to generate electricity in the UK is imported from overseas.
The Good Energy data reveals fuel to generate electricity in the UK is imported from nearly 40 countries from as far afield as Australia, Russia, and Qatar*, making us susceptible to international events beyond our control. Almost half (44%) of British consumers were unaware that the majority of fuel used to generate electricity in the UK is imported.
Top five fuel suppliers for UK electricity generation*
Russia 9.5%
Canada 8%
Qatar 7%
Australia 5%
Netherlands 5%
Juliet Davenport, CEO of Good Energy said: “The research shows that energy users are concerned about where their energy is coming from, and rightly so. Our reliance on fossil fuels imported from countries like Russia is what’s been pushing our electricity prices up recently. Clean, green electricity produced in the UK from natural sources can provide resilience against volatile international fossil fuel prices – a result of events around the world beyond our control.”
Good Energy believes the current energy set up in the UK is unsustainable and that households, businesses and communities represent the UK’s energy future. Unlike traditional fossil fuel power plants, renewable generation can vary in scale and is available to all.
The UK is home to some of Europe’s greatest green energy resources, with 40% of its wind resource and enough tidal power to provide approximately 20% of the country’s electricity demand. The company feels that the solution to future energy security should start at home with support for community energy projects, encouragement for independent generators and more British households producing their own electricity.
The research into the origins of the energy used in the UK and our attitudes towards its use shows some other concerning facts about our energy habits. For example, 82% of respondents claim they make efforts to cut down their electricity use (e.g. turning off the lights when not in the room, not leaving TVs on standby) in order to save money on their bill, but only a meagre 2% has reduced their electricity consumption because of the government’s campaigns, illustrating there’s a long way to go before government messages make an impact.
More positively, 41% are interested in generating their own electricity and 3% claim to be already generating their own renewable electricity and therefore reaping the environmental benefits as well as the long term financial reward of lower energy prices.
Juliet Davenport added: “One of the reasons Good Energy was set up was to raise awareness of where our energy comes from so people will value it more and use it less. Giving people greater control and ownership of their energy use is key to this. Our household customers use 10% less electricity than average and we want to empower the rest of the UK to reduce their electricity consumption for a greener and more secure energy future.”
Good Energy is the UK’s only 100% renewable electricity supplier but also supports people across the UK who generate their own power. For more information on Good Energy visit www.goodenergy.co.uk
* This incorporates data analysis by Good Energy using UK Government and EU data. There is currently no mechanism which allows us to see exactly how all of the Fuels imported into the UK are used, because data is not recorded at this level. To produce this analysis we have calculated the breakdown of the countries of origin for all our Gas and Coal imports and have assumed that this same proportional breakdown applies to the Fuels used in our electricity generation. Data on Uranium imports was not available, so this has been done through assessment of world Uranium production and export data from the World Nuclear Association. UK Fuel production and Fuel exports have been excluded. It has not been possible to calculate the country of origin for 3.7% of the fuel used to generate electricity in the UK due to lack of available fuel tracking data.