Ecotricity still leading by example on its 10th anniversary

26 May 2005

Officially the oldest independent power supplier in the UK, Ecotricity's success is underpinned by a 'not for dividends' attitude to business and a complete dedication to changing the way electricity is produced. With electricity identified as the biggest single contributor to climate change in this country, one hundred per cent of Ecotricity's profits are used to build new wind turbines in order to produce more 'new' green electricity.

Ecotricity is building more new wind energy sources than any other green electricity company - to the tune of a £7 million investment in the last year alone. In its ten years in business, Ecotricity has entered into partnerships to help internationally recognised brands convert to green energy, including Ford which now has two Norman Foster-designed Ecotricity turbines at its Dagenham plant, The Body Shop, the Co-operative Bank, Sainsbury's and ethical bank, Triodos. Ecotricity is also endorsed by the World Wildlife Fund and the Soil Association.

Ecotricity's ethos is not just about the environment; it also extends to a commitment to customer service. With all customer enquiries dealt with in-house rather than through a call centre, its customer service record is second to none in the industry. The company also promises to match the tariffs of local electricity suppliers.

Wider environmental efforts have extended to the planting of a new forest of 20,000 trees near Lynch Knoll in Gloucestershire, with Ecotricity promising to add one new tree for each customer it signs up.
 
 The 10th anniversary party was an an opportunity to recognise the contribution of all those involved in helping fight for the provision of wind energy in the UK. Dale Vince OBE, Ecotricity's founder, said: "No other company is approaching renewable energy in the same way as Ecotricity. The fundamental aim of our company is to change the way electricity is made in this country, which is why we invest all our efforts and all of our profits in building new sources of wind energy. Ten years ago we described ourselves as environmentalists doing business not a business doing the environment. I can't think of a better way to put it today.

* Ecotricity introduced green electricity to the UK public in 1996. It invests 100 per cent of its profits into building new sources of non-polluting energy such as wind power.

* Ecotricity launched its home electricity supply in April 2003 and guarantees to match the price of local suppliers in each area.

* Ecotricity currently has seven operational wind parks across the UK, with electricity from all but two of the parks going straight into the local electricity grid systems.