Good Energy is a renewable supplier and energy-generating company on a mission to create a ‘cleaner, greener future’ for Britain. Established in 1999, it was one of the UK's first green energy suppliers and has gone on to win multiple awards and invest millions of pounds in solar and wind farms. But is it as good a supplier as its name suggests?
In our Good Energy review we take a look at its customer service, tariffs, pricing and account management to help you decide if it should be your next energy supplier.
Good Energy Review
Interested in finding out more about Good Energy before you switch? Well, we’ve got you covered in our review below.
1. Customer Service
One of the most important aspects of any decent supplier is the quality of its customer service. The Good Energy website puts across a happy and friendly feel, but does its support team reflect this personality?
We have found customers generally have positive opinions of its customer support. Good Energy reviews online show that customers appreciate the friendliness and efficiency of its customer service staff on the phone and the speed with which they solve problems. Many reviewers comment that they appear to care about their customers and that they’re generally helpful and efficient.
I've had nothing but good service from Good Energy. I too have found there have been confusions over billing, but nothing serious, and the people I have dealt with have been super-friendly and helpful.
In the past, we've encountered customers that feel quite the opposite. Some customers had been left bemused and frustrated at receiving inaccurate and miscalculated bills and being undercharged initially before being hit with huge bills further down the line - putting them in debt to Good Energy. Other customers have claimed that they were still being billed for weeks after leaving the company, even if they left without any debt on their account.
The way in which the customer service team used to communicate and respond to these issues has also frustrated customers, with some saying they were slow to respond by email and difficult to contact over the phone.
Customer service is a joke! Moved out of my house on the 02/06 and supplied them with a final meter reading, STILL haven't closed my account or given me a final bill as apparently they're under a backlog of emails at the moment. Impossible to get through to over the phone, wait times are over 45 minutes.
Nowadays, however, Good Energy’s customer support team typically respond quickly on review websites and appear sympathetic. It seems that they had been short-staffed previously and that they used to have just the one call centre which got very busy. They have clearly since worked hard to improve their customer service and reduce wait times, and now boast a rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot.
2. Tariffs & Prices
Another key aspect to consider when choosing your supplier is how much it will set you back each month. Currently, Good Energy offer two tariffs for households and businesses - one for electricity only and one for dual fuel (gas and electricity) customers.
Looking closely at the tariff unit rates and standing charges however, they are one of the most expensive green suppliers in the UK. Good Energy could cost you several hundred pounds more a year than the cheapest green supplier.
Like most renewable suppliers, however, Good Energy don’t charge any exit fees, so you always have the choice to switch supplier again in future without being penalised. This is fast becoming the norm and is something you should always look out for before switching to any supplier. It's good to see that Good Energy has bought into this.
3. Bills & Account Management
To manage their account, customers can access the account area of the Good Energy website or the Good Energy app. From the online portal, customers can submit their meter readings and see past usage, pay their bills, set up a direct debit, manage their contact details, and more.
The Good Energy smartphone app also offers some of this functionality, but it is a bit more limited. The app is designed mainly for meter readings and storing account details. Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer in-app bill payments for example.
As with most suppliers, Good Energy offers customers the ability to pay their bills with various methods including: direct debit, online banking (BACS), by phone or by cheque. Customers choosing to pay their bill by direct debit receive a discount of £15 per year (£30 for both gas and electric). If you choose to pay this way they set a fixed monthly direct debit amount, based on your estimated usage.
Its website claims it will review this every four months to ensure you are paying the right amount. It’s worth being aware that if your gas and electricity usage changes month to month, you could end up overpaying, or more likely underpaying when comparing your direct debit to actual usage. This could result in a build up of debt on your account.
Today I’ve just changed to another green supplier but not before having to pay GE £900 which was my balance over and above my monthly payments in 10 months. It turns out I should have been paying £210 a month which is double my previous bill amounts with the same usage.
Many direct debit customers previously complained of having their direct debit vastly underestimated and then being sent huge one-off bills further down the line, or when wanting to leave. In the past, angry customers have been left with bills of hundreds, even thousands of pounds after apparently underpaying due to their usage exceeding their direct debit amounts, but Green Energy seems to have largely corrected this issue.
More recent reviews praising its performance in this regard, with the current trend being entirely contrary to what customers were saying before:
I've only been a customer for a couple of months, and have just paid my first bill via bank transfer after the estimated amount was adjusted to conform with an actual meter-reading. All this seems to have been handled pleasantly and efficiently, and the on-line bill was detailed but clear.
In the past, it was a common theme that customers who switched to Good Energy ended up paying more for their energy for similar usage with their previous supplier. This caused many to jump ship and switch again, although not before being sent huge final bills. This outraged numerous customers and sent their online ratings tumbling, but its performance more recently has led to a swathe of 5 star reviews and an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot.
Overall, it would appear that Good Energy has been working hard on improving its billing and account management and customer satisfaction reflects this.
Summing Up
Based on customers' experiences, Good Energy seem somewhat inconsistent. While it does plenty of good when it comes to investing in green energy generation and now seems to provide a good service, its high prices will certainly be off-putting to cost-conscious customers.
Good Energy are far from the worst provider we've encountered, but we think there are better-value green suppliers worth considering.
About Good Energy
To continue our look into Good Energy, let's take a look at the company, their ethos, its history, and the key people involved.
Mission & Ethos
Good Energy was one of the first renewable energy suppliers in the UK and is on a mission to help the British public switch to renewable energy. To do this, the provider supplies customers with energy taken from a diverse range of green sources, including solar energy, wind energy and hydropower, all generated at various sites in the UK.
As well as supplying renewable electricity and green gas, Good Energy also believes in contributing to green energy generation rather than just buying it from third parties. It sources their energy from over 1400 generators in the UK and also invest in and own some of this infrastructure.
Examples of this include wind farms and eight ‘solar farms’ across England and Wales. It has also invested in the much-debated Swansea Tidal Lagoon project that hopes to generate renewable tidal energy on a large scale.
History
Good Energy was founded in 1999 by Juliet Davenport. Before setting up the company, Juliet not only had a degree in physics from the University of Oxford, but also a Masters Degree in economics and experience working for the European Parliament in energy and carbon taxation-related roles.
In 2002, Good Energy made its first investment in renewable energy generation by buying the UK’s first wind farm in Cornwall - Delabole Wind Farm. In 2009, Good Energy invested a further £12m to increase the wind farm’s output to enable it to power 7,000 homes. Over the years, Good Energy has continued to raise funds (including £15m in 2013 and £16.7m in 2017) and invested in establishing new infrastructure, including solar farms across England.
Continuing its support and investment for UK renewables, Good Energy partnered with the Swansea Bay Tidal Project in 2014 by agreeing to purchase 10% of the energy the lagoon produces should it be successfully completed.
In 2018, the company reached the milestone of 250,000 customers and is now one of the largest independent energy suppliers in the UK.
Good Energy share price
Looking to invest in green energy? A quick glance at Good Energy share price trends will tell you that its value hit £245 per share just before the Coronavirus pandemic reached the UK in March 2020 - it had not been this valuable since 2017. At its lowest point during the financial crisis that the pandemic brought with it, Good Energy shares were worth around half that, but have since crept up and peaked at £292 per share at the beginning of May 2021.
Good Energy tariffs
Good Energy offers a few different tariffs for households and businesses, and a specialised tariff for electric vehicles. Its three dual-fuel options for domestic customers are:
- 24-month fixed duration
- Flexible duration
- Electric Vehicle
Compared to suppliers such as Octupus and Bulb, its tariff prices are not the cheapest. In fact, it's well above Ofgem's annual price cap of £1,138 for dual fuel, which isn't a good look. It's likely you'll find a cheaper green tariff if you shop around.
Those with an electric vehicle (link coming soon!) might be interested in Good Energy's specialised EV tariff, through which they can get a small discount on the above pricing. We're not entirely convinced it's worth your while, however, if the price is your main concern.
For a clearer picture of where Good Energy stands in terms of value for money, head over to the provider's website for a personalised quote.
Good Energy's Renewable Energy
Next up, let's take a look at where their energy comes from. Unlike many suppliers, Good Energy generates some of its own - the rest comes from a network of over 1,600 energy producers and businesses across the UK.
Energy Mix
Good Energy generates and sources its 100% renewable electricity from a mix of solar, wind, hydroelectric power and biogeneration. This is broken down into:
| Wind energy | Solar energy | Biogeneration | Hydroelectric power |
|---|---|---|---|
| 53.9% | 13.4% | 28.4% | 4.3% |
Renewable Electricity
Since it started, Good Energy has always provided 100% renewable electricity to their customers. This comes from thousands of wind turbines and solar panels located in ‘onshore’ and ‘offshore’ wind farms and solar parks located right here in the UK. The Westermost Rough Wind Farm, for example, is an offshore wind farm based in the North Sea, off the coast of Hull. Good Energy buys 12% of its output - enough to power 33,000 homes.
While many of these 1,600+ generators are third-party producers, Good Energy owns some of its own sites, including:
- Delabole Wind Farm in Cornwall (powers 6,400 homes)
- Hampole Wind Farm in Doncaster (powers 5,400 homes)
- Carloggas Solar Farm in Cornwall (powers 2,200 homes)
- Rook Wood Solar Farm in Wiltshire (powers 1,250 homes)
- Woolbridge Solar Farm in Dorset (powers 1,350 homes)
These sites help to power 18,000 homes with renewable electricity and this looks set to grow as Good Energy continues to expand their portfolio of renewable energy infrastructure. One such proposed site is the Mapperton Solar Farm in Dorset which could power 6,500 homes alone. This is something we feel all green suppliers should be doing, although unfortunately many don’t generate any of their own.
One of our favourite aspects of Good Energy is that it supports and sources various forms of renewable energy. Alongside solar and wind power, it also sources a small percentage from hydroelectric generation. Its portfolio could grow further after its investment in the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon - a project that aims to harness tidal power off the coast of South Wales. This would add yet another source of electricity to its energy mix.
Did you know?As with all suppliers providing 100% renewable electricity, Good Energy customers receive the same electricity from the National Grid. However, for every unit of electricity their customers use, Good Energy guarantee to generate or buy and put back an equal amount into the grid that is renewably-sourced.
Green Gas
Good Energy also supplies 10% of its gas from ‘green gas’ which is generated from breaking down food waste here in the UK. 10% portion of green gas is low, but few suppliers offer more than this as generating sufficient gas to power our homes using only green gas is a difficult task using current methods.
However, the other 90% of Good Energy's gas is carbon offset thanks to its investments in a biogas project in Vietnam and an anti deforestation project in Malawi in Africa. These projects are helping to reduce carbon emissions worldwide and Good Energy invests in them as a way to offset its natural gas emissions.
Good Energy Login
Customers of Good Energy can access their bills and account online or via the provider's mobile app. To access your account online, visit the Good Energy login page, which you'll find on the provider's website. You'll find the app available for download in the App Store and in the Google Play Store for free.
Once logged in to your Good Energy account, you can:
- Submit meter readings
- View your bills
- View past energy usage
- Tell them you're moving house
- Set up your direct debit payments
- Make a one-off bill payment
- Update your contact details
- Contact Good Energy support
Forgotten your Good Energy login details? Simply click the ‘Forgotten your password?’ link on the login page or contact them and they’ll help you access your account - you'll need to provide the email with which you signed up, to which Good Energy will send a password reset link.
Good Energy smart meter
Customers will be able to have a Good Energy smart meter fitted should they want one, but they'll have to wait for its rollout of new meters reaches every part of the country. The provider says that its customers are not obliged to have one installed, but that it is obliged to contact you when the rollout reaches your area.
The provider does recommend getting a Good Energy smart meter installed, however, and for the following reasons:
- Automatic meter readings - you won't have to manually submit meter readings or wait in for a meter reader to come over; these will be sent out automatically.
- Accurate and predictable bills - you'll be able to see the energy you're using and how much it's costing you, meaning your bill won't be based on estimated data and won’t come as a surprise.
- See your usage in real time - a smart meter will help you to monitor your energy consumption and make decisions to prevent energy waste.
Convinced? To let Good Energy know you're interested in a smart meter installation, just drop them an email at [email protected] to tell them.
Good Energy phone number
Good Energy make it easy to get in touch with their customer service team. If you have a problem that you need help with, or wish to make a complaint, you can use the Good Energy phone number in the table below:
| Department | Good Energy phone number | Opening hours |
|---|---|---|
| General inquiries | 0800 254 0000 | Monday to Friday, 8am – 8pm; Saturday 8am - 1pm |
If you'd rather not wait to speak with someone over the phone, you can head over to the website and use its live chat function or send an email to [email protected] and they'll get back to you.
Looking for a number to use in case of an emergency?Good Energy customers, and customers of any supplier, should report gas emergencies by calling 0800 111 999, which is a 24-hour emergency line for customers of any provider. To report a power cut, call 105.