What happened to Green Star Energy?

Green Star Energy entered the UK market in 2013, expanding from the US provider Just Energy Group, which had accumulated over two million customers in the States. It has since ceased independent operations, being absorbed by a larger energy provider in 2019 - want to find out more? Keep reading.

Green Star Energy FAQs

In this section, we’ll take you through some common questions relating to Green Star Energy, hopefully leaving you in no doubt about where you stand if you were a customer:

Who took over Green Star Energy?

Green Star Energy was taken over by Shell Energy at the end of 2019. By now, all of the provider’s customers should have been switched to their new provider but perhaps not all will be fully aware.

Their supply was not interrupted and no changes occurred in their terms for the duration of their contract, but once their contract ended they will be (or will have been) switched to their new supplier’s standard variable deal, which is not likely to offer a great price. To find the cheapest tariffs on the market, see our dedicated page.

Who is the CEO of Green Star Energy?

Green Star Energy’s CEO was Joanne Thornton, who publicly came under fire when a customer was mistakenly charged £27,000 for her energy bill in 2018. With the company now a part of Shell Energy, its unfortunately-named CEO Colin Crooks is now the head of the company.

Green Star Energy reviews

So, this provider is no longer operating independently, but will it be missed? We’re going to take a look at Green Star Energy reviews online to see what its customers thought about it and whether it’s for the best that they’ve been switched.

Unfortunately, Green Star Energy reviews on the consumer review site Trustpilot, particularly the most recent ones, paint an ugly picture. On the face of it, the provider’s 2.7 out of 5 star rating doesn’t seem so bad, particularly when compared with the biggest providers, who usually perform poorly in this regard.

On closer inspection, however, the 40% of Green Star Energy reviews that give the provider the worst rating of 1 star seem to have come largely in recent times. This would suggest to us that the company ended things on a bad note with many customers, and a look at what reviews are saying bears this out:

The emphasis is on sucking money from the customer, whilst providing quite the worst customer service I've experienced. It's the usual thing: long waits before you connect to people you can only half-understand, who can't do very much. You can't see your bills, you can't consult anyone - and then it's another mail, demanding money, threatening you.

Many reviewers cite problems with their final bill and an unsatisfactory complaints resolution process, which is hardly surprising given that the supplier is hardly operational but no less frustrating for customers. What it tells us is that Green Star was not up to scratch when it closed and switched customers over to Shell Energy and that it should not be mourned as things would only have gotten worse had it continued to operate.

If you’re having problems relating to your Green Star Energy account, we suggest you get in touch with Shell Energy (using the details at the bottom of this page) to try to resolve them.

Green Star tariffs

Green Star tariffs are no longer available as the supplier has merged with Shell Energy, meaning you can no longer get a quote on its website as we would usually do. Last we checked, the provider offered four different green energy tariffs:

• Save Money Cut Carbon 36M v2
• Fix for Longer 24m v4
• Fix for Longer 36m v4
• Standard PAYG

The good thing about its fixed tariffs is that their duration meant that customers were guaranteed for their price not to go up for up to three years. Unfortunately, our last price comparison for Green Star tariffs found that a three-bedroom house in London would spend several hundred pounds over Ofgem’s fuel cap.

That these tariffs are green is no excuse for paying so much over the odds, as we’ve seen plenty of environmentally friendly deals out there for less. With the above tariffs no longer being valid, we would suggest that customers contact Shell Energy to find out the terms of the tariff they’re currently on and then decide whether they’re happy with the deal.

Green Star Energy Perks

One element of Green Star tariffs that we were big fans of was Green Star Energy Perks. This was a scheme through which customers could collect points with each bill they pay (provided they’re on time) after 90 days of being a customer. These points could get you either:

• Smart energy products, or
• Gift vouchers from popular shopping and dining retailers such as Sainsbury’s and Argos.

Green Star Energy Perks could be redeemed from the supplier’s Perks Rewards website, which had its own separate team that could be contacted at [email protected] or by calling 0800 029 1561. If you have points you’ve yet to use, you can contact the team to find out if they’re still valid (they should be for up to two years), but we fear that the provider’s closure may have spelt the end for the Perks scheme.

Fuel mix

All providers are obliged to release data regarding where they source their fuel from, and Green Star Energy was no different. This is where the energy powering your home came from if you were a customer:

This is what we like to see. All of the electricity used by Green Star to power your home is sourced from renewables, particularly from wind, solar, and hydroelectric energy. The provider also used biomass fuels to create a certain percentage of green gas, though no energy supplier does this for 100% of its gas supply and Green Star doesn’t specify what proportion of its gas is green.

The Green Star Energy website assures customers that, although they have been switched to Shell Energy, their supply will continue to be sourced 100% from renewable energy. For more information, you should get in touch with Shell Energy.

Green Star Energy login

Former customers of the provider could access My Green Star Energy page on its website in order to manage their energy usage. Users could also manage their account via the My Green Star Energy app, which offered these features to users on-the-go:

• Submit meter readings anytime
• Pay bills
• See how much energy has been used this month compared to last
• Download statements
• Keep up to date with Green Star Energy notifications
• See account details, including which tariff customers are currently on

This is a simple set of features but really all one needs to keep their energy usage under control with ease. Unfortunately, though your Green Star Energy login features are certainly adequate to make life easy, the app itself did not seem to do this for customers.

The My Green Star Energy app was (and still seems to be) only available for Android on the Google Play Store, which makes things tricky for customers with Apple products. As well as this, reviews for the app are bad - it gets an average rating of 2.2 stars out of 5, and users complained of it being buggy and tediously slow to operate.

Trouble logging in?

We’re not surprised - you will no longer be able to use your Green Star Energy login to access the app and manage your energy in the way you used to now because your account has been switched over to Shell Energy. In order to manage your account from your mobile, you will need to contact your new provider to set yourself up with your updated details on its app.

Do Green Star Energy use smart meters?

Green Star did offer smart meters to its customers before it became a part of Shell Energy in 2019, and customers were able to book an installation via the Green Star Energy website. Now that the provider has ceased to operate, customers will need to contact Shell Energy to book an installation of one of its smart meters.

Warm home discount

Green Star Energy did participate in the government’s Warm Home Discount scheme, meaning that its customers qualified either as members of the Core Group or the Broader Group. Members of the Core Group will have been notified by the government and would have the £140 discount applied automatically to one of their bills.

Those who qualified under the Broader Group were also able to get the discount from Green Star Energy, but they would have had to apply every year via the provider’s website with no guarantee of receiving it - either because of changes in eligibility or because the discount is applied on a first-come, first-served basis to this group.

Fortunately, all of the above is also true for Shell Energy!If you were a Green Star Energy customer and you’re looking to apply for the discount under the Broader Group, you can apply via the Shell Energy website.

Green Star Energy contact number

Looking for a Green Star Energy contact number? You’re in the right place - in the table below, you’ll find the number plus the hours in which you can call. If you’ve already been switched to Shell Energy, you’re better off calling them on the number we’ve included below.

Rather not wait around to speak with someone over the phone? You can also email Green Star Energy at [email protected] or get help from Shell Energy via the virtual assistant available on the provider’s website.

Looking for a number to use in case of an emergency?Former Green Star Energy customers, regardless of their current 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.