Consumers given power to choose a green deal

Households will be able to source their power from clean-energy projects such as the Westmill wind farm in Oxfordshire (AFP/Getty Images)

How would you like to be able to choose how your electricity is made and even where it come from? It may sound futuristic and fanciful but the independent supplier Co-operative Energy has made it a reality this week.

The company says its User Chooser deal will give customers the power to choose.

"You can now decide to have your electricity bought from your local school's solar project, a community wind farm or even a large-scale hydro scheme in Scotland," explained Ramsay Dunning, group general manager.

"If choosing clean power over dirty power is important to you, now you can decide for yourself. "This fits perfectly with the government's 2050 energy roadmap - allowing the consumer to get involved and fully engaged in the energy generation process."

The mutual company currently has power-purchase agreements with around 30 generators, 15 of which are owned by communities.

It sources energy from different types of renewable generators, including community-owned wind farms at Harlock Hill in Cumbria, Westmill in Oxfordshire and Great Dunkilns in the Forest Of Dean, Gloucestershire.

"We need to accelerate the development of a clean-energy future, which is why we buy electricity from low-carbon sources such as renewable energy," said Mr Dunning.

"Taking this initiative isn't the panacea but it is a step in the right direction and it will help our customers make an informed choice about where we buy our electricity from and how it is generated."

The User Chooser scheme is available through cooperativeenergyhub.co.uk.