Have you ever checked your energy supplier's power label? You can simply find it online. And that is no luxury, because how green is that power really? Because there is quite a lot of sham electricity in circulation. Power that is sold as green, but does not always turn out to be so in practice. Reason enough to look into it. And to immediately highlight an energy supplier that claims to do things differently: Energiek.
This is how to track down sham electricity
In cooperation with Energiek
The power label helps you spot sham power. Think of it as an ingredients list: you can check where the power really comes from and how it was generated. Many suppliers use foreign certificates to give grey power a green label. It's true on paper, but in practice little changes to the source of the power. That is allowed, but it does make the story opaque. By looking closely at the label, you can see whether your power actually comes from solar, wind or water from the Netherlands, or is mostly green.
Looking at Energiek's power label, the story is remarkably simple. They supply 100% green power from the Netherlands, generated with solar energy. So no foreign certificates and no calculation tricks. Also nice: according to the label, CO2 emissions are zero. That makes it clear. You know where your power comes from and what you are buying, with no small print.
Green energy, fossil energy and sham electricity?
The difference between green and fossil energy is actually quite simple. Fossil energy comes from gas and coal, raw materials that are running out. Moreover, its use releases CO2, which is harmful to the climate and accelerates global warming. Green energy, on the other hand, is generated from sources that do not run out, such as sun and wind. In the process, no CO2 is released during generation. What else you need to know about it: all electricity in the Netherlands goes through the same electricity grid. So there is no separate green or grey power cable. The difference is mainly on paper. Some energy suppliers buy green certificates from abroad, often from Norway, where a lot of electricity is generated. Those certificates prove that green electricity was generated there, but that electricity does not come to your house. Here you still use the ordinary electricity mix, which also contains (a lot of) fossil energy. Yet that power may be sold as green by your energy supplier. That's what we call sham electricity. On paper it's green, in practice it's... grey. It's legal, but it feels less honest.
If you want to avoid that - we get it - then local green power from the Netherlands is the best choice. That energy is generated here with sun or wind, without detours via foreign certificates. So you can be sure that sustainable energy is actually produced for what you consume.
What sets Energiek apart
If after checking your power label you think: this could be fairer, Energiek is one to remember. They supply 100% green power from the Netherlands, generated with solar in Brabant and Limburg. No foreign certificates and no complicated constructions. What further sets them apart is their focus on honesty in their communication and operations. They are transparent about tariffs and costs and constantly compare their tariffs with those of other providers, so that you don't have to keep doing this yourself, but still pay the lowest price. And let's be honest: comparing energy prices is not exactly the most fun job. You have better things to do, right?
See more about this energy company!
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Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl.
