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OUR ELECTRICITY IS 100% RENEWABLE. BUT IT’S COMPLICATED.

For every unit of green energy that’s put on the grid, a REGO certificate is issued with it. These authenticate that the energy comes from a renewable source. 

Sounds fine. But REGOs have problems.  

The most glaring is that the REGO and its unit of energy can be separated. So a company can buy the certificate without buying the energy. This is greenwashing at its most flagrant — taking brown energy from the grid, and using a now-meaningless REGO to claim it as green. 

We buy the REGO and the energy that comes with it — so every unit of electricity we sell is matched with a unit of 100% renewable energy.  

But this has its problems too. We could argue that buying REGOs is increasing the country’s demand for green energy and incentivises generators. But we’re not going to do that. Because we’re not putting anything new onto the grid with a REGO— we’re just using what’s already there. 

To create a better energy future, we need to get new energy onto the grid. And REGOs won’t get us there.  

That’s why we’re forming relationships (these agreements are called power purchase agreements or PPAs) with renewable energy generators in the UK – ethical, community-minded producers whose business models we can get behind.  

At the end of our first year of trading, a big chunk of our energy will come from these generators (we’re working on an exact commitment). This will make our electricity fully traceable to the UK farm where it was produced, and help to grow the market for renewable power. All of which contributes to the long-term goal: turning every electron on the grid green.  

Then the real work starts. Equipping our customers with the means to generate their own energy. 

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BE PART OF SOMETHING SPECIAL. BECOME A BETA TESTER NOW.

We’re building a better energy supplier. Actually, it’s more than that: we’re redesigning the energy supplier from the ground up – for this unique and transformative moment in time

That takes work. And we need feedback on that work. So we’re looking for beta testers – an exclusive group of early customers to join us while we make sure everything runs smoothly. During this period, we’ll be testing our systems and checking all is in place. 

Here are the basics of beta-testing with us 

  • When supplying your energy, we guarantee you will always have power 
  • There will always be someone to help you 
  • Our website will look good, but our emails will be basic 
  • Your comments and feedback will shape what we do in the future 

And here are the essentials 

  • Call us on 0345 528 0195 if you need any help 
  • Or help@rebelenergy.com if you prefer to email
  • Dial 105 for electricity emergencies. Dial 0800 11 999 for gas emergencies. 

We get into more detail below, but if you already know you want to come on this journey, get a quote now.  

Industry-leading automation 

We’re automating back-end processes so our people can focus 100% on delivering what matters: great customer service, clean energy, real affordability, and helping those who need it. 

The automation is built. The processes are mapped out. The only thing missing is input from real people, using our website and web portal as normal. Once our robots (or ‘Rebelots’, if you will) get used to how our customers use the system, we’re confident it will be the best in the business.  

Customer experience 

We’re developing customer experience that’s caring, thorough and easy to use. And we haven’t quite perfected it yet.  

So until it’s rolled out in all its glory, we’ll have something more basic. In practice, that means things will be a little less slick on the design front. And emails might arrive a little slower than usual. But everything will be 100% personalised and accurate – and there will always be someone at the other end, ready to help.  

Building something better 

That last paragraph captures the nature of beta testing. Things will be a little slower and plainer to begin with. And there will probably be one or two things that look a bit off. But everything does work. And you get to shape something special: creating a better approach to energy, at a time when we need it the most.  

Get a quote to become a beta tester now. 

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THE UN DECADE ON ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST-EVER ENDEAVOURS

Tomorrow is the 47th World Environment Day (the very first was held in 1974, which tells us that we’ve been dealing with this issue for a long time). 

This one is special. It launches the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Spanning 2021 to 2030, this is a global mission to restore and revive billions of hectares of ecosystems. Saving the planet, saving ourselves.  

This is essential work: over the last century, we’ve destroyed half of our wetlands. Half of our coral reefs are gone too, and we might well lose 90% of them by 2030 even if we keep the global temperature rise to 1.5°C. We’ve lost uncountable acres of forests, peatbogs, seagrass meadows and mangroves. When those ecosystems go, they take insects, animals, plants and carbon stores with them. And it’s crucial to note that environmental degradation goes hand in hand with growing inequality. 

So there’s a lot of work to do: a lot of land and ocean to repair. A lot of nature to heal. And not a lot of time. 

The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is one of the world’s greatest-ever endeavours — this is the chance to take hold of the magnificent world we live in, and save it from destruction. It’s a task that touches every inch of our earth, from the darkest reaches of the sea, to our busy cities and the tops of our mountains.  

We might feel overwhelmed by the scale of all this. But the fundamental truth is that change comes from holistic, sustainably-run, locally-empowered projects. And anyway, restoration is good for us. Apart from the bald fact that it gives us a future, it’s also good for our general health and wellbeing (and it actually gives healthy returns on financial investment too).  

In other words: we really can make a difference. We just have to do it. 

The themes of 2021’s World Environment Day are ‘Reimagine. Recreate. Restore.’ These are about ambition, action, imagination – and they put the era of vague commitments and watered-down plans firmly in the past. 

They also have a striking rhyme with our own values of ‘Rebuild, Restore, Renew’. Which makes sense: we share WED’s belief that restoring the planet and social justice are intimately and inextricably linked

You might ask what we’re doing, apart from supplying 100% renewable electricity.  

We set up Rebel Restoration to support brilliant projects that restore ecosystems, remove carbon from the atmosphere and empower local communities. A lot of these are in the UK (we’re particularly keen on restoring peatbogs and planting seagrass meadows), and we also want to plant mangroves overseas.  

We’re doing this because it’s the right thing to do. We’re sure there will be teething problems and we’ll make mistakes – but we are fully committed to an approach that actually means something. We will do the right thing when there is nobody watching.  

This is the decade that makes or breaks it. And we know where we stand.