BT sources 100% renewable electricity from npower
Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change calls for companies to follow BT’s lead
BT has started to source 100 per cent of its electricity in the UK from renewable energy, after signing an agreement with npower, making it one of the largest UK commercial companies to do so.
BT has calculated that this amount of electricity from non-renewable sources would equate to a carbon footprint of around one million tonnes of CO2 a year.
As part of its Better Future strategy, BT’s ambition is to source energy, including electricity, from renewable sources, such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat, to help BT reduce its overall carbon footprint. During the 2011/12 financial year, BT consumed 2.3 Terawatt hours of energy running its UK networks, data centres and offices, equivalent to 0.76 per cent of all the electricity used in the UK.
The Rt Hon Edward Davey MP, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, said: “I am delighted that BT is taking this approach to sourcing their electricity. I hope many other corporates will follow the lead of BT and others, in taking their electricity from renewable and low carbon sources.”
BT has also set a Net Good goal, which will help customers reduce carbon emissions by at least three times the full carbon impact of our business by 2020. To deliver against the net good goal, BT will reduce its overall carbon footprint through energy reduction in its own operations, help lower its supplier’s carbon footprint and decrease the consumption of devices provided to customers. BT will develop its portfolio of services such as conferencing to help customers reduce their emissions from travel, as well as heating, carbon emissions and other forms of energy consumption.
As part of the contract, npower has issued a pioneering A-G rated electricity source label to BT, to certify that all energy purchased will be in the A rated category in terms of carbon content. The first electricity source label was issued on December 21, 2012.
The label provides BT with an assurance that for every unit of electricity consumed, a matching number of units from renewable sources are fed back into the electricity network by npower. This label provides BT with clear visibility of the carbon impact of the electricity it purchases.
BT believes that providing visibility of the carbon content in their electricity will stimulate demand pull for more A rated electricity which will in turn ultimately help to encourage energy companies to invest in renewable energy infrastructure, driving down overall carbon emissions in the UK.
Richard Tarboton, BT’s director of energy and carbon said: “Purchasing 100 per cent renewable electricity with npower sets a strong foundation for our new ‘Net Good’ ambition. BT strives to help society live within the constraints of our planet’s resources through our products and services.This is an example of BT’s commitment to be a responsible and sustainable business leader.”
Paul Massara, CEO of RWE npower, said: “BT’s decision to match its electricity use with 100 per cent renewable energy sends a real signal that renewables are important to the UK and to British business. We’ve worked in partnership with BT for many years and are delighted to have created this bespoke contract as part of the targets set out in BT's sustainability plan. We look forward to continuing to working with BT in the future to help them strive to achieve their aims.”
Notes for Editors
(i) BT’s Net Good ambitions aim to use its products and services to help our customers reduce their carbon emissions by more than the end to end carbon emissions it takes to run our entire business.
The BT Better Future report for 2012 / 2013 details our extensive work in everything we are doing to be a responsible and sustainable business leader www.bt.com/betterfuture
