Friends House energy switch

Good Energy has is the new energy supplier for Friends House

Good Energy has taken over as the new energy supplier to Friends House from 1 November. The decision to switch was made by Friends House Hospitality Board.  In 2009 there was some controversy when the contract for 100 per cent renewable energy was awarded to E.ON. Many Friends had been involved in protests against E.ON at the time over its plans to build a new coal-fired power station at Kingsnorth in Kent (see the Friend, 17 July 2009).

Sunniva Taylor, manager for the Sustainability and Peace programme run by Quaker Peace and Social Witness, welcomed the decision. She said ‘The building now sources its energy in alignment with our commitment to become a low carbon sustainable community’.

Good Energy provides a mix of fifty-seven per cent wind, thirty per cent solar, seven per cent hydroelectric and six per cent biogenerated energy. Its sole focus is renewable energy – unlike E.ON for whom renewables make up just thirteen per cent of the company’s fuel mix.

The move comes at a time of increased focus on supporting renewable energy amongst churches. Britain Yearly Meeting Investment Committee took the first steps recently to disinvest from companies engaged in fossil fuel extraction. Quakers have been praised by Operation Noah, the ecumenical environmental campaign group, for being the first Christian denomination to do so. Operation Noah’s recent report, Bright Now, says ‘For the sake of humanity’s survival, we cannot afford to invest in fossil fuels any longer.’

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