All Dutch energy suppliers now report correctly about the origins of their electricity following ACM interventions
Summary
- Three energy suppliers have adjusted their information about the origins of their electricity following ACM checks.
- Transparency by way of power disclosure labels helps consumers make conscious decisions about sustainable power.
- Each year, ACM carries out checks in order to ensure that power disclosure labels are correct and complete.
Many suppliers offer green power. In order to know whether this power has truly been generated in a sustainable manner, consumers can check the power disclosure label. In this way, consumers are able to make an informed decision about what contract to take out. Each year, energy suppliers need to publish power disclosure labels on their websites before 1 May. The Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) checks each year whether suppliers have published these power disclosure labels, and whether their claims about the supply of green power match these labels. Following ACM’s checks, three suppliers have adjusted or supplemented the information on their websites. The information of the other energy suppliers was already in order.
On power disclosure labels, the origin of the supplied power is listed, which can be green or grey (fully or partially). Green power is electricity generated from sustainable, renewable sources such as wind or solar. Grey power is generated from fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. Power disclosure labels increase transparency on the energy market.
Additionally, ACM checks the power disclosure labels on a substantive level by verifying whether energy suppliers are able to substantiate the origins of their power with Guarantees of Origin (GoOs) or Certificates of Origin (CoOs). The checks on the correct cancellations of GoOs (green power) and CoOs (grey power) revealed that two suppliers had not done so correctly or had failed to do so at all. These businesses have corrected this. Over the next few months, these suppliers need to demonstrate to ACM each month that they continue to record the origins of their power properly.
Zonneplan adjusts information about supplied power
Furthermore, ACM has conducted an investigation into the provision of information by Dutch energy supplier Zonneplan. In this investigation, it was revealed that Zonneplan did not properly inform consumers about the origin of the supplied power. Zonneplan has adjusted the information on its website, thus explaining to customers the sustainability details regarding the electricity that Zonneplan supplies.
Zonneplan has opted for purchasing grey CoOs, and for stimulating its customers to shift their energy consumptions to times with a greater supply of green power. Zonneplan does so by offering dynamic energy contracts together with an app in which customers are able to see in real time how green the available power on the grid is. It was not clear on Zonneplan’s website that the app only provided insight into how green the power on the grid was, but that Zonneplan itself supplied grey power. Following the adjustments, Zonneplan now provides clear information about its energy supply.