Somerset Council will switch its electricity supplies back to renewable energy from April 2027 as part of its commitment to tackling climate change and becoming a net zero organisation.
The Council has selected a new “Clean Renewable” energy tariff, meaning the electricity it buys through its council contract will be specifically sourced from wind, solar and hydro generation.
The move covers all metered and unmetered electricity supplies included in Somerset Council’s electricity contract.
The Council had temporarily moved back to a standard electricity tariff in 2024 as part of the difficult decisions taken during its financial emergency. Earlier this year, councillors agreed an additional £53,000 in the budget to enable the Council to return to renewable electricity. The additional cost represents less than 1% of the Council’s annual electricity spend.
The renewable tariff will come into effect from April 2027 and forms part of the Council’s wider work to reduce its environmental impact and move towards net zero.
Cllr Liz Leyshon, Lead Member for Finance, Procurement & Performance, said:
“We know the Council needs to play its part in tackling climate change, and that includes looking carefully at where the energy we use comes from.
“Our financial position meant we had to make some very difficult decisions, including temporarily moving away from renewable electricity.
“I’m really pleased that we are now in a position to restore this commitment. From next April, the electricity we buy through this contract will be sourced from wind, solar and hydro generation.
“It is one part of our much wider journey towards net zero, but it is an important and positive step.”
The Council spends several million pounds a year on electricity across its operations. Figures previously supplied by the Council’s Energy and Contracts Manager put expenditure over a 12-month period at £6.58 million, covering approximately 17.88 million kWh of electricity. The additional investment required for the renewable tariff therefore represents less than 1% of annual electricity expenditure.
Somerset’s wider energy strategy also highlights the role renewable generation will need to play in achieving net zero. The Council’s Somerset Energy Investment Plan records more than 520MW of renewable electricity capacity in Somerset in 2023, generating the equivalent of 29% of the county’s electricity consumption.
Alongside the move back to renewable electricity, the Council is continuing its programme to replace remaining older street lights with energy-efficient LED lighting and introduce a centralised management system. This will provide greater control over lighting, improve fault monitoring and help reduce energy use and running costs.
Notes to editors
The Clean Renewable tariff is described by the Council’s electricity supplier as being “specifically sourced from wind, solar and hydro assets”.
The tariff is REGO-backed. It is therefore one element of the Council’s approach to decarbonisation rather than being equivalent to the Council generating and consuming its own renewable electricity.
