REGOs, RGGOs and green certificates explained
Green tariffs are sold on certificates, so it pays to know what the certificates actually certify. The two that matter: REGOs for electricity and RGGOs (plus Biomethane Certificates) for gas.
REGO — Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin
Issued by Ofgem, one REGO per MWh of renewable electricity generated. A supplier backing your tariff with REGOs is evidencing that renewable generation matching your consumption was put into the grid. The electrons reaching your premises are the same grid mix as everyone else's — what changes is what your demand is matched to and funds.
RGGO and Biomethane Certificates — green gas
The gas equivalents: certificates issued per kWh of biomethane (from agricultural material, food waste, wastewater treatment) injected into the grid. A certified green gas tariff matches your consumption kWh-for-kWh with certificates.
What it does for your reporting
Under the GHG Protocol's market-based method, electricity on a fully REGO-backed tariff can be reported at zero Scope 2 emissions — genuinely useful for tenders, ESG disclosures and customer questionnaires. Green gas similarly reduces reportable gas emissions versus fossil gas. Keep the certificates or supplier declaration on file; auditors ask.
Questions worth asking any green tariff
- Is it 100% matched, and evidenced how?
- What's the premium over the standard equivalent — several of our panel price REGO-backed electricity at or near standard rates, so sometimes the answer is "nothing".
- For deeper claims, does the supplier source via direct agreements with generators, or purely certificates? Both are legitimate; ambitious net-zero strategies sometimes prefer the former.
Want the credential without the premium? Ask for green options on your next quote — we price them alongside standard tariffs every time, so you see exactly what it costs. Green energy →