A renewable utility firm has issued 500 companies with the UK’s first energy labels detailing the source and carbon content of the electricity they buy.

SmartestEnergy hopes the move will boost the renewables industry and provide increased confidence and transparency to business customers.

The labels trace every megawatt used to its source of origin, allowing companies to report the exact carbon footprint of their power and contribution to meeting UK climate targets.

Robert Groves, CEO of SmartestEnergy, said: “For a while now, business customers have been calling for increased transparency around renewables to help them make the decision to switch that much easier.

“We now supply over 3TWh of renewable power – equivalent to the power needed to operate all of the streetlights in the UK for three quarters of a year – all backed by origin certificates and evidenced by our Energy Labels so the momentum for businesses to buy renewable is really growing.”

SmartestEnergy allows businesses to choose whether their renewable energy is powered by sun, wind or water. They can select energy from a particular source to meet specific requirements.