Strathclyde Business School Newsletter
May 2021

Academic joins independent panel of experts for USwitch Green Accreditation

Dr Matthew Hannon, senior lecturer and director of research at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, has joined an independent panel of experts for USwitch Green Accreditation, a first of its kind, independently verified accreditation scheme that aims to make it easier for consumers to choose the green energy tariff that suits their needs - and be confident their energy supplier is truly 'green'.

Energy providers supplied USwitch with tariff information on their available green energy tariffs and the panel of experts then reviewed the tariffs and put together the categories that reflects the differences between them. USwitch Green Accreditation puts tariffs into Bronze, Silver and Gold levels, depending on the amount of renewable energy suppliers directly buy and the level of investment they are making to support the growth of renewable energy.

The panel will review the criteria annually to ensure it reflects current market conditions. Dr Hannon is joined on the panel by Maxine Frerk, Dr Jeff Hardy, Rosie McGynn, Richard Neudegg, Chris Welby. More information on their backgrounds and on the accreditation itself is available here

Dr Hannon, whose research explores low carbon energy technology and business model innovation, said, "I'm delighted to be part of USwitch’s exciting Green Tariff Accreditation scheme. It has already sparked significant interest across the UK's largest energy suppliers. Taking advantage of consumers’ growing interest in green energy, it will signpost the greenest energy tariffs and encourage suppliers to compete on the basis of their climate credentials. In turn, this will help drive a swifter and more affordable net-zero transition."