Conventional energy is made by burning materials like coal, oil or rubbish. They aren't renewable which means we will eventually run out of them. They are also very dangerous to extract and have a high output of greenhouse gases when burned.
Photography Credit: Tyler Casey
Luckily for us, the burning of coals has lowered by 96% since the 70s but the use of gas has tripled (with a peak in the early 2000s). The use of Petroleum has had some slight ups and down since the 70s but has stayed quite stable and we need to move away from this.
Renewable or 'green' energy means we use sources that don't ever run out, like the sun, wind and water.
An average household in the UK spends about 3700kWh of energy per year, which is comparable to burning 455 kilos of coal, 413 liters of petroleum or using 16 solar panels on your roof all year round.
If I choose a green supplier, is all my energy green?
Unfortunately, no. Every house is attached to 'the grid', which is fueled by electricity and gas from many different providers. The energy actually used up in your home is a mix of all these providers combined. Your provider knows how many units you have used and will then add the same amount of their own units to the grid. So if we all change to green energy suppliers, the grid will only use green energy.
Sources:
Bulb
Gov.uk
Ovoenergy
Unitjuggler
Theecoexperts
Moneysupermarket