Green tariffs now account for many of the cheapest deals on the energy market, despite many consumers still wrongly believing renewable energy deals are more expensive. Half of the top 10 cheapest tariffs are green ones offered by challenger suppliers taking on the big six.

Outfox the Market, Pure Planet, Bulb, Yorkshire Energy and People’s Energy all offer tariffs at least £267 less and in one case £354 less than the average default tariff offered by the big six, uSwitch found. A year ago just two of the 10 cheapest were green.

Larger suppliers, which had retreated from green energy tariffs in recent years, have also returned to renewables, according to The Guardian. Both E.ON and npower now offer fixed green tariffs, though they cost hundreds of pounds more than those offered by smaller rivals. There are now 57 green tariffs, up from 36 a year ago.

A poll for uSwitch found that 42% of consumers still think green tariffs are more expensive than conventional ones, but 38% would consider switching to one. uSwitch said the emergence of cheap green deals was driven mostly by smaller suppliers trying to differentiate themselves, and showed they are “no longer an expensive luxury for those who can afford to pay for their principles”.