"Green" electricity, i.e. electricity produced from environmentally less harmful sources and marketed as such, has been available to Finnish households since 1998, but the demand for it has remained low. In this paper we discuss the barriers identified by consumers to purchasing green electricity and contrast these with the interpretation energy sector actors give to consumer passivity. The empirical material consists of thematic interviews. Energy policy actors often assume that consumers' passivity signifies their lack of interest or low environmental consciousness. This results partly from the failure to differentiate between the roles of consumer and citizen. The interpretation the energy sector actors give to consumer passivity and the role they assign to consumers affect the direction of green electricity policy. We argue that consumers need more information on both the environmental impact of different electricity products and in particular about the electricity supply and electricity contracts in a liberalised electricity market if they are to become active in the market. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.