Tiny Choices Q&A: Choosing Green Energy
By Karina | April 14, 2008
Welcome to Tiny Choices Q&A, where we open the floor for discussion on questions which y’all have submitted (read the list of questions here, & add yours!)
Kim asks:
So, Yay! I’ve got my own place (apartment) and I just switched the power to my name when I see that I get to chose who my energy supplier is. Whoo-hoo! I’d like to go with a “green energy” company, but get glassy-eyed really quickly when I get bogged down in facts and have to cross reference info from different sources. Any tips on choosing a green electricity company if ConEd is gonna be my delivery company regardless? In NYC it looks like my choices are:
- ConEd Solutions
- Accent Energy
- EcconEnergyThanks for any advice!
What a great question! Choosing a green energy supplier (and paying the associated premium for the green energy) is one of the most basic and tangible ways we can reduce our impact.
I checked out ConEd, and they failed the 30-second test (I think I should be able to find whatever I look for in 30 seconds on the internet). I took a step back and found this summary from NYPIRG. Checking out ConEd it looks like you’ve got a few different options to choose from. This is the most complicated thing - you have to evaluate the different options out there and figure out which technologies are most important to you, and then figure out how much premium you want to pay. So, first step, check old bills and figure out what your monthly energy use - you’ll need this number when you evaluate how much more you’ll be paying for the green energy.
NYPIRG is a great resource for information about green energy suppliers that can be applied to green energy in any state, not just New York. This is an excellent summary table detailing the types of energy and where it comes from. I would take a look at the different types of energy and make some basic personal decisions on what energies you’re most excited about. I usually like to purchase wind power because I think the technology is really exciting, and solar, because (neglecting the production of solar cells) it’s non-polluting, and it can be easily incorporated into existing building infrastructure.
So, once you take a look at the different power mixes and screen based on what you’re really into, then calculate the price mark-up for your average power use. From talking to friends, this is generally between $5 and $10 a month, though it might vary more based on energy use and what you choose. And then fill out your form and rest assured that you’re using green energy!
Do you use green energy? What did you base your power supplier decisions on?
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You know, since I rent I thought I didn’t have a choice in energy options, but when I went to renew my lease my landlord informed me that if it was alright with me he was going to switch to green power for the apartment and that it would probably just be a few more dollars a month. I told him “of course!”
So - if you rent - ask your landlord!
I just wanted to make it clear to people that when you pay for green power you are not necessarily getting green power for your home. However, the benefit is that the extra money that you are paying is helping to research and establish green power sources in other parts of the country. I think sometimes people think they are getting what they pay for, and I just wanted to put my two cents in. It is still a great choice to make.
thanks Sarah! we touched on the electrons moving through the tubes of the power grid a little bit here, too.
I live within the Domain of the great Tennessee Valley Authority(TVA), and well over a year ago, my wife and I signed up for their “Green Power Switch” program. Basically we just volunteer to have a fee tacked on to our electric co-op bill each month, and TVA promises to get a commensurate amount of their electrons from renewable/responsible sources.
They already have a few wind farms, and one Landfill-Methane generator. That’s right, Some of my electrons come from burning off landfill stink!
The cool thing is, you buy your Green Power in $4 “blocks” representing an actual amount of kWh generated. My wife and I bought 3 blocks. Last time I looked at our bill, the total energy provided to the grid from our “Green Power” ($12 worth) was actually more kWh than we consumed! (Yet we paid substantially more than 12 bucks for it on our end of the “tubes”)
Also, when we signed up, they sent us an un-asked-for kit full of efficiency-enhancement products, like a low-flow shower head, switchplate sealing gaskets, a little thermometer with thermostat hints, and a HVAC filter whistle that (supposedly) alerts you when it’s time to change the filter. I didn’t need most of these items, and didn’t appreciate TVA’s “green” program sending me a box full of plastic junk, no matter how good their intentions.
Yay Carbon Neutrality!
just a note to let you fans of tinychoices know that Karina’s grandfather worked for the TVA, at a coal burning plant, so i know what a million tons of coal looks like piled up (hint: the coal moving monster trucks looks like little toys!)
[...] Karina answers a Q&A on choosing green energy; also, we announce the winners of the book [...]