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One of the easiest ways to make a big dent in reducing your personal carbon emissions doesn't require changing a single thing you do on a day-to-day basis. Provided that your electricity provider has a green energy program (and more and more of them do) all you have to do is sign up to switch over your electricity from the normal service your utility provides to the renewable energy supplied through their green energy program.
One call or email is all it usually takes to switch from greenhouse gas-emitting fossil fuels to clean, renewable energy. It costs a little bit more per month, but some programs charge as little as 1 cent more per kilowatt-hour. It's important to note the green power you buy won't be delivered directly to your door; instead your utility company will invest in an equivalent amount of clean-tech power. But the carbon emissions you'll save are significant. And need I mention to peace of mind that comes from knowing that your electricity usage isn't contributing to global warming?
If you live in Seattle, here's how you can get green powered "delivered" to your home.
Seattle City Light's Green Up Program
Compared to some other cities, Seattle's choices for getting green power are quite simplified. For example, if you live in New York (as I do), you'll have to sift through the five or so green power options that Con Edison provides before you make a decision about which route to take. In Seattle however, the Seattle City Light Green Up program makes it simple to understand your renewable energy options as a residential customer.
Which Source & From Where?
Seattle City Light contracts to buy 1/2 of the energy output from the Stateline Wind Project in eastern Washington and Oregon, and all of the power that Green Up currently supplies comes from this source. So what happens when you sign up for Green Up? You purchase Renewable Energy Credits – not power that is directly delivered to your home -- equal to the amount of wind energy required to offset your normal electricity usage. To be clear, the actual electricity that enters your residence is no different than that of a neighbor who doesn't participate in the program. Why? Because the electricity generated from the wind power gets mixed into the transmission grid at large along with many other forms of electricity being generated. But your dollars go toward supporting renewable energy at large, and having your local utility purchase cleaner power specifically.
With the Green Up program, any net revenue also goes toward supporting other renewable energy projects in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho; a small-scale hydro electric, one biogas, and one landfill gas project have received contributions to date. So not only are you greening the existing grid, but you’ll be supporting the creation of new renewable energy projects as well.
So How Do You Sign-Up?
Signing up for Green Up is easy: The whole procedure can be done via online registration, or over the phone. (Seattle City Light's Green Up FAQ is also a great source for more information.)
Simply select the level of participation you want -- that is, what percentage of your existing electricity service you want to replace with wind power. You can choose 25, 50, or 100 percent. If you choose the greenest option, 100 percent wind power, your monthly bill will increase by $12. That works out to just 40 cents per day, and even in a tough financial market, that's not an outrageous amount for most households to spend to significantly reduce their home's carbon output. If that amount is not in your financial forecast, consider the $6 extra per month to receive 50 percent wind power credits, or a mere $3 for 25 percent.
One Last Thing
As I've said before, just because you've signed up for a renewable energy program that offsets all of your fossil fuel-generated electricity doesn't mean that energy conservation isn't important. Even if it's green, we all should do everything possible to use as little of this resource as possible.
More great tips from Planet Green and TreeHugger on how to conserve electricity. Check 'em out:
How to Green Your Electricity
Green You Electricity: Take Steps to Reduce Your Energy Usage
Find Out How Much Electricity You Use, Then Cut Back
Answers to All You Electricity Questions Have Save Energy
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