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Unless you live in one of the outer boroughs of New York City you probably don't live in a single family dwelling. Odds are, whether you rent or own your apartment, that you've got neighbors upstairs, downstairs and down the hallway. In most cases then installing your own renewable energy system really isn't a viable option.
Therefore, my intrepid urban Planet Green reader, the only convenient way to get some green electricity into your home is by choosing an electricity provider who buys renewable energy. ConEd will still be delivering the electricity—a portion of your monthly electric bill will still contain a charge from ConEd for this service—but instead of the electricity itself being supplied by ConEd another company will be generating your electricity.
Ultimately it all gets fed into the same electric grid, so it's not like the electricity going into your apartment is any different than that going into your neighbors'. It's just that you're paying for your electricity to be generated from renewable sources—wind power or small-scale hydroelectric in this case—while your neighbor's electricity comes non-renewable fossil fuels.
The whole process is fairly easy and luckily for us ConEd has a listing of all the companies you can choose from on the ConEd Power You Way website. That's the good news. The not quite as good news is that all ConEd does is provide you links to these companies. Some of the links are out of date, or take you to the wrong part of a website, and some of these providers offer better plans than others. That's where this guide comes in.
We'll outline which plans are currently available, how they generate their energy, and how you can cut your carbon footprint with a few clicks of your mouse.
Con Edison's 'Power Your Way'
The first thing you'll need to do is go to Con Ed Power Your Way and get acquainted with all of the different renewable energy providers ConEd is affiliated with. This is where you are presented with a list of energy companies from whom you can purchase your electricity.
So Which Should You Choose?
Of the current choices you can probably eliminate a couple right off the bat:
- Strategic Energy doesn't have programs for residential customers, so that one's obviously out.
- IDT Energy gives you so little information about their renewable energy program—not what renewable energy sources they use, not what it will cost you, nothing—that you can look elsewhere.
- US Energy Savings only offers a plan which substitutes an unspecified mix of wind, hydro and biomass for 20% of your electricity. While this would be better than nothing, since New York City residents have four other options which provide 50% or 100% of their electricity from renewable sources, there are better options out there.
Four Good Choices for Renewable Energy
So let's compare the remaining choices:
On the chart below you can compare how these companies stack up in terms of renewable energy sources, the type of programs they offer, and the rates for these plans. All of these programs offer you a mix of small-scale hydroelectic and wind power, or all wind power. Currently, there is no option for solar power from any of the companies with which Con Edison is affiated.
| Energy Provider | Accent Energy | Con Ed Solutions | Energetix | Sterling Planet |
| Renewable Energy Source | Wind;Hydro-Electric from dams in New York State | Wind, "Run of the river" Hydro | Wind; "Certified low impact" Hydro | Wind, Small-scale Hydro |
| Plans Offered | GoGreen: 100% Hydro |
Green Power: 35% Wind/65% Hydro | 50% renewable power: An unspecified mix of wind and hydro replaces half your fossil fuel-based electricity | 50/50 mix of wind power and hydro-electric. All of Sterling Planet’s plans are based on a fixed rate model where you pay for a given quantity of energy. |
| GoGreen Premium: 100% Wind |
Wind Power: 100% Wind | 100% renewable power: The same mix, but replacing all of your electricity with renewable power | ||
| Renewable Energy Rates (ConEd’s Delivery Charges are Additional) |
Both GoGreen and GoGreen Premium cost 19.32 cents/kWh Both are part of Accent's "Conserve and Earn" program where you receive a rebate of $50-250 if you use less energy this year than you did in the previous year. |
The Green Power program costs 17 cents/kWh. (1 cent more than normal ConEd fossil fuel-based electrical service.) The Wind Power option costs 18.5 cents per kWh more than normal service. (2.5 cents more than regular service.) |
For a fixed rate plan (requiring a 12 month contract): 50% renewable energy costs 18.95 cents/kWh; 100% renewable energy costs 19.70 cents/kWh. Variable Rate plans are also available. |
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| Contract Required | Yes. A 12-month contract is required | Yes. A 12-month contract is required. | Yes. A 12-month contract is required for fixed rate plans. | No. All programs are month-to-month. |
The Energy Sources are Similar, The Rates Less So
Keep in mind, that as long as you're choosing 100% renewable energy you can't go far wrong with the choices these energy providers give you. Although all-wind power is probably the best option, as the hydro power used by these energy provider is small-scale hydro, you can still feel like you're making a solidly good environmental choice by switching from fossil fuel generated electricity to any of these programs.
Other than Sterling Planet, you're going to have to sign up for a 12-month contract for these programs. Unless you're subletting a place or moving within the contract period, I wouldn't worry too much about having to sign a contract here.
The difference between these is really in the rates. And where you need to take a look at your electric bill.
For my 550 square foot apartment I use about 87 kWh of electricity every month. With Accent Energy I'd pay a bit more than $18 each month for either hydro or wind power; with ConEd, Green Power would cost me about $16 or $18 for Wind Power. Energetix would charge me $18 to offset half of my fossil fuel usage or $19 to offset all of it. Sterling Power is the least expensive option in my situation, with offsetting all of my fossil fuel usage costing just $10 per month. Although you're paying a flat fee for a given quantity of energy—unlike the other programs Sterling Planet doesn't take a meter reading—for the sake of comparison, in the example of my usage, I would be paying 12 cents/kWh on this plan.
In short, Sterling Planet is your least expensive option for green power in NYC, while ConEd provides you the greenest option at the lowest cost.
What Are You Waiting For?
New York City residents, what are you waiting for? You can make a serious reduction in your personal carbon footprint overnight—well, at least by the time your next month's bill arrives—by signing up with a renewable energy provider.
Just remember, just because your energy is green doesn't mean you can be wasteful with it. It's still important to reduce your overall energy demand. For more tips on how you can do this, check out TreeHugger's How to Green Your Electricity Guide.
Related Reading
Living Off-Grid: Working with the Sun
Pocket Solar: Energy Do it Yourself Electricity
Let's Go Solar
How-To: Get Renewable Energy in Seattle
How-To: Get Renewable Energy in Chicago
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