It's easy being green!
So I was writing an article this weekend for our neighborhood newsletter about switching to green/clean power. During the research I came to a surprising realization :
When Fred and I switched our primary vehicle from a Ford Explorer to a Prius we reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 9,000 lbs a year.
I thought this was pretty impressive - until I realized that by switching to 100% wind power for our electricity last summer, we reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 32,000 lbs per year.
That just blows my mind. I just hadn't realized the effect my house was having on the world.
If you decide you want to switch to green energy, or want to learn more about it - here's some info to get you started...
*It'll cost most households somewhere between $20-$30/month.
*There tend to be several energy options - wind power or what's often labeled green energy which is a mix of things like hydroelectric, methane gas captured from landfills, solar energy,etc). The cost depends on your electricity usage and your power market (Pepco, BG&E, etc) but it generally comes out to 1.5- 2.5 cents more per kwh of energy and you'll get a fixed rate for at least 1 year.
* The average household usage for this region is said to be 12,000 kwh, but I don't know how accurate that is - we use about 16,000 kwh/year .
* If you live in Montgomery County MD - they've just started a program that refunds consumers 1 cent per kwh of clean energy directly through your supplier - check out http://montgomerycountymd.gov/cleanenergyrewards for more info and to make sure the product you sign up for is eligible for the refund.
*If you do live in the MD/DC/VA area - your options are Pepco Energy Services or Washington Gas Energy Services (though I recommend calling them as their website makes it hard to find the 100% clean energy offers) and there is also a choice for purchasing renewable energy certificate which "offsets" your use of regular power - check out http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/certificates.shtml?page=0 for more info on that.
* If you live outside of the DC area - check out http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml which will help you find the options for your area.
When Fred and I switched our primary vehicle from a Ford Explorer to a Prius we reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 9,000 lbs a year.
I thought this was pretty impressive - until I realized that by switching to 100% wind power for our electricity last summer, we reduced our greenhouse gas emissions by 32,000 lbs per year.
That just blows my mind. I just hadn't realized the effect my house was having on the world.
If you decide you want to switch to green energy, or want to learn more about it - here's some info to get you started...
*It'll cost most households somewhere between $20-$30/month.
*There tend to be several energy options - wind power or what's often labeled green energy which is a mix of things like hydroelectric, methane gas captured from landfills, solar energy,etc). The cost depends on your electricity usage and your power market (Pepco, BG&E, etc) but it generally comes out to 1.5- 2.5 cents more per kwh of energy and you'll get a fixed rate for at least 1 year.
* The average household usage for this region is said to be 12,000 kwh, but I don't know how accurate that is - we use about 16,000 kwh/year .
* If you live in Montgomery County MD - they've just started a program that refunds consumers 1 cent per kwh of clean energy directly through your supplier - check out http://montgomerycountymd.gov/cleanenergyrewards for more info and to make sure the product you sign up for is eligible for the refund.
*If you do live in the MD/DC/VA area - your options are Pepco Energy Services or Washington Gas Energy Services (though I recommend calling them as their website makes it hard to find the 100% clean energy offers) and there is also a choice for purchasing renewable energy certificate which "offsets" your use of regular power - check out http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/certificates.shtml?page=0 for more info on that.
* If you live outside of the DC area - check out http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/buying/buying_power.shtml which will help you find the options for your area.