Switch to Green Power today
Switching to Green Power is a simple way to reduce your impact
© John Shepherd
Did you know that more than 80% of our electricity is generated by burning coal? This creates greenhouse gas pollution that is contributing to the overheating of the Earth - commonly known as climate change (or global warming).
If all Australians switched to clean, renewable energy (Green Power) today, Australia's total greenhouse pollution would be cut by 30%. That's the equivalent of what's pumped out by more than 40 million cars!
What is Green Power
The Green Power site describes GreenPower as a government accredited program for renewable energy generated from sources like the sun, the wind, water and waste. GreenPower reduces greenhouse pollution and the extra you pay on your electricity bill is invested in the renewable energy sector.
GreenPower is delivered to your house or office in the same way as your existing electricity. There are no special adapters to use and no special equipment to install. All you need to do is contact your electricity supplier and ask about their GreenPower options.
How much does it cost?
GreenPower costs a bit more than standard "black" power (power generated from burning coal). How much more depends on a number of factors, including your provider, where you live, whether or how much of your electricity is off-peak, and how much GreenPower you purchase.
You can usually choose how much GreenPower you want as a percentage of your total electricity usage - a range of 10% (i.e. 10% GreenPower/90% "black" power) up to 100% GreenPower (i.e. no "black" power) is available.
All this might sound a bit confusing, but if you are thinking of switching to GreenPower, you can usually get an estimate on how much more your bill will be by calling your electricity provider and asking them about your options and what the extra costs would be.
Some suppliers offer GreenPower for as little as $1 extra a week. Be sure to shop around - there may be a number of different electricity providers that service your area. It's fairly easy to make the switch.
You can also save money by conserving electricity which will help keep the cost of switching to a minimum.
What if I can't afford 100% GreenPower?
If you can't afford 100% GreenPower straight away, you can still make a difference by switching across to as much GreenPower as you can afford.
Every bit of power we get from renewable energy not only helps the environment through less emissions, it also helps to support renewable energy companies and encourages other companies to start moving towards renewable energy sources.
Conserving electricity - by switching to energy-efficient light bulbs like compact fluros and switching off appliances that use standby power - can significantly reduce the cost of your electricity, potentially making GreenPower more affordable for you.
How do I switch to GreenPower?
It's easy to make the switch, all you need to do is contact your electricity supplier and ask about their 'accredited GreenPower' options.
The Australian government's GreenPower website has a list of accredited providers .
When you are shopping around, keep your last few bills handy so that you can tell the salesperson the kilowatt hours (a measure of how much electricity you use) from your bill.
If you're connecting your electricity for the first time (or if you haven't kept your bills) see if you can get the details from the bill from a friend who lives in a similar size household.
How do I know that my electricity provider is the "real deal"?
Some electricity suppliers offer both accredited and non-accredited 'green' products. You may have read in the news that some of these options are not as green as others. How do you tell which ones are good, and which aren't?
Look for the GreenPower 'tick of approval'. In addition, WWF participates in Green Electricity Watch which conducts an independent survey of GreenPower products to help you decide which ones make the most difference.
Find out more
Some of these links are mentioned above, but we've put them here for quick reference:
- The Green Power website
- The official government website on Green Power.
- Green Electricity Watch
- Green Electricity Watch (GEW) provides a ranking of green electricity products to help consumers choose which ones make the most difference to Australia's and their own greenhouse gas emissions.
The 2007 scorecard - Electricity Watch
- A review of Australia's electricity retailers carried out by the Climate Action Network Australia (CANA) - a non-profit organisation with members from green groups around Australia. They've rated Australia's electricity retailers so you can see how they perform when it comes to Green Power.
