Is 100% Green energy worth the extra costs? (Houston, Dallas: credit, homes)

[lane_change]

I am getting ready to choose a provider for our energy services and have read up on alot of companies, I have looked on powertochoose, etc..but the debate I am having is wether or not to go with a 100% green plan or just a normal 0-5% green plan.

I know the Green plans are supposedly from hydro or wind or what have you, but all that energy is pumped onto the grid, so I simply receive energy, and all these companies that are 100% green also offer energy that is not 100% green, so how do you choose a company?

Currently on powertochoose, rates for a 12 month fixed are 10.6 for a 0% green or you can get an 11.4 for 100% green. Rates go up from there depending on provider and such...and I am not as concerned with picking a provider as much as I am with deciding between 100% green or not. Just like with hybrid cars, is green really that "green" or is it just some ploy to make you think that by paying more you are actually helping the planet? I mean, the hybrid cars cause a ton of pollution when they make their batteries to power their so-so gas savers. (diesel VW's get better mpg).

[MommiePreMed]

We use Green Mountain energy. I have not see a difference in my bill. If so, the amount is negligible. I like knowing that in some way I am reducing my use of fossil fuels.

[jfre81]

Paying less here for Green Mountain Energy vs. Direct Energy.

[sevfiv]

I was a very happy Green Mountain customer and my bills were comparable to any other company.

Even though Centerpoint maintains and our electricity comes from the same place, using Green Mountain helps to build and maintain renewable sources that go in to the grid - maybe a small contribution, but I think it is worthwhile and a step in the right direction.

[HookTheBrotherUp]

Originally Posted by lane_change

I am getting ready to choose a provider for our energy services and have read up on alot of companies, I have looked on powertochoose, etc..but the debate I am having is wether or not to go with a 100% green plan or just a normal 0-5% green plan..

'Sad to say, any company that says they are generating 100% green energy is lying for your business. You've already stated the obvious. There is no such thing as 100% green energy unless you have a direct cable to the wind generator. My company trades electricity, so I can say this authoritively to some degree. Go with the best rates. Those who don't sign up for green plans will be getting the same 'green' energy too, so there really is no difference. The amount of green electicity generated, even in the state of Texas, is miniscule, like a hearing aid battery to the grid.

[sevfiv]

^That is true. With Green Mountain, we're just hoping the money actually goes to fund and implement more renewable sources.

[Cottonmather0]

Originally Posted by sevfiv

^That is true. With Green Mountain, we're just hoping the money actually goes to fund and implement more renewable sources.

At some point a portion of your money does end up in the hands of a wind farm operator in West Texas because what Green Mountain is buying are Renewable Energy Credits (not the actual green electricity) on your behalf, which essentially are a way to guarantee an extra income stream to the renewable energy operator.

To answer the OP, if the extra cost is worth it to you, then you should buy it, but there has been so much wind built out west the past few years that the cost of the REC's is very low and thus it doesn't cost a consumer much more to buy "green electricity."

The problem is that there aren't enough wires between the demand in the eastern part of the state (Dallas and Houston) and the western part (where all the wind is) so the consumers who are subsidizing the wind farms aren't necessarily benefitting from the renewable energy. What actually powers and cools our homes in Houston and Dallas is all fossil fuels (mostly coal plus natural gas on hot days), plus a small bit of nuclear. The legislature keeps trying to change the rules to discourage so much wind and to encourage different types of renewable energy in other parts of the state. They keep failing to get a bill passed, but eventually it's going to happen and then everyone's bill is going to go up to pay for it all.

It's too complicated to go into all of the details in a single message board post, but if you want to feel good about buying 100% "green energy" right now, go ahead and do it while it's as affordable as it is. In the very near future a portion of everyone's electricity is going to be truly renewable and local and it's not going to be very cheap.

[Texas User]

There is only one utility company and that is Centerpoint. Call them. No, I don't think its worth the extra cost.