This is the fastest way to use renewable electricity
Signing up for GreenPower is one of the best ways to fight climate change and help phase out coal-fired power. Here’s how.
GreenPower is an accredited and audited government program. When you choose a GreenPower electricity plan from an electricity provider, your money goes to putting more renewably-sourced energy into the electricity grid instead of coal.
GreenPower is ideal for those of us who are unable to install rooftop solar (such as apartment dwellers and businesses that rent their premises), and it’s a great supplementary option for homes and businesses that have rooftop solar but still need to buy some electricity from the grid.
Apartment buildings can purchase GreenPower for their common area electricity usage, too. Whether your building currently meets some of its common-area needs with rooftop solar or relies solely on the grid, GreenPower is an easy way to boost your green credentials. Talk to your owners corporation or strata manager to get the process started.
How to find GreenPower providers
The good news is that most electricity providers in NSW offer GreenPower, giving you plenty of options. In some instances, a provider will use another name to market its GreenPower plan (for example, “Green Energy”). When in doubt, ask the provider directly.
If you like to shop around and care about cost the most, check out the Australian government’s Energy Made Easy tool. If you care about the overall environmental performance, ethics and policies of companies the most, we recommend the Green Electricity Guide. The quickest way to find and compare the retailers that offer GreenPower is to use the Federal Government’s Energy Made Easy comparison website, which provides a comprehensive list of retailers and details of their green offerings. You can also check retailers’ individual websites. Remember to check whether your current electricity supplier offers GreenPower.
How to get a favourable deal on GreenPower
Whether you’ve decided to stick with your current provider or you’re planning to switch providers, it’s worth making the call to your provider and speaking to someone about your situation. Your provider may offer you GreenPower at a discounted rate to keep you as a customer, or a rival provider may offer it at your current coal-fired rate in order to lure you across.
Start the conversation with a provider by saying: “I want to switch to 100% GreenPower at the same rate or less than I’m paying now.” In many instances, it’s possible to switch to GreenPower and save money – a win-win.