Case study: why this Redfern resident chose GreenPower
Redfern renter Marcus Morley on why choosing GreenPower over coal-fired power made sense to him.
When Marcus Morley returned to Sydney after a stint working overseas, he rented a terrace house in Redfern and began the process of connecting his utilities. “Because I’d been gone for a while, I had to set up everything from scratch,” he explained.
After researching energy retailers, Morley decided to connect with PowerShop, which primarily provides customers with carbon-neutral electricity by offsetting the emissions associated with coal-fired power. When he visited the PowerShop website to sign up, he discovered that GreenPower was also an option.
“I’d never heard of GreenPower before, so I was pleased to find out that I had an option to increase the amount of renewable energy being fed into the grid, rather than just offsetting my coal-fired emissions,” he said.
Once connected, Morley noticed he was paying slightly more for his electricity than he did previously. “I think it’s about 20 per cent or 30 per cent more but for me that’s fine because I live in a small house and we don’t use that much energy anyway. I’m more than happy to pay that extra money for peace of mind.”
Morley said the primary reason he uses GreenPower is that he believes climate change is real. “I think it’s incumbent on me to do as much as I can to avoid the worst of that,” he said. “This is a really easy way to make a difference as a renter.”
Morley encourages other City of Sydney residents to consider doing the same. “The great thing about GreenPower is that it shows the market there is demand for renewable energy, not just for carbon offsetting,” he explained. “It’s forcing the transition to renewable energy in NSW, which is really important.”
Interested in making the switch?
If you want to do this ASAP, talk to your electricity provider about what GreenPower options they have. Keep in mind that not every provider calls it GreenPower – ask to discuss their green or renewables-based energy plan. In as little as 10 minutes, you could switch from funding coal to supporting the country’s renewable energy sector.
If you’d like to take your time and research the best options, use the Energy Switch website to compare energy providers.