When talking to Justin at Energility about the use of energy, he will typically think in a linear pattern of conservation then efficiency and then renewables. You too can think in this way about the energy use in your home. First, can it be turned off or unplugged? As we know, many electronics are energy vampires and use energy even when they are not actively on. Second, look for the most energy efficient appliances your budget can afford when an appliance needs replaced. Last, look into renewable energy options for your home.
Getting renewable energy for your home can be a bit daunting. In our area, the most common renewable option people think of for their homes is adding solar panels to their roof and this can be an option for some. However, you do have to consider cost (possibly including a new roof), space (do you have a big enough roof space facing the correct direction) and home ownership (slightly more than 50% of households live in rental properties in Columbus, Ohio which takes the ability to add solar panels to one’s home away (TownCharts)).
Luckily, there are other options. The Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has a great website to help you find a renewable electricity supplier. PUCO’s Apples to Apples website can help you make the right decision for your home. It allows you to make choices for terms of the contract, cost, and percentage of renewable energy. A quick description of how this works: the company you pay your utility bill to keeps you connected to the grid and the supplier sells you the electrons, which you can choose their source. As with most things, the more demand there is for renewable energy, the more likely the electric companies will be to use renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. Here is a sample of a bill to show how this works on your monthly bill, because it is a bit complicated.
*Note – You should be aware that when you change suppliers your current utility is going to contact you to confirm your switch. This is a required step.
Have you heard of a community choice aggregation (CCA) program? CCAs are gaining ground in Ohio and a few other states that have deregulated their utilities. So, what is it? It is where a particular community (city, township, village, etc.) joins the people of their community together for buying power. Many communities have done CCA programs to leverage buying power for the people of their community and to promote renewable energy for their community. This means that because of the increased buying power, they can ask for a better price or ask that a certain percentage of the electricity generated for that community is from renewable resources. Columbus has a CCA program on the November 3rd ballot, so now is the time to educate yourself on all parts of this issue and whether or not you believe it is in the best interest of the city. A couple of resources for further information are the EPA Community Choice Aggregation page https://www.epa.gov/greenpower/community-choice-aggregation and Lean Energy U.S. Ohio page https://leanenergyus.org/new/ohio/. The Lean Energy U.S. Ohio page is focused on Ohio and has a map of all the communities in Ohio that participate in CCA programs.
From installing solar panels on your roof to choosing a renewable electricity supplier to being part of a community choice aggregation program, the options for renewable electricity are out there and not as complicated as they sound. It is also an option for many in Ohio because of the PUCO’s Apples to Apples website. Next Monday we will be posting a video on Facebook of Justin walking us through using that website.