Green energy is electricity generated from renewable sources,
such as sun, wind, water and waste, which produce no net greenhouse
gas emissions. You can choose to have your retailer buy green
energy on your behalf by agreeing to pay a premium on top of your
energy bill.
If you want assurance that the additional money you pay is used
to purchase renewable energy on your behalf, look for the GreenPower tick
and logo (shown above) when choosing a green energy product. These
indicate that the product is accredited under the Government's
GreenPower program, and that the retailer's sales and purchase
records are independently audited to ensure sufficient accredited
renewable energy is purchased for all of its green energy
customers.
Some retailers offer products that are not accredited under the
GreenPower program. However, only accredited GreenPower
options are included under the GreenPower tab on the myenergy
offers website.
Electricity retailers offer a variety of products for green
energy. In most cases, you can choose what percentage of your
electricity consumption you want to purchase from electricity
generated by renewable sources - usually between 10% and 100%. In
general, the higher the percentage you choose, the more it will
cost. In some cases, you may be able to choose to pay a set amount
for green energy per week.
While most products are based on a percentage of your
consumption, there are retailers that offer a set amount (or
'block') of GreenPower for a set fee. There are also retailers that
offer the GreenPower component only through the web, meaning that
you keep purchasing your standard supply through a licensed
electricity retailer. These are known as 'GreenPower credit
providers' and more information can be found at www.greenpower.gov.au.