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.