Will you make the Green Power Switch?
By Carl Wilson, CEMC General Manager

We’re about to begin offering our customers a new and, I think, exciting product. It’s called green power,  and it’s all about choice.

As the name implies, green power is an environmentally-friendly way to produce electricity. It is generated by cleaner, renewable resources such as solar energy, wind power and methane gas from landfills. That means less waste and pollution, and less reliance on such traditional energy sources as coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear power.

In market research conducted by the Tennessee Valley Authority, 84 percent of customers surveyed responded that they would like the choice of a green power product, even if it meant having to pay more for the alternative. So we’re going to offer our customers a choice in hopes some will switch to green power.

 Yes, green power will cost more. Customers can purchase it in blocks of 150 kWh at $4 per block. The charge will be added to their regular electric bill and they can buy as many blocks as they want. The extra
cost can be easily calculated and budgeted because it won’t vary with the customer’s electricity usage.

I want to stress that purchasing green power is strictly voluntary. Residential customers can sign up for as little as one block, which represents about 12 percent of a typical residential load. The minimum purchase requirement is higher for commercial and industrial customers, based on the amount of energy they consume.

Twenty-five years ago, high oil prices focused attention on alternative energy sources. Today, the motivation  is the environment. It is clean air and the need to reduce acid rain, smog and respiratory illness. It is also concern about global warming and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Green power is a strategy that can help address all of these environmental impacts.

I believe in the goals of this program and think Cumberland Electric has an opportunity to make a contribution to a cleaner environment and reduce our dependence on foreign oil. I’m going to make the Green Power Switch, and I encourage you to do the same. It’s exciting and new, and it’s the right thing to do.

To learn more about the Green Power Switch, call our Consumer Services Department, or go online at www.greenpowerswitch.com.

Related Articles and Information:
- Green Power Switch Website (TVA).