Frequently Asked Questions

When the appliances in your home pull electricity off of the power grid, there is no way of knowing which generators produced the specific electrons that enter your home. Electrons move along the grid according to the laws of physics, so the make-up of the electricity in your home in any given moment depends on where you live, what generators near you are currently producing electricity, how much electricity other people in your area are using, and other factors. However, we do know the make-up of the electric grid as a whole. Electricity suppliers are required to publish quarterly Disclosure Labels that indicate the sources of the electricity they supply, so we know what percent of their electric load comes from which kinds of sources. In Massachusetts, over 80% of our electricity is generated from fossil fuels and nuclear power resources, which damage both the environment and public health. Much of the remainder of our electricity comes in the form of trash-to-energy, large hydroelectric projects, and unidentified types of power imported from other regions. A state law, the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard, requires all electricity suppliers operating in Massachusetts to source 13% of their electric load from new renewables in 2018, with a 1% increase every year. (So, in 2019, that requirement will be set at 14%.) Electricity suppliers in New England are responsible for purchasing enough power to meet the needs of their customers. By choosing green power, you are ensuring that renewable energy sources are being put onto the grid to meet your needs. Participating in our green power program does not change the make-up of the physical electricity that enters your home from the electric grid. However, it does allow you to choose renewable energy by claiming the energy produced by the projects in our portfolio as your own. By aggregating consumer buying power, our green power program pushes our grid towards a greener future faster than state law would alone. To learn more about how and why our green power programs make a difference, read on here.

All New England states share one single network of power lines, called the electric power grid. Generators from all over the region feed power into this grid and energy is drawn out on an as-needed basis. So, when you turn on the lights, you are drawing from a mix of electrons, and since electrons flow according to the laws of physics, the electricity that is actually delivered to your home is determined by which power generators are located closest to you. The New England electric grid is managed and operated by the Independent System Operator (ISO-NE). ISO-NE is responsible for managing the schedule of which power plants should run when, so there’s always enough power being generated to meet the needs of the region. Because they run intermittently but do not need costly “ramp ups” to get going, renewable energy generators are given preference in adding electrons to the grid when they are operating.

Energy that is produced from rapidly replenishable or infinite sources, such as the sun, wind, and water, is considered renewable. Electricity generated from renewable sources has a lower impact on public health and the environment than that produced from fossil fuel and nuclear resources for many reasons, including:

• It emits little or no air emissions.
• It does not produce harmful radioactive waste.
• Its fuel sources do not need to be mined or extracted from the earth at alarming rates.

The environmental attributes of renewable energy are the environmental characteristics of the electrons from a renewable energy resource. For every one megawatt-hour unit of electricity that is generated in New England from a renewable energy source, a corresponding "renewable energy certificate" is produced to match. Each certificate documents the characteristics of the power source, information such as air emissions, fuel source, generation date, and date the generator began operating. When these certificates are produced by a renewable resource, they are frequently referred to as Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). The Independent System Operator of New England (ISO-NE) issues and tracks these certificates through a region-wide accounting system, called the Generation Information System (GIS), which ensures that no double counting is allowed (since you cannot use electrons more than once, you cannot claim a REC to match your electricity use more than once).

Consumers must buy RECs in order to claim the renewable electrons they represent. Though this may seem convoluted, it is necessary to the renewable energy market in some states (Massachusetts & Rhode Island included). Developers in New England rely on REC revenue to help make a project profitable. Plus, since the grid is an electron soup, there is no way to claim renewable energy without RECs to represent it. There is market demand for certificates associated with renewable energy resources because consumers wish to support cleaner energy and electric utilities must meet renewable energy mandates.

When a consumer chooses green power, it means that their green power provider will purchase enough renewable energy certificates to match the customer’s electricity consumption. That is what the Green Powered program (and any Community Choice Electricity programs affiliated with our organization) does on our members’ behalf.

Whether or not you choose to support renewable electricity, you draw upon the "pool" of power that makes up the New England electric grid. While it is physically impossible to distinguish and deliver individual electrons to specific homes or businesses, when you choose Green Powered, we purchase Renewable Energy Certificates to match your consumption and claim the electrons on the grid that came from renewable sources. By having RECs purchased on your behalf, you are ensuring that renewable electricity is being delivered to the power grid, thus creating a cleaner, healthier overall energy mix.

There are 3 basic ways you can support renewable electricity:

• Buy green electricity on your bill: If you are a National Grid or Rhode Island Energy customer, or you live in a community with a Community Choice Electricity program, you can pay for green electricity per kWh you use on your bill. You can get started here.
• Subscribe to support green power: You can make recurring contributions for renewable energy certificates (RECs) separate from your utility bill by signing up for Green Powered Subscription or donating to New England Wind Fund;
• Install solar: You can install your own renewable energy system, like solar panels. Though you will be selling your RECs at first so cannot claim a reduction in your personal carbon footprint, you have added more solar capacity to our grid! 

Here is a table that breaks down your options:

In Massachusetts & Rhode Island, different kinds of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) are separated into classes based on criteria in the state’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) & Renewable Energy Standard. “Class I” or new RECs come from specifically defined New England renewable energy generators built since 1997. All electricity suppliers must source an increasing percentage of their electric load from Class I or new RECs; the amount required goes up every year. This means that your standard Basic Service electricity mix includes an increasing amount of renewable energy. Because Class I or new RECs are part of this “compliance market,” they incentivize more renewable energy on the New England power grid.

It is critical to choose Class I or "new" RECs. when you make the switch to renewable energy because your purchase keeps a REC away from the utility or electricity supplier who needs to buy one to comply with the Mass. Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) or RI Renewable Energy Standard. This means the utility must find another Class I or "new" REC to buy.

In other words, choosing Class I or "new" RECs ensures that more renewable energy is brought onto the grid above and beyond what is required by law. Non-Class I or "new" REC purchases do not incentivize new projects. Purchasing RECs from Non-Class I or "new" projects does not push us forward, as these projects would have been built whether or not someone buys the RECs.

However, even though they are worth only a fraction of a penny, non-Class I or "new" RECs are sold because… why not? When utilities don’t buy them, many “green” competitive suppliers, like Clean Choice Energy or Viridian, will purchase and re-sell these RECs to New Englanders as a miracle renewable energy product that is cheaper than normal electricity. This is greenwashing. If you live in Massachusetts or Rhode Island, purchasing a REC from a huge farm in Texas, for example, is not shifting our grid away from fossil fuels, and it is not shifting Texas’s grid away from fossil fuels. It does absolutely nothing. Click here to learn more about different types of RECs and the dangers of greenwashing.

Your payments purchase Renewable Energy Certificates from renewable energy generators in our region. RECs are a valuable source of income for renewable energy developers, without which they would not be able to secure funding for projects in development. Keep reading about why our green power program works. Green Energy Consumers Alliance signs long-term REC purchase contracts with projects (often during the development phase) on behalf of our members. These contracts guarantee a vital source of revenue to the developer and help them secure the needed funding.

1. Enroll online, quickly and easily.
2. Have a copy of your electric bill available for easy reference to your account information.
3. If you would prefer to receive an application in the mail or join over the phone, please call our office at 617-397-5199 and one of our customer service representatives will assist you.

For National Grid MA and Rhode Island Energy Customers: Green Powered is offered directly on your bill through a program called GreenUp. Options are available for both residential and small commercial customers. As your electricity supplier, National Grid or RI Energy will continue to provide your electricity and perform all of its normal functions and services, while Green Energy Consumers will be responsible for providing your renewable energy beyond the minimum percentage required by state law. The renewable energy charges will show up right on your electric bill after one to two billing cycles, and you will still make one payment to your utility. It’s easy!

For those in municipalities with Community Choice Electricity / Green Municipal Aggregation: Residents of these communities can sign up for the Community Choice Electricity 50% or 100% option. It appears on your bill as part of your community's supply price. To choose 50% or 100% green power, you MUST sign up on your community's website. The new price will appear on your bill after one to two billing cycles.

For all others: Regardless of where you live or who your utility is, you can sign up for Green Powered Subscription. It allows you to purchase renewable energy to match the same amount of kilowatt-hour (kWh) usage each month. Choose from matching all or half of the average household's use (600 kWh) or customize what you support in 100 kWh blocks. We will make sure equivalent renewable energy comes onto the grid on your behalf each month.
It works like a subscription. You choose an amount, sign up, and we bill you monthly to a payment method of your choice. You can cancel or change your subscription anytime with no penalty.

If you want to sign up for any of these programs, we recommend you start here!

View our terms of service here.

GreenUp is National Grid's green power supply program. We are a supplier to that program (one of a few). Our Green Powered 100% and 25% options are available through GreenUp. You must choose one. In contrast to other green power suppliers, one of our major incentives is tax-deductibility, as we are non-profit and your contributions are recognized as charitable and for the public good. We also take care to source from Class I or "new" local sources.

For National Grid MA & Rhode Island Energy Customers: Payments will be included in your monthly utility bill. The charges will show up on a separate line item from basic service charges, in a section titled GreenUp. It takes 1-2 billing cycles to appear.

For Community Choice Electricity: Most residents have the program on their bill by default. Your town's name will show up under the Supply Section of your bill with your community's rate. If you choose your community's 50% or 100% option, it will replace the default option in the Supply Section. If you were not on the default option, it will replace the Basic Service price. It takes 1-2 billing cycles to appear.

For Green Powered Subscription customers: Payments for the program will be charged to a credit card separately from your monthly utility bill and have no relation to it.

Yes! Green Energy Consumers is a non-profit organization, and your payments are recognized as being made for the public good. They are considered a tax-deductible charitable contribution for federal income tax purposes, if you itemize on your federal return. 

Get your receipt: 

Green Powered members will receive tax receipt by mail or email and can download your tax receipt by logging in to our My Account site or Green Powered Subscription portal. We send tax receipts by mail or email by January 31st each year.

Community Choice Electricity members of towns we serve can download receipts here.

If you are enrolled in the 25% level, you would be able to deduct 2.2 cents for each kilowatt-hour you paid for in the calendar tax year. If you are enrolled in the 100% level, you would be able to deduct 3.8 cents per kilowatt-hour you paid for. 

If you are enrolled in Green Powered Subscription, you can deduct $5 per custom block, $30 for the 600 kWh option, and $15 for the 300 kWh option.

You cannot get this benefit from any other renewable energy supplier in Massachusetts or Rhode Island. Green Energy Consumers will provide you with an annual tax letter that details the amount that you may deduct.

There are no additional and/or required fees associated with enrolling in Green Powered. You may be invited to join or make a charitable contribution to Green Energy Consumers’s other programs.

In the event of a power outage or other service disruption, you should contact your electric utility.

See above - "How will my Basic Service be affected, and how will I be charged?"

You can opt out at any time by calling us at 617-397-5199 or emailing hello@greenenergyconsumers.org. For on bill options, when you opt out, your enrollment will finish out the billing cycle before ending, so you will likely see one final charge.

Based on your location & utility, you will be directed to the Green Powered program that applies to you. 

All the programs- Green Powered Subscription, Green Powered 100% & 25%, and Community Choice Electricity in towns we serve - are based on the same principle and have the same impact: we purchase Class I or "new" renewable energy with your payments. This helps add renewable energy to the power grid.

The differences in the programs are their pricing; how they are administered and how you pay - on or off your electric bill; and if they are a direct of what you use or an estimate.

The Green Powered 100% program supports all wind, while the other programs support a mix of sources.

To make a greater impact for renewable energy, choose to match as much renewable energy as you can.

National Grid & Rhode Island Energy Customers:
Green Powered 100% costs 3.8. cents per kWh you use on your electric bill.
Green Powered 25% costs 2.2 cents per kWh.

Community Choice Electricity:
Pricing varies by town. Each town website will show you pricing.

Green Powered Subscription:
You can choose to pay $32.40 per month for 600 kWh or $16.20 for per month for 300 kWh of renewable energy,, or you can customize your subscription and pay $5.40 per 100 kWh block of renewable energy. The cost of this breaks down to 5 cents per kWh, with 0.8% going toward payment processing fees.

Why does it cost more? Green Powered Subscription is a newer product and reflects the current pricing needed to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates ($50 per MWh).

Green Powered 100% supports only wind power. All other programs (25%, Subscription, and Community Choice Electricity) consist of renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, low-impact hydro and anaerobic digester gas (cow power). All of the resources are located in New England and are designated MA Class I or RI "new."

View a map & list of our current resources.

We have an option for anyone, anywhere. However, only New England renewable energy is supported.

Start here.

If you are signed up for Green Powered Subscription, you may log-in to change your payment method, change your subscription, or cancel anytime at: greenenergyconsumers.org/portal

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Green Energy Consumers Alliance does not store or have access to your payment information. Instead, this is Stripe's job. Read about why Stripe is secure here.

Stripe is not used for Green Powered 100% or 25% or Community Choice Electricity programs affiliated with us.