#GreeningTheGrid - November ESCO and Subscription Solar Update

​​Note: To power your home with renewable energy, see the most recent Subscription Community Solar chart (and FAQ) and 100% Renewable Electricity chart. 

By Gerri Wiley, HeatSmart volunteer and Energy Navigator

Happy November, Green Beings!

ESCO Chart - Note the 3.74 cents/kWH difference between NYSEG’s default fossil-nuclear supply price and Energy Coop of America’s (ECA’s) 100% renewable price! The rules of the game on the DPS Power to Choose website are that the price listed is the average of the previous month’s daily prices. Why is ECA’s price, which for the past year has been an average of 1.5 cents higher than NYSEG’s default, now 3.74 cents/kWh higher? Renewable ESCO prices range from 9.69 –30.0 cents/kWH for a variable product that can hike up next month! With this price instability, it’s a good idea to check your electricity supply price per kWh each month. If you are paying 11 cents/kWh or more for a variable renewable plan, you can do better. Email  me.

Subscription Solar Chart – If you don’t own solar panels, you can select one of the two companies listed and get on the waiting list. If you are struggling to pay your bills, email or call me. I have a third option.

A spotlight on the impact of travel - As you know, each year, heads of state and climate experts meet at COP to negotiate international climate change policy, this year they met in Egypt for COP27.  This is a good reminder to calculate your carbon footprint. Bet you haven’t calculated your carbon footprint in a while, so here are two that I enjoyed using:

CoolClimate Calculator found that I use 9 tons of CO2e/yr, 85% better than average, and... 

Climate Hero Calculator found that I use 3.9 tons of CO2e/yr. I like that one better! Note that Climate Hero encourages the use of their prescribed carbon offsets in order to achieve a 2.0 ton CO2e/yr goal.

While these two calculators are fun and valuable learning tools, I encourage you to purchase your carbon offsets from Finger Lakes Climate Fund. Why? Because the funds are used to help local families reduce their energy use. We can serve climate stability by helping our neighbors via this well-respected program. There’s an easy-to-use carbon calculator right on the website: https://fingerlakesclimatefund.org/

I’m happy to connect you with various resources you need along the way.