One way that environmentally conscious home owners can reduce their carbon footprint is through using renewable energy for basic utilities. Until recently, solar panel installation provided the most popular option, enabling many people to derive all their home utility energy from the sun. Unfortunately, installing solar isn’t viable for everyone due to the sometimes-prohibitive upfront costs (regardless of rebate and incentives) or the fact that based on such factors as roof orientation, size and tree cover, not all rooftops can effectively accommodate solar panel arrays. However, Austin Energy, the city’s municipally-owned utility, is providing another option for customers who want to “go green” with its new GreenChoice® program.
On August 8, the Austin City Council entered into an agreement with E.ON Climate and Renewables, which will provide an additional 200 megawatts of Texas wind power. When this new contract, which runs for 12 years at a cost of $17 million per year, reaches full commercial operation in December 2020, the utility’s customers will use electricity generated from 61% renewable resources. In addition, the contract does not require the city to pay for any construction, operation or maintenance of the wind farms that will generate the power.
To take advantage of this new green resource for the city, Austin Energy has also unveiled the GreenChoice® for Residential Customers program, which offers Austin homeowners the opportunity to choose 100% renewable energy as the source for their electrical needs. By taking part in the program, residents will pay an additional $0.0075 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to choose wind power. Based on typical usage of 1000 kWh in a month, a subscriber would pay about an extra $7.50 per month to take advantage of the chance to sustainably power their home. To enroll in the program, either call 512-494-9400 or visit this page on the Austin Energy website. There is no contract necessary to take part in GreenChoice®, nor are there subscriber fees, an expiration date, or a penalty for later opting out of the program.