What’s involved?
In a few weeks my old housemates are going to move out of my house. It is kinda sad because I got along with them well. But now I get take over the lease and make decisions around the house. It is a lot of responsibility but I am also happy that I can make a few changes.
I have already installed energy saving light bulbs all around the house but that only reduced our energy usage. But I was told that the electriciy we are using in my house comes from coal fired power plants. These plants contribute massively to global warming through green house gases that are produced when burning coal. Now that the energy is going to be in my name I am going to tell me energy provider to supply me with green energy.
This means that in future my house is going to be supplied with energy from alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro or biomass. These alternative energy sources are renewable and do not contribute to global warming.
By changing to green energy in my house I can decrease the amount of green house gases produced but I also send a sign to my energy company that I , along with many other people want to get my electricity from a source that is not bad for the environment. This may in the long run lead to the constructions of more windmills and solar panels and less use of coal power that harms the environment.
Green energy is a little bit more expensive than conventional energy but it gives me the peace of mind that my energy use is not contributing to global warming but helps the establishment of a green energy industry in Australia.
Plus if we keep using energy sources like oil and coal those sources are going to get scarce pretty soon and the prices will be a lot higher than those of green energy now.
When switiching to green energy it is important to check that your provider is accredited by the government with the label "greenpower". These providers conform with stringent requirements and you get genuine green energy.
Now if you do not have the electricity in your name at the place you live in you should discuss it with your parents or fellow housemates. They might want to switch to green energy too. Just tell them about all the benefits and that it is a great way to do your share for the environment and to stop global warming.And the more green energy users there are the more likely it is that green energy is going to be cheaper soon too.
Happy switching ! you can find more info on this on: http://www.greenpower.gov.au/pages/index.php
I want to do this!
