Energy survey produces surprise results

Sunday Telegraph
Sunday 17/12/2006 Page: 34

Easy to go green:
AN Australian-first study of clean energy products has found residential homes can switch to green power for little or no extra cost. Contrary to the view that renewable energy costs the earth, the Planet Ark survey found some energy retailers now offer green power products for no more than standard energy rates.

They provide 10 per cent of a home's energy from clean power sources for the same cost as a standard energy bill. Planet Ark founder Jon Dee hopes these surprising findings will empower thousands of people to make the switch to renewable energy in the coming year.

"At the end of the day, the single biggest thing people can do to reduce their impact on climate change is to switch to GreenPower," Mr Dee said. "And if all you can afford is nothing more than you pay now, you can at least make the switch to 10 per cent GreenPower for free." GreenPower is a State Government-accredited scheme that independently audits energy retailers to ensure their renewable energy products are sourced from the sun, wind, water or waste.

When a consumer buys a GreenPower product, the energy supplier commits to buying an equivalent amount of energy from renewable sources, avoiding coal-fired power. This renewable energy is then pooled into the national electricity grid.

Nearly 350,000 Australians have signed up to the scheme since it began in 2003, although NSW is lagging far behind other states. Almost three times more Victorians (137,000) and about 50 per cent more Queenslanders (83,000) have switched to Green- Power compared with the 53,000 in NSW.

A spokesman for Energy Minister Joe Tripodi said the scheme gave consumers an easy way to reduce greenhouse gases. "NSW has come a long way, but there is more to do - that's why we are actively promoting Green- Power," Mr Tripodi said.

The Planet Ark survey compared the cost of all the GreenPower products on the market based on the average annual energy consumption in NSW. The average customer spends about $1000 a year on energy. Switching to 100 per cent renewable energy would cost an average customer between $4 and $8 a week more. Over a year, it would cost between $229 and $433 extra.

One of the biggest suppliers, EnergyAustralia, last week launched a new GreenPower product offering 10 per cent for about $1 extra a week. Mr Dee said he hoped the release of the first price comparison of GreenPower products would spark a clean energy price war.

"If Integral Energy and Jackgreen Energy can supply 10 per cent of a home's usage as renewable energy for no extra cost, then why can't the rest of them? "It would be a huge boost to wind and solar farmers, and would carve a big slice out of Australia's greenhouse- gas emissions." Households generate about one-fifth of Australia's greenhouse pollution through energy supplied from burning coal.

Peter Jameson, of Sutherland, switched to 10 per cent GreenPower last week. "It didn't cost any extra, so we thought: `Why not?' "And I guess every little bit helps the environment," Mr Jameson said.