For a restricted time, in case you join Arcadia Energy via my hyperlink by April 1st, 2022, you’ll get $40 in direction of your first utility invoice after you hyperlink your electrical energy firm to Arcadia.
Desk of Contents
- How Electrical energy Works In The US
- How Does Arcadia Energy Work?
- The Arcadia Energy Dashboard
- Takeaways
- Feedback
One of many issues I’ve observed concerning the FIRE (Monetary Independence, Retire Early) group is that all of us are typically naturally environmentally pleasant – it appears to be a byproduct of the approach to life selections that we make. Take me for example. I bike to work, preserve my warmth turned down pretty low throughout the winter, and after I do drive, I drive a Prius.
I don’t essentially do this stuff for the environmental advantages – it’s primarily as a result of this stuff save me cash and assist me keep away from getting delicate and weak. However the truth that they have an inclination to have a optimistic environmental influence isn’t a foul byproduct both.
A while in the past, I noticed an advert on Fb for a corporation known as Arcadia Energy, which promised me that if I signed up for his or her service, I might get 50% of my residence’s electrical energy sourced from wind energy at no further price and with out having to change my electrical energy firm. This piqued my curiosity – I’m all for doing one thing free and that offers me a bonus in a roundabout way. However was Arcadia Energy legit or was Arcadia Energy a rip-off?
Be aware: Sadly, as of November 2020, Arcadia Energy has eliminated the free possibility, which suggests the one possibility is the paid possibility that sources 100% of your power from renewable sources. I’ll go into extra element concerning the pricing later on this publish.
I’ve been an Arcadia Energy buyer now for over a 12 months and after utilizing it for thus lengthy with none points, I positively suppose it’s legit and one thing price utilizing, therefore why I’m writing up this Arcadia Energy evaluate. When you’ve got any curiosity in any respect in supporting renewable power sources, signing up for Arcadia Energy is a simple technique to do exactly that.
For a restricted time, in case you join Arcadia Energy via my hyperlink, you’ll get $40 in direction of your first utility invoice after you hyperlink your electrical energy firm to Arcadia. This $40 provide will finish on April 1st, 2022, so ensure to take benefit by then.
How Electrical energy Works In The US
To grasp what Arcadia Energy is, it’s a must to first perceive a little bit bit about how electrical energy works in the US. We get our electrical energy from a whole lot of completely different sources right here – coal, nuclear, photo voltaic, wind, hydroelectric, and many others. As soon as electrical energy will get generated, it will get despatched to the nationwide energy grid, which then sends the electrical energy to our properties by way of energy traces.
What this implies is that after electrical energy is made, there’s no actual technique to differentiate several types of electrical energy – all of it seems the identical as soon as it enters the facility grid, type of like how a cup of water seems the identical as some other water when you dump it right into a river. Until you’re producing your individual electrical energy (resembling by way of photo voltaic panels on your own home), there’s no technique to really know or say the place your electrical energy got here from.
That’s the place Renewable Vitality Certificates (RECs) come into play. Each time one megawatt-hour of renewable electrical energy is generated, a REC can also be created. RECs mainly function a technique to “show” that the facility in your house is coming from a renewable power supply. So, you find yourself shopping for two issues whenever you purchase electrical energy from a renewable power supply – the electrical energy that was generated from it and the REC that will get created with it.
For more information about RECs, take a look at this quick primer right here from the EPA. Beneath can also be a terrific video that I believe actually breaks down the entire REC system:
To be truthful, RECs aren’t all sunshine and rainbows. There are some legit criticisms about RECs as a technique to promote renewable power, primarily across the argument that they price too little to really encourage firms to construct renewable power initiatives. REC supporters, however, level out that there aren’t actually some other programs that may work primarily based on how we at present get our electrical energy from the facility grid.
That debate is method past the topic of this publish, however in case you’re in search of additional studying about RECs, be at liberty to take a look at the beneath hyperlinks:
- https://www.vox.com/2015/11/9/9696820/renewable-energy-certificates
- https://www.technologyreview.com/s/542036/defending-renewable-energy-certificates/
- https://thinkprogress.org/clean-energy-trainwreck-why-most-recs-are-bad-and-how-to-find-the-good-ones-63975573c073/
The principle factor to contemplate, I believe, is that by getting RECs, you’ll be able to not less than help renewable power in a roundabout way. I’d say, at a minimal, that’s higher than sitting round doing nothing.
How Does Arcadia Energy Work?
With that background out of the way in which, let’s discuss how Arcadia Energy works. Right here’s an explainer video that comes straight from Arcadia Energy:
Briefly, whenever you develop into an Arcadia Energy buyer, Arcadia Energy will purchase RECs in your behalf, which signifies that your electrical energy will probably be attributable to renewable power sources.
If you happen to’re apprehensive that this seems like work, simply know that it’s not. If you enroll with Arcadia Energy, you don’t change your present electrical energy supplier. No matter electrical energy firm you’ve gotten now could be the electrical energy firm you’ll proceed to have. You don’t need to do something past organising your Arcadia Energy account.
As a substitute, Arcadia Energy works on high of your present electrical energy firm. They used to supply two plans, a free one and a paid one. As of November 2020, Arcadia Energy has eliminated the free possibility and now solely provides a paid possibility that sources 100% of your power from renewable power sources for a flat $5 per 30 days. Relying on how a lot your electrical energy invoice is, this will really be cheaper than the everyday method of paying for RECs, that are paid for by way of the quantity of electrical energy you employ.
There are not any contracts to fret about, so that you’re not on the hook for something in case you join Arcadia Energy and resolve later that it’s not for you.
When you enroll, you’ll be directed to hyperlink your present electrical utility account with Arcadia Energy and also you’ll additionally get to decide on the way you need to pay your invoice – both by bank card or with a financial institution withdrawal. Paying along with your bank card is free, so I extremely suggest utilizing a bank card with the intention to get some rewards factors.
After these steps are accomplished, each time you obtain your invoice out of your electrical energy firm, Arcadia Energy will get your invoice from them, cost your card or checking account, after which pay your electrical energy firm in your behalf.
You’re basically organising a brand new autopay with Arcadia Energy. Consider it as trying like this:
Financial institution Account –> Arcadia Energy –> Your Electrical Firm
I checked my invoice after I first signed up simply to verify there wasn’t an upcharge and my invoice was the identical because the invoice I acquired from my electrical energy firm. All that occurred is that my autopay is now going to Arcadia Energy, as an alternative of my common electrical firm. And as a profit, I get the satisfaction of understanding that I’m supporting renewable power sources. It’s additionally simpler to have my electrical energy invoice get charged to my bank card.
The Arcadia Energy Dashboard
Past simply the environmental advantages, one other good thing about signing up for Arcadia Energy is entry to a a lot better on-line dashboard. I’ve in all probability checked out my utility firm’s on-line dashboard a handful of occasions in my life, however the Arcadia Energy dashboard has a lot data in it that I preserve coming again to take a look at it.
Keep in mind although that you could nonetheless go and have a look at your regular dashboard along with your electrical energy firm, so it’s not such as you lose entry to what you have already got. By signing up for Arcadia Energy, you’re mainly simply including a brand new dashboard that has much more helpful data.
One function I like on my on-line dashboard is that this power utilization chart:
There’s additionally a really cool part the place I can see what share of my energy got here from completely different power sources:
As you’ll be able to see within the above screenshot, a little bit over half of my power may be attributed to renewable power sources. I’m not fairly certain how Arcadia Energy is aware of the place the opposite sources of my power got here from – I’m guessing they use averages or one thing – however I can not less than be assured that half of my power got here from renewable sources.
The explanation I do know that’s as a result of, along with my energy invoice, I additionally acquired the beneath REC, which certifies that 159 kWh of my electrical energy up to now month got here from renewable power sources. That’s half of my electrical energy consumption for the month. (Be aware: This was again after I was on the free plan, which gave me 50% of my power from renewable power sources for gratis to me).
Lastly, Arcadia Energy additionally has a terrific app the place you’ll be able to see your electrical energy payments and take a look at your power utilization. What’s most useful is simply with the ability to simply have a look at my previous statements so I can see how my electrical energy utilization has been trending.
Takeaways
In case you are inquisitive about supporting renewable power, signing up for Arcadia Energy could make a whole lot of sense. Arcadia Energy made a whole lot of sense after they had their free plan that price nothing to make use of. At $5 per 30 days, you’ll need to resolve if that is one thing that is sensible for you. (Once I first wrote this publish, I predicted that the free plan in all probability wouldn’t final ceaselessly – it seems like I used to be proper)
One factor to contemplate (that isn’t actually an issue, in my view) is that Arcadia Energy pays your electrical energy invoice as quickly because it receives it. That signifies that some individuals will probably be paying their electrical energy payments a little bit sooner than they’re used to. This isn’t an enormous downside for many of us, however it’s one thing to contemplate in case you’re the kind that likes to pay your invoice on a particular day of the month. If you happen to’re utilizing a bank card to pay your invoice (which you must because it’s free to make use of your bank card), then this really received’t matter in any respect, since in case you’re like most individuals, you in all probability simply pay your bank card invoice on the identical day every month anyway. I believe Arcadia Energy was additionally taking a look at this problem as a result of they added a “delay cost” button which lets you delay your cost date to a later date. I haven’t used this function since I don’t have a lot motive to make use of it, however it’s good to know that it’s there.
Arcadia Energy additionally won’t be accessible in all places, so that you’ll need to see in case your zip code is supported. They do say that they’re accessible in all 50 states, however there could also be sure zip codes that aren’t in a position to entry Arcadia Energy, for no matter motive.
If you happen to’re inquisitive about signing up for Arcadia Energy, you’ll want to use this referral hyperlink and also you’ll get $40 in direction of your first utility invoice in case you signup by April 1, 2022.
Let me understand how Arcadia Energy works for you or in case you’re contemplating some other methods to help renewable power sources!
