For years, I’ve thought about installing solar panels on the roof of our home, but we live in the woods, and the upfront costs for solar panels combined with the lack of a south-facing roofline makes solar an impractical choice for our home at this stage of our lives.
However, I’m all in favor of clean, renewable energy. It just makes sense, and cents. Currently, according to the Energy Information Agency and the EPA, about 29 percent of emissions in the United States come from our electricity sector, which is frequently powered by fossil fuels like coal and natural gas. Renewable energy sources produce little to no emissions.
Renewable energy also means less impact on public health. Air and water pollution from power plants that rely on fossil fuels is linked with a whole host of serious health conditions affecting our respiratory, neurological, and cardiological systems. These pollutants contribute to heart attacks, cancer, and even premature death. The cost of pollution in the public health system amounts to an estimated $74.6 billion every year. In contrast, renewable energy sources just don’t produce these same negative health concerns.
Besides the environmental and health impact, clean, renewable energy is just that—renewable. We’re extremely unlikely to run out of wind, sun, plant matter, heat generated from the earth, and fast-moving water. When we do run out of these resources, it won’t matter, because we’ll all be extinct.
Because it’s renewable, it also means more stable energy prices and a more reliable and resilient energy source (wind and solar are far less prone to large-scale failure).
On top of all of these reasons, it’s also good for the economy.
This is why I want solar panels, people!
Alas, I can’t do it. Not yet, anyway. However, just the other day, I learned about Inspire Clean Energy, and man, do I feel emPOWERed (you know I love a good pun!).
I Signed Up!
Inspire Clean Energy makes it possible for people like me to choose clean energy, even if I can’t go all the way with my own clean energy equipment. Inspire gives residential consumers access to choose clean energy for your home. Your membership not only impacts your local community but also communities that are disproportionately affected by climate change around the world.
When you sign up as a member of Inspire Clean Energy, Inspire becomes your energy supplier, purchasing 100% renewable energy on your behalf. Your local utility continues to provide your service, but Inspire works with them to become your energy supplier. You’ll even pay your bill the same way—through your local utility company—but Inspire will show up as the supplier, ensuring that your electricity usage is matched with 100% renewable energy.
There are two types of plans available through Inspire—one is a pay-per-use plan, which operates just like your traditional energy plan, and the other is a subscription plan. Both plans are seven times more impactful than recycling (but let’s keep doing that as well, okay?).
The pay-per-use plan bills by the kilowatt for the electricity you use, except instead of using fossil fuels, you access 100% renewable energy. This plan is available to select areas (you have to pop in your address to see if your home is eligible).
I’m enrolled in the subscription plan, which is currently available for select homes in Massachusetts, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The subscription plan allows you to access unlimited renewable power at a flat monthly rate, which varies based on where you live. According to their website, the subscription plan is “like insurance for your energy bill. Whether there’s a heat wave or global energy shortage, you’ll pay a flat monthly price to access unlimited 100% renewables for your energy supply.”
This is great for us—we seem to be a high-energy consumption household, with teenagers who leave all of the lights on all of the time and love video games and television. Despite my constant efforts to turn off all of the lights all of the time, we still use a good bit of electricity each month. The rate Inspire gave us for the year was even a little lower than our current average monthly expense!
To me, the whole decision felt like a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t I want my energy supplier to be a renewable energy company? You mean I get to feel good about paying my (predictable) electric bill? Where do I sign up?
If this feels like an infomercial for Inspire Clean Energy, let me assure you, they haven’t paid me to write this. I’m just this excited about being able to finally choose clean energy options for our home. It feels right. It feels true. It feels good. I don’t have to trust my gut, either—Inspire Clean Energy is a Certified B Corporation, which means that they meet the highest verified standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
When it comes to being good stewards of our natural resources, caring for the creation God has given us, and loving our global neighbors disproportionately affected by climate change, Inspire is one more way we can make good choices for the betterment of our communities, fulfilling the call to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves.
Learn more about Inspire Clean Energy and find out whether your home qualifies for their energy plans to start making a difference for clean energy today.