 |
By Arline Segal If you pay a Con Ed bill, you can convert all or part of your electric usage to renewable energy. You can do this if you live in an apartment or a house, and if you own or rent. This is a way to take positive action for the climate, with real-world impact. As part of New York State’s transition to renewable fuels, Con Ed customers can choose alternative Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) to provide their energy. Many of the ESCOs have a fuel mix that is 100% renewable. If you switch, Con Ed will still distribute your electricity, so you will continue to receive your monthly bill from them, and Con Ed will remain responsible for fixing any power outages.Pull out your Con Ed bill to start. Then visit the New York State Power to Choose website, which shows all the ESCOS that are available in your area.There is a brief description of each one, including the rate, whether the rate is fixed for any period of time, and how much of their fuel mix is renewable. As of September 2026, there are 48 plans with at least 50% renewable energy. You can sort by price.Some ESCO plans guarantee a rate for a period of time, say two years, and some do not. It is important to know that once the guarantee period expires, the rate can increase significantly. There is a wide variety in the ESCO rates. As a comparison, the rate quoted on September 1 Con Ed bills was 13.83 cents per kilowatt hour. Sample ESCO rates are listed below:City Power and Gas has a 12 month guarantee of 15 cents per kilowatt hour and a fuel mix which is 60% renewables.Verde has a 24 month guarantee of 17.29 cents per kilowatt hour, and a fuel mix which is 100% renewable. It is not hard to find the renewable energy providers. The daunting part is figuring out what makes financial and environmental sense for you. Currently, the ESCO plans that include at least 50% renewable energy are more expensive than the default ConEd rate.Two important points: first, in the default Con Ed plan, your rate changes month-to-month—often significantly and seasonally. Con Ed charged 17 cents per kilowatt in April and 12.5 cents per kilowatt hour in June. If you have a fixed rate plan, you will avoid big changes from month to month.Second, be wary of plans that have a penalty to leave early. These will be flagged on the comparison chart. Right now, for example, Family Energy charges up to $200 to cancel the contract. Most don’t. That means if rates go down significantly, you can change out of your ESCO with no cost or penalty. Once you find the company you want, you click on their website and sign up there. No, you can’t do it through Con Ed. Each of these companies will try to make it easy. |
 |
Leave a comment