We get it: switching energy suppliers is not necessarily something you jump out of bed singing for in the morning. But what if we told you that your search for truly green energy is over right now? OM | New Energy has been rated 10 in the Green Power Rankings, an independent survey by Greenpeace, the Consumers’ Association, Natuur & Milieu and WISE, among others, for seven years in a row. They supply Dutch power from sun and wind, generated via projects in your own neighbourhood. Sounds good, right? We dived into it and are happy to explain why this is a smart choice and how easy it is to switch.
You have green power and you have ‘green power’
In cooperation with OM | New Energy
Many energy suppliers boast of ‘green power’, but if you dig a little deeper, you soon find yourself with so-called ‘fake power’. This is power that is still ‘normally’ generated with fossil fuels, but is ‘green washed’ with certificates from abroad, e.g. from a hydropower plant in Norway. So your energy consumption looks nice and sustainable, while in reality nothing changes about the origin of the power coming out of your socket. So you think you are doing the right thing and then it turns out to be different. Yes, very mean. We agree. Now you ask yourself: what about my supplier? Every year, Greenpeace, the Consumers' Association, Natuur & Milieu and WISE, among others, publish the Green power rankings, which shows exactly which energy suppliers are really green and which are mainly trying to greenwash things.
What is 100% green power anyway?
Green electricity is electricity generated from renewable sources such as solar, wind, hydro or biogas. These sources do not run out and emit (almost) no CO2 during generation. This makes them much less harmful to the climate than fossil energy. On the other hand, there is grey electricity: electricity generated from coal, gas or oil. These sources are finite and cause a lot of CO2 emissions and air pollution. Not exactly future-proof. Are we talking about 100% green power, then we mean that all your consumption comes from renewable sources, with no admixture of grey power.
100% green energy from the Netherlands
OM | New Energy takes a different approach. With them, you know exactly where your power comes from: from local projects in the Netherlands. Through dozens of energy cooperatives, they supply power from windmills on the dike, solar panels on the village hall or solar fields in your region. The power label therefore reads: 100% sun and wind, generated in your own country. It doesn't get any greener.
This is not a marketing pitch, but stems from a deep-rooted conviction. In 2012, TexelEnergie, Windunie and Urgenda joined forces to launch a new energy initiative together. You may know the latter: Urgenda is the organisation that became known worldwide for being the first to sue the state and win a climate case. Their message was clear: if we wait for government and big companies, things will not move fast enough. And so it was time to take matters into our own hands. Not top-down, but locally and together. Meanwhile, dozens of energy cooperatives have joined OM | New Energy. They do not put the profit in their own pockets, but invest it back into the neighbourhood, for instance to build new solar parks or grow food forests.
How ‘green’ is your electricity really?
Do you know how green the power you chose is? From energy supplier switching to one supplying 100% green power is a short administrative operation. In a few minutes, it's done! After that, you won't notice anything at all. Even better: by choosing your energy supplier, you can make a big difference, without having to do or notice anything afterwards. Just like taking a minute shorter shower or turning the thermostat down a degree. Your mother was right. Living more sustainably can be that easy. Switching to OM | New Energy, for example? It's so easy.
More energy tips
- Also see: handy tricks and tips to take shorter showers.
- Also see: This is how you save on your gas bill today.
Photo credits main image: Jan from Bizar (Pexels).
