Want to Get Greener Energy – And Pay Less For It?

Community Choice Energy (CCE) is an emerging movement in the US – one that's earning new devotees every day.

Many municipalities have only one electricity provider, creating de facto monopolies that can be anti-competitive and highly difficult to dislodge.

CCE (also known as Community Choice Aggregation) gives cities and counties the ability to purchase power from multiple sources, and so select the best options for their residents and businesses. By aggregating purchasing power, CCE programs can create large contracts with generators, something individual buyers may be unable to do.

Communities can then use cleaner energy, by offering greener generation portfolios than local utilities. And energy providers must compete for contracts, which often lowers prices.

Currently, eight states permit CCE: California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Virginia. Contact your local representative and see what you can do.

Here's the Wikipedia page for more information:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_Choice_Aggregation

CCE brings local control and freedom of choice to the electricity marketplace – both very good things.

--By Bahar Singh, a freelance writer based in Rhode Island