How to Transition to Clean Energy While Potentially Saving Some Cash, Too Arcadia has simplified the process while members reap the rewards.
By Entrepreneur Store Edited by Jason Fell
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With many businesses cutting or furloughing staff, economic uncertainty has become our reality. This trend is even more worrisome for contractors and entrepreneurs, who often do not have the same protections as established companies. If nothing else, the coronavirus pandemic has forced everyone to investigate their spending and cut costs where needed.
As sheltering at home is the reality for many Americans, it makes sense to look there first. Are all those streaming entertainment subscriptions really necessary? What do the grocery bills look like? How about heating, cooling, and energy — what am I really paying to power my home each month?
That last question is of longstanding concern for everyone. So many of us live in areas with confusing energy services. We often default to relying on whatever local infrastructure is suggested, even when that's not in our best financial interest or the best thing for the environment. We also all know that clean energy is the future, but understanding how to transition to more environmentally-friendly power sources is a daunting task when we have so many other concerns in front of us. That's exactly what makes Arcadia so interesting:
In short, Arcadia does the legwork for you. Their automated platform helps members match their energy use with renewable energy and, in some areas, even save money every month — all without changing their utility company. So how exactly does that work? Thanks to Arcadia's ability to aggregate the buying power of numerous households, they've secured exclusive low rates from energy providers in states with deregulated energy markets. Depending on your previous rate, that could result in significant energy savings -- some households save up to 20 percent off their monthly energy bills. Even if you're not in an area where savings are possible, you'll never pay more than you pay to your local provider.
Though many American households are still not eligible for rooftop solar panels, Arcadia offers community solar as a replacement. Ultimately, solar power is less expensive than burning fossil fuels, and the savings on utilities show: Arcadia members in eligible states can enjoy lower power bills thanks to their involvement in this pooling of resources. Saving money while helping the environment is a double win.
One member explains why she loves using Arcadia:
- I obviously love their use and promotion of clean energy!
- I appreciate that they take the opportunity to educate you along the way and they make the website very user friendly.
- I selfishly love that I can pay my bills with a credit card and gain points...small things go a long way!
The process is simple. First, enter your zip code on Arcadia's website to check availability in your area. Then connect your utility account. Arcadia tracks your energy usage and matches it with clean energy. From there, you can track your impact. Bonus: by referring your friends, you'll get a kickback. By utilizing this wisdom of the crowd approach, you're partaking in what every entrepreneur loves: saving money while helping everyone else out.
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