My Mother Switched To Wind Power & Saved 8%

How would you like to save 8% on your electric generation, lock in the lower price for 2 years, and have 50% of the power be generated by wind power operating in the regional grid.  My mother just did that by shopping for her electricity generation.

My mother lives in Maryland, in the Baltimore Gas & Electric service territory, and her BGE rate was going to be 9.4 cents for generation this summer.  That power was being provided by coal, natural gas, nuclear, and about 5% renewables.

We went online and found lots of options that were below the 9.4 cents price, but my mother focused on the wind power options and the longer-term contracts.

She ended up picking a 2-year, 50% wind power product for 8.7 cents per kilowatt-hour or 8% less than the 9.4 cents BGE price.  Mom's wind energy will come from wind farms operating in the regional grid that includes Maryland (as well as Pennsylvania).

She could have saved even more--a full 1 cent per kilowatt-hour--if she had selected a one-year, 50% wind power product. But with low prices available now, buying longer power contracts makes a lot of sense. Even bigger immediate savings were possible, as much as 1.5 cents per kilowatt-hour, if she had gone for the lowest cost option and not bought any wind or renewable energy.

I am proud of my mother and her latest smart move for her pocketbook and the planet.

If you live in Pennsylvania and want to cut your pollution footprint and possibly save money, visit www.choosepawind.com or www.oca.state.pa.us/Industry/Electric/elecomp/ElectricGuides.htm.  Maryland and many other states have similar electricity shopping guides that provide information about price and the fuels used to make your electricity.

Powering a family's home typically is responsible for twice the pollution as a car, so purchasing zero emission electricity makes a real difference.