Puget Sound Energy’s Green Power program offers customers easy way to lower carbon footprint

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Wind turbines at Swauk Valley Ranch in Ellensburg, Washington. The project is funded by PSE’s Green Power program. (Puget Sound Energy)

For 20 years, Puget Sound Energy’s Green Power program has offered PSE customers an easy, inexpensive way to lower their carbon footprint. Any home or business electric customer with PSE can choose to match some or all of their electricity usage with renewable energy, with nothing to install or maintain themselves.

"Our Green Power program is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month and currently has more than 70,000 customers participating," said Tyler O’Farrell, Product Manager, Clean Energy Solutions at PSE. "Any electric customer can join. PSE strongly believes that renewable energy should be available to everybody in an accessible and affordable way."

Customers who sign up for Green Power help support local green power projects. The PSE Green Power team prioritizes renewable energy resources that are in or as close as possible to our region, like the wind project at Swauk Valley Ranch near Ellensburg.

For a minimum of $4 per month, PSE’s average electric customer can reduce their electric carbon footprint by nearly 50%. Customers can also match their entire electric usage by purchasing additional blocks.

Pagliacci Pizza has participated in Green Power since the inception of the program—a testament to its own leadership on environmentally friendly business practices. "We became known as early and enthusiastic adopters to sustainability," said co-owner Matt Galvin. "Part of that commitment to sustainability has been purchasing 100% local renewable energy for all of our restaurants since 2006."

For Galvin, being a Green Power customer is just one of many tactics in Pagliacci’s toolbox for lowering its carbon footprint. "In addition to composting and purchasing green power, Pagliacci built one of, if not the first, LEED-certified pizzeria. We track and push on purchasing local. And we are now above 70% of purchases coming from the Northwest. "With just over 100,000 customers participating in PSE’s renewable energy programs, the demand for accessible clean energy is clear and will only continue to increase. PSE’s own aspiration to reach net zero carbon emissions and to help others reduce their carbon footprint means that customers can look to their utility to help address climate change through programs like Green Power.

"The thing I am most proud of is to see how this program continues to grow year after year. PSE believes in a clean energy future and we are proud to serve customers that believe in that mission along with us," said O’Farrell.