Effective 09/01/2023
Green Powered is a program of Green Energy Consumers Alliance, a nonprofit organization with a mission to harness our power as energy consumers to speed the transition to a low-carbon economy.
This Customer Agreement for renewable energy service (“Agreement”) is between Green Energy Consumers Alliance, Inc. (“Green Energy Consumers”) and you, a customer who has opted into our Green Powered program, allowing Green Energy Consumers to provide you with green electricity. Green Energy Consumers is licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities as well as the Public Utilities Commission in Rhode Island to administer their Green Powered program. These Terms of Service govern your participation in the Green Powered program. Please keep a copy for your records.
Either before or after billing for Green Powered begins, you may cancel your participation with no penalty by calling Green Energy Consumers’ customer service number (617-397-5199) or by writing to hello@greenenergyconsumers.org or the address listed below.
Who should I contact for more information?
Green Energy Consumers Alliance, Inc. (“Green Energy Consumers”)
284 Amory Street
Boston, MA 0213
Phone: 617-397-5199 |
Email: hello@greenenergyconsumers.org
Web address: www.greenenergyconsumers.org
We also have an office in Rhode Island at 188 Valley St, Providence, RI 02909
You have enrolled in Green Powered Subscription!
What is Green Powered Subscription?
The subscription supports renewable energy projects in New England through the purchase of renewable energy certificates (RECs)* to match a specific amount of electricity consumption each month, above and beyond the renewable electricity that is already required by state law. You have subscribed to one of the following options:
32.40 - Matches your electricity use with 600 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green electricity, which covers the average household's monthly electricity use. The pricing includes $2.40 that covers payment processing fees and $30 to cover the cost of renewable energy certificates (RECs).
$15 - Matches your electricity use with 300 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green electricity (HALF the average household's monthly electricity use). The pricing includes $1.20 that covers payment processing fees and $15 to cover the cost of renewable energy certificates (RECs).
Custom - Choose the amount of green electricity you want to buy each month, in $5 blocks representing 100 kWh each. The pricing includes $0.40 that covers payment processing fees and $5 to cover the cost of renewable energy certificates (RECs).
You are billed to your chosen payment method via secure, third party software provided by Stripe each month. Green Energy Consumers does not retain and cannot access your payment method account number after you subscribe. This is not associated with your electric utility. Nothing will change about your electric utility or their responsibilities to you, or your electric bill.
*What is a REC? A Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is a tracking device for renewable energy. Each REC represents 1 megawatt-hour (MWH) of electricity that has been generated by a renewable energy source in New England, and contains information on emissions, time of generation, and source. A REC can only be used once to count towards a consumer’s electricity usage. We will purchase and retire RECs on your behalf and ensure that they are not used for other purposes. You will not be taking ownership of either RECs or any associated electricity. However, because we buy the REC on your behalf, you can claim the electricity it represents – “my home is powered by green power,” for example. To learn more about RECs, visit www.greenenergyconsumers.org/greenpower/whyswitchingworks
How do I change, manage, or cancel my subscription?
You may change or cancel your subscription without penalty, or update your payment or contact information anytime by contacting our staff, or by logging into to our secure Subscription Customer Portal using your associated email address. This portal is managed by Stripe, secure third party software that verifies your identity via your email.
The Customer Portal can be found at: greenenergyconsumers.org/portal
Will green power be coming to my house?
No. Instead, you will be ensuring that an amount of wind power equivalent to your electricity usage comes onto the New England power grid, pushing off the need for dirty fossil fuels and increasing the demand for renewable energy. See the wind resources participants have supported over time at greenenergyconsumers.org/local-sources
What is the term of this Agreement?
Your participation has no set term. As long as you have provided correct and complete information during the application process, you will be successfully enrolled and we will begin billing you for Green Powered Subscription.
We will continue to bill you until your account is cancelled or your payment method expires (in which case you will be prompted to update it). You may cancel at any time with no penalty by using our Customer Portal at subscription.greenenergyconsumers.org/portal or contacting our staff.
How will I know that I am participating in the Green Powered program?
As long as you have provided correct and complete information during the application process, you will be successfully enrolled. Once successfully enrolled, you will be given a billing start date. On this date, you will be billed for your first subscription amount, and this will continue each month until you cancel.
Your participation will entail:
- You will be billed monthly directly to your preferred payment method.
- Green Energy Consumers uses the Generation Information System, operated by the New England Power Pool, to ensure that Green Energy Consumers has purchased and retired RECs on your behalf from the sources indicated on the disclosure label. This process and this information is subject to oversight by state regulatory bodies and the grid operator, ISO-New England. Each quarter, Green Energy Consumers will send you a disclosure statement detailing the renewable electricity sources associated with the electricity you used in the previous quarter.
- You will receive emails if you need to update your payment method or have missed a payment. If you miss a payment and do not update your payment method by the next billing cycle, your subscription will be closed. You can reopen it if you like.
- You will also receive periodic communications from Green Energy Consumers, such as newsletters and emails.
- You will receive an email and/or letter in January detailing your tax-deductible contributions.
How will I be billed, and is it secure?
Payments associated with Green Powered will be automatically charged to the payment method you have provided. You will be charged monthly for the subscription amount you selected. You can modify your subscription in the Customer Portal.
Payments for Green Powered are separate from and in addition to your current electric utility charges and do not in any way affect or replace your obligation to pay your utility for the services it provides. No interest will accrue on any arrears associated with Green Powered.
We use third party software to manage billing and your payment information, and do not have access to your payment account information. That information is stored and billed via our agreement with Stripe. They are a certified PCI Service Provider Level 1. This is the most stringent level of certification available in the payments industry.
More info about Stripe security: All card numbers are encrypted at rest with AES-256. Decryption keys are stored on separate machines. None of Stripe’s internal servers and daemons can obtain plain text card numbers but can request that cards are sent to a service provider on a static allowlist. Stripe’s infrastructure for storing, decrypting, and transmitting card numbers runs in a separate hosting environment, and doesn’t share any credentials with Stripe’s primary services including their API and website.
Are my payments tax-deductible?
Yes – your payments are considered as charitable contributions, and can be claimed as such if you itemize your federal tax deductions! Green Energy Consumers is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Your participation in Green Powered makes a contribution towards the development of renewable energy generating sources.
Each January, Green Energy Consumers will send you a tax receipt detailing the total amount you paid toward Green Powered (and any of our other charitable programs) in the previous year.
What is Green Powered’s relationship with my utility?
Green Powered Subscription is not affiliated with your utility in any way and does not affect your relationship or electric bill with your utility. The rates for your electricity services from your utility are separate from Green Powered and may vary over time. For more information on these charges, including current information about your utility services, please contact your electric utility directly.
What fuel sources will my Subscription support?
All resources are located within New England. Unless notified otherwise, all renewable energy will come from qualified Massachusetts Class-I/Rhode Island "new" wind, solar, anaerobic digester gas, and Low-Impact Hydro Institute certified hydropower. electricity generating facilities (also known as “new” in Rhode Island), operating since or after December 31, 1997. Green Energy Consumers is committed to bringing new renewable energy onto the grid, so many of the resources in the mix have been built recently or will be coming online soon. See www.greenenergyconsumers.org/local-sources for a map of current and pending resources. We also release a detailed Disclosure Statement each year at www.greenenergyconsumers.org/disclosure.
Will Green Powered’s rates or resource mix change over time?
On a quarterly basis, Green Energy Consumers will provide you with a Disclosure Statement via our Currents newsletter, which documents the fuel source and resource mix of Green Powered products. A full disclosure label, which includes factors such as the price, emissions, and labor information on the renewable energy you have chosen is updated annually and available online at www.greenenergyconsumers.org/disclosure. The resource mix reported will be for the most recent four quarters for which data is available. The price and resource mix may change to reflect market conditions such as the availability of new resources. You will be notified in writing of any price increases prior to any such change. If you do not wish to pay the new price or accept a new resource mix for Green Powered, you may terminate your participation by notifying Green Energy Consumers or by visiting the Customer Portal.
If I switch to a competitive electricity supplier or to my community’s community choice electricity aggregation program, does that affect my participation in Green Powered Subscription?
No. You can participate in your community’s municipal aggregation program OR switch to a competitive supplier and still participate in Green Powered Subscription, but if you do that, you may be paying for more renewable energy than you use. It is your choice to keep or cancel Green Powered Subscription.
We highly recommend participation in municipal aggregation (community choice electricity) if your community offers it. The community's bulk purchasing model helps residents get a good deal. On the other hand, we do not recommend signing up independently to buy electricity from a competitive suppler, as it has been proven to cost more over time. Read more.
How does this Agreement terminate? If I decide to terminate this Agreement, is there a fee?
You may decide to cancel participation in Green Powered Subscription at any time by notifying Green Energy Consumers by telephone or in writing by email or at the address for Green Energy Consumers listed at the beginning of these terms. If you cancel Green Powered, it has no effect on your account with your utility and you will continue your current status as their customer. There is no termination fee for discontinuing participation, and no interest will accrue on arrearages. However, arrearages are expected to be paid in full.
Are there any penalties for not paying for Green Powered?
If you miss one payment for Green Powered and do not correct it within 30 days, your subscription will be closed out. However, you may re-activate it at anytime. No additional penalties will apply, and arrearages are expected to be paid in full. Green Energy Consumers reserves the right, after 60 days, to refer any non-payment matter to an appropriate outside agency for collection.
Additionally, Green Energy Consumers, in its sole discretion, may terminate your participation in the program.
What other fees apply?
You are not required to make any other payments as a condition for choosing to participate in or cancel this program.
Are there any other contract details that I should be aware of?
Limits on Warranty and Damages: You understand and agree that there are no warranties, either express or implied, associated with this offer or the program sold hereunder. Green Energy Consumers will bear no liability to the customer or any third party for consequential, punitive, incidental, special, or other indirect damages.
Assignment: If necessary, Green Energy Consumers may assign this agreement to another supplier offering service through your utility’s renewable energy program, should one become available. Green Energy Consumers will provide you with thirty (30) days notice of any re-assignment. Any such assignment will not materially affect the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
Entire Agreement: This Agreement, including, the Disclosure Statement included in your welcome packet and available quarterly at greenenergyconsumers.org/disclosure, constitutes the entire agreement between you and Green Energy Consumers and supersedes all prior oral or written agreements or understandings relating to the provision of Green Powered service to you by Green Energy Consumers.
Indemnification: You agree that you will be responsible for all damages or expenses that are caused by your failure to comply with this Agreement, and that you will hold harmless Green Energy Consumers and its representatives for any claims that result, either directly or indirectly, from your failure to fulfill your obligations under this Agreement. This means that you, and not Green Energy Consumers, will be responsible for paying any claims or damages that are caused by any failure of yours to comply with this Agreement.
Notices: All communications required under this Agreement will be sent to you at the billing address and/or email address you submitted during registration, unless changed by you, the customer. You can change your information at greenenergyconsumers.org/myaccount or by contacting us. All communications to Green Energy Consumers must be made to the phone number, address, or email address listed in these terms.
Dispute Resolution: Massachusetts: You agree that any disputes under this Agreement will be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To the extent that the Department of Public Utilities chooses to exercise jurisdiction, the provisions of 220 CMR 25.02(4) apply to this Agreement. For more information on 220 CMR 25.02(4), go to: http://www.mass.gov/ocabr/docs/dtc/telecom/billingandtermination/agoreply-comments91611.pdf
Rhode Island: You agree that any disputes under this Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. To the extent that the Public Utilities Commission chooses to exercise jurisdiction, the provisions of Title 39 of Rhode Island Public Law apply to this Agreement. For more information on Title 39, go to: http://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/Statutes/TITLE39/INDEX.HTM
All territories: If the state regulatory agency declines to become involved in any disputes involving this Agreement, including any billing disputes, you and Green Energy Consumers agree to first use your best efforts to resolve any dispute through informal negotiations. The period for informal negotiations will not exceed fourteen days from the time the dispute arises, unless agreed to in writing. A dispute will be considered to have arisen when you send Green Energy Consumers a written notice identifying the basis of the dispute. If the dispute cannot be resolved by informal negotiations, you agree to submit the dispute to mediation. You may choose a mediator from a list of neutral and qualified mediators provided to you by Green Energy Consumers. If you cannot agree to a listed mediator, the American Arbitration Association in Boston, Massachusetts will appoint a mediator. Once the mediator is appointed, the time of the mediation will not exceed sixty days, unless agreed to in writing. You and Green Energy Consumers will each pay your own costs of the mediation. If mediation does not resolve the dispute, you or Green Energy Consumers may file a lawsuit in any court having jurisdiction located in Suffolk County, Mass or Providence County, RI.
Thank you for supporting our mission to speed the transition to a low-carbon future!
Join us for tours of the renewable energy sources you support: www.greenenergyconsumers.org/tours
We offer several other programs that enable everyday people to make green energy choices in the most cost-effective and practical ways possible. Visit www.greenenergyconsumers.org/programs