TL;DR: For many people, being environmentally conscious with their energy consumption is a big priority. And, if you can be energy conscious and pay the same amount for your power bills at the same time, why wouldn’t you?
Arcadia Power is a power company that gives people the option to use clean, renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power. Arcadia claims that it can help you replace traditional power sources, while also having a positive environmental impact.
FREE TO JOIN
It does not cost a single cent to sign up for the free plan and start investing in renewable energy technologies.
INVEST IN RENEWABLE ENERGIES
The main draw of Arcadia Power is that it gives regular people the ability to invest in renewable energies without having to install expensive solar panels or wind turbines in their home grid.
DISCOUNTS
Arcadia will also help you find discounts on smart, energy-saving technologies for your home.
Arcadia Power: Overview
Arcadia Power is a company that specializes in fossil-fuel alternative energy sources such as wind and solar power. Arcadia stands apart from other energy companies by offering clean, renewable energy without the exorbitant installation costs.
First, though, we should clear up a few misconceptions about what it is, exactly, that Arcadia Power does. Many people think that Arcadia Power is itself an energy provider. This is not true. Arcadia Power is not a service that replaces your electricity with renewable sources.
Instead, Arcadia Power gives you an opportunity to increase the overall demand for renewable energy services through what they call “Renewable Energy Credits.”
To understand what Arcadia Power does, you first need to understand a little bit about how electricity is provided in the US.
How Does Electricity in the US Work?
IN the US, electricity is produced through a lot of different sources; i.e. coal, gas, wind, hydroelectric, and more. When this electricity is created, it gets channeled into individual homes through the nation’s various power grids.
Electricity is electricity, and once it gets funneled into the energy grid, there is no real way to differentiate electricity based on its source. It’s kind of like how water is the same no matter how it gets pumped into your home.
That is where Arcadia’s renewable energy credits (RECs) come into play. Every time a specific amount of electricity is created (usually one megawatt-hour), an accompanying REC is created. These RECs can then be sold.
RECs are a way to show that the electricity in your house is coming from a renewable energy source. In other words, RECs are basically a way to subsidize the creation of electricity from renewable energy sources.
How Does Arcadia Power Work?
So now we can talk a bit about how Arcadia Power works. When you become an Arcadia customer, the company will purchase RECs for you. Arcadia will buy RECs so that 50% of your energy can be attributed to renewable energy sources.
So here is what that means for you. Your energy provider does not change. You will still be using the same electricity company and you won’t have any renewable energy generators on your property, like solar panels and wind turbines.
Instead, Arcadia Power works through your existing energy company to buy RECs from them. Arcadia Power is basically an energy broker that identifies energy providers to buy their RECs. Through buying RECs from your power company, Arcadia lets you effectively cancel out your carbon footprint by investing in more renewable energy resources, which increases their overall demand.
All of this is to say that Arcadia Power gives ordinary consumers the means to support renewable energy efforts without themselves having to buy expensive solar panels or wind turbines and install them on their property. By buying RECs, Arcadia Power can increase the demand for renewable energy sources.
What Else Does Arcadia Power Do?
In addition to its REC buying program, Arcadia gives its customers ways to buy into local and national renewable energy programs. You can buy into panels or turbines on a farm and the monthly credit you pay can be used to offset your overall electricity cost.
Keep in mind that this does not mean that you will be directly consuming renewable energy sources. It is a way to subsidize and incentivize the production of renewable energy. The specific amount that you pay depends on a variety of factors, but the average panel has about a $100 upfront cost for about $1 a month in savings.
How Much Does Arcadia Power Cost?
Arcadia Power currently has two pricing tiers:
- Free – the free plan costs you 0 collars and will ensure that at least 50% of your energy will be attributable to renewable energy sources.
- Premium – The premium plan ensures that 100% of your energy can be attributed to renewable energy sources and costs an extra $5-$10 per month, depending on your energy consumption. \
We should clear up some more misconceptions here because many people do not seem to understand. Arcadia Power will not lower your electricity bill. After all, your power is still coming from the same provider. Many people have given negative reviews of the service because they fundamentally misunderstand what it is that Arcadia Power does.
In fact, you might actually see your power bill increase slightly each month once you sign up. That might sound like a bad thing, but remember, the entire reason you would be doing it is to promote and incentivize the creation of more renewable energy sources.
If you sign up for the free plan, you should not see any major changes to your electricity bill. For example, I’m signed up for the free plan right now and so far my electricity bill has hovered around the same price it normally does.
How Do I Make an Account With Arcadia Power?
When you pick your plan (either the free or premium one), you will be prompted to create an account and directly link your current electricity provider. You will then be asked to put in payment information for your electricity bill. Remember, you are still paying your regular energy company; it is just now going through Arcadia so they can buy the accompanying RECs. You can link a credit card or a regular bank account.
You can also think of signing up for Arcadia power like setting up an autopay service for your electricity bill. Like I said earlier, my electricity bill is still the same when signed up for the free plan.
Can Arcadia Power Help Lower Your Monthly Electric Bill?
Although the regular service will not, there are actually two ways that Arcadia Power can help lower your monthly bills.
First off, Arcadia Power will keep track of rates and give you pricing alerts for the various energy companies that serve your area. So that means that Arcadia can help you find a cheaper energy provider, even if they themselves are not lowering your energy bills.
Second, Arcadia Power will give small discounts on select energy-efficient technologies, such as smart thermostats and the like. While these technologies often have an upfront cost, they can reduce your energy bill and save you money in the long term.
To reiterate, Arcadia Power itself won’t replace your energy or lower your power bill but offers a couple of ways that you can take to reduce your monthly electricity bills.
Arcadia Power Pros & Cons
Pros
- Free to join. It does not cost a single cent to sign up for the free plan and start investing in renewable energy technologies. It also takes about 5 minutes to set things up so you can be up and running with Arcadia Power quickly.
- Invest in renewable energies. The main draw of Arcadia Power is that it gives regular people the ability to invest in renewable energies without having to install expensive solar panels or wind turbines in their home grid.
- Discounts for certain tech. Arcadia will also help you find discounts on smart, energy-saving technologies for your home.
Cons
- Not an energy provider. Arcadia Power will not directly supply your home with renewable energy. To be fair to critics, a lot of their promotional materials make it sound like that is what they do.
- Location dictates service. You can’t get Arcadia Power everywhere, so if you live in a rural region, you may be out of luck.
- You have to do autopay. Since your electricity bill will be sent through Arcadia Power, you have to set up autopay for your account. That is not a big deal but can be annoying if you like to manually pay your utility bills.
Final Verdict
Whether you should sign up for Arcadia Power depends on a few things. If you are interested in renewable energy and want to reduce your carbon footprint, then Arcadia Power can be a good way to invest in renewable energy technologies. You will also have to have enough money to afford autopayments each billing cycle.
Many customers complain that their energy bills increased after signing up even though their energy consumption decreases. This is likely because they have the premium plan which requires you to pay for renewable energy that is not directly consumed by your home.
Overall though, if you stick to the free plan, you should not see your monthly power bill change. As such, we would recommend Arcadia Power to anyone that wants to lower their carbon footprint and contribute to renewable energy adoption around the world.
