Green Energy
Frequently asked questions
- What is global warming/ climate change?
- How is global warming related to electricity consumption?
- What types of renewable generation are there?
- What is government accredited GreenPower?
- What GreenPower products do we offer?
- How much extra do our GreenPower products cost?
- Why does GreenPower cost more?
- Will GreenPower actually come to my house?
- How can I be sure that Origin buys the correct amount of GreenPower?
- What is Green Gas?
- How does Green Gas work?
- Why does Green Gas cost more?
- Is Green Gas available to bulk hot water customers?
- What Green Gas projects will we source emission reductions from?
What is Global Warming?
The Earth is wrapped in an insulating blanket of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane. As the sun’s rays shine on the earth this blanket of gases traps some of the heat – which has the effect of warming the planet and keeping it at a relatively constant level. Without it the earth would either get too hot or too cold and life would not be able to survive.
In effect the Earth is like a giant greenhouse. But instead of having glass panes which trap heat, the Earth has greenhouse gases.
Global Warming is caused by too many greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere by human activity such as burning fossil fuels, land clearing and increased farming. The increased concentration of these gases is like constantly adding more glass layers to the greenhouse, ultimately raising the temperature inside. Left unchecked the Earth will overheat to a level which could seriously affect life on our planet.
How is Global Warming related to electricity consumption?
Per capita, Australia is one of the highest greenhouse gas producers in the world.
Australian households generate almost one-fifth of Australia's greenhouse gases through everyday activities such as transport and household energy use. The average household in Australia contributes to emissions of over 8 tonnes of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide each year, solely through our energy use. Most electricity comes from burning coal and other fossil fuels.
These facts draw a clear link between consumption of electricity and the increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The more fossil fuel generated electricity we use, the more we contribute to climate change.
What types of renewable generation are there?
These are some of the ways to produce renewable electricity:
Wind generation involves using the energy in wind to turn blades on windmills to produce electricity.
Solar generation involves using solar cells (photovoltaic cells) to convert the sun’s rays into electricity. Because the sun is an almost infinite energy source, solar energy is regarded as being one of the cleanest forms of energy available.
Biomass generation is electricity generated from using organic sources such as plant material or methane gas from rubbish tips.
We currently buy electricity from all these forms of renewable generation. We don’t buy any electricity generated from the burning of wood waste from the clearing of native forests.
What is government accredited GreenPower?
Government accredited Origin GreenPower is electricity that comes from a new renewable energy generation source like solar or wind. Sources must have been built after 1997 to be accredited, encouraging continuing investment in Australia’s renewable energy.
It’s all part of a Federal Government initiative to create additional investment in Australia’s renewable energy industry, such as building of new wind and solar farms and research into better forms of renewable energy.
All of our GreenPower products are accredited under the rules of the National GreenPower Accreditation Program. Only a product that has been approved under this program will ensure viable growth of Australia’s new renewable energy industry. The GreenPower tick is your assurance that what you’re getting is genuinely making a difference to our environment.
What GreenPower products do we offer?
Our range of government accredited Origin GreenPower products are all accredited by the National GreenPower Accreditation Program. That means that whatever product you choose, you can be sure that your chosen percentage of GreenPower is sourced from renewable energy.
Choose from:
20% Government accredited Origin GreenPower – not available with all energy promotions
When you choose 20% GreenPower, 20% of your total electricity consumption will be matched with electricity supplied into the grid from a renewable source, which is accredited under the rules of the National GreenPower Accreditation Program.
25% Government accredited Origin GreenPower*
When you choose 25% GreenPower, 25% of your total electricity consumption will be matched with electricity supplied into the grid from a renewable source, which is accredited under the rules of the National GreenPower Accreditation Program.
50% Government accredited Origin GreenPower*
When you choose 50% GreenPower, 50% of your total electricity consumption will be matched with electricity supplied into the grid from a renewable source, which is accredited under the rules of the National GreenPower Accreditation Program.
100% Government accredited Origin GreenPower (wind power)*
Sourced from 100% Wind Power, this product has been hailed in a recent survey of peak environmental organisations as a market leading GreenPower product. When you choose 100% GreenPower, 100% of your total electricity consumption will be matched with electricity supplied into the grid from a renewable source, which is accredited under the rules of the National GreenPower Accreditation program.
100% Government accredited Origin GreenPower (solar power)*
Sourced from 100% Solar Power, this product has been hailed in a recent survey of peak environmental organisations as a market leading GreenPower product. When you choose 100% GreenPower, 100% of your total electricity consumption will be matched with electricity supplied into the grid from a renewable source, which is accredited under the rules of the National GreenPower Accreditation Program.
* Not available with all energy promotions.
How much extra do our GreenPower products cost?
Our range of government accredited Origin GreenPower electricity and Origin Green Gas products are specially designed to offer a range of pricing options according to your budget, so it’s easy to sign up and make a real difference to our environment.
Many competitive offers are available. Please call us on 13 24 63 to discuss the best option for you.
Pricing varies according to your state, tariff type and any promotions. But you can use this table as a rough guide to how much extra the products might cost:
| Product** | Indicative Extra Cost Per Week | Estimated Extra Cost per quarterly bill inc. GST* |
| 20% GreenPower | $1.00 |
$13.00 |
| 25% GreenPower | $1.00 |
$13.00 |
| 50% GreenPower | $2.65 |
$34.38 |
| 100% GreenPower (Wind) | $5.29 |
$68.75 |
| 100% GreenPower (Solar) | $5.90 |
$76.63 |
*Estimations based on a customer consuming 5,000 kWhs of electricity per annum.
| Product | Indicative Extra Cost Per Week | Estimated Extra Cost per quarterly bill inc. GST* |
| Green Gas |
$1.00 |
$13.00 |
Why does GreenPower cost more?
GreenPower is created from electricity sourced from new renewable energy generators, such as wind and solar.
Generating power from these sources is currently more expensive than traditional generators such as a coal fired power station. There are a number of reasons why this is the case. The renewable energy industry is just emerging and does not yet enjoy the same economies of scale as the more traditional methods of generation such as coal power stations.
It’s important to remember that the cost to customers of coal powered electricity does not take into account the true cost to the environment, such as air and water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and acid rain.
Will GreenPower actually come to my house?
No. The physical power that you get to your home comes from the grid and will not change when you switch to a product with GreenPower. It will still be delivered in the same, reliable way you are used to.
When you choose products with accredited GreenPower, you’re instructing us to purchase the relevant percentage of electricity used in your home from an accredited renewable source. That electricity is then fed into the national grid.
The physical properties of electricity are pretty much the same, whether it comes from a renewable source or a regular power station. The electricity grid contains all types of electricity, all mixed together and completely indistinguishable.
But when you choose accredited renewable electricity, you’re reducing the proportion of standard coal fired electricity in the grid and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
How can I be sure that Origin buys the correct amount of GreenPower?
In order to sell products with GreenPower, we must undertake an annual audit to show that we are buying enough GreenPower to match the amount we are required to provide with products to customers.
For that audit, we must keep records of all the bills of all of our GreenPower customers and show through receipts that we have purchased the equivalent amount of GreenPower to put into the grid.
Last year KPMG audited all of our records to make sure that we had purchased enough GreenPower for our green products. If you are interested, you can view the summary of all retailers’ audited returns at the GreenPower website.
What is Green Gas?
With Origin Green Gas, you can help minimise your home’s impact on our environment. The first product of its kind in Australia, our Green Gas offsets greenhouse gas emissions from your natural gas or LP Gas consumption.
When you choose our Green Gas or Green LP Gas, we contribute to valuable emission reduction programs to offset greenhouse gas emissions created by your natural gas or LP Gas consumption. These programs, that we undertake or purchase carbon credits from, include energy efficiency, composting and tree planting.
How does Green gas work?
When you choose Green gas or Green LP Gas, Origin contributes to valuable
emission reduction programs to offset greenhouse gas
emissions created by your natural gas or LP Gas consumption. The emission
reduction programs that we undertake or purchase carbon credits from include
energy efficiency, renewable energy and tree planting.
Why
does Origin Green Gas cost more?
By purchasing Green Gas you are instructing us to contribute to programs that reduce greenhouse emissions elsewhere. This has the effect of balancing out the emissions from your gas consumption.
When you choose our Green Gas or Green LP Gas, we contribute to valuable emission reduction programs to offset greenhouse gas emissions created by your natural gas or LP Gas consumption. These programs, that we undertake or purchase carbon credits from, include energy efficiency, composting and tree planting.