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The world is going green and most people are at the forefront of adjusting their lifestyle in terms of clothing, diet, housing and most importantly, energy.
For a long time, accessing renewable energy has been associated with the rich who don’t feel the pinch of parting with thousands of dollars on rooftop solar costs and smart thermostats.
With the emergence of Arcadia Power, all that is set to change. Arcadia helps reduce your carbon print and the need to save on your utility bills. The mere concept of sourcing fifty percent of your home’s electricity from wind power at no extra cost is enough to capture anyone’s attention.
Additionally, there will be no need for you to switch your electricity company to reap all the attractive benefits.
With such an enticing offer, does Arcadia Power have any ulterior motives? Can it help you save something extra at the end of the month? Are you able to get cleaner, more affordable energy than what you heftily pay for today?
These are questions most people have, and you’re probably wondering the same as you read this. To learn more about this seemingly good renewable energy company, head over to their site and create a free account in support of renewable energy sources.
Before you do that, it would be wise to find out what it’s all about – how it works, its pros and cons, how you and other energy-saving enthusiasts can benefit, and so on.
This in-depth Arcadia Power review will answer most, if not all your questions revolving around its mode of operation.
Table of Contents
What is Arcadia Power?
Arcadia Power is a Green-e certified company on a mission to offer the majority of homeowners clean, renewable wind energy at reasonable costs.
When you sign up for a free account and become a member, you won’t have to purchase RECs any longer; Arcadia Power will do it on your behalf.
That means that approximately fifty percent of your power will be attributed to renewable sources of energy.
No need to fear – there’s nothing more you’ll have to do from there. Creating an Arcadia Power account doesn’t mean you have to change your electricity company; not at all.
If anything, Arcadia Power operates on top of your specific electricity provider. Whatever company that takes care of your electric needs will continue to do so with no interruptions whatsoever.
Arcadia Power is registered with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Community Solar Partnership for the sole purpose of expanding the opportunities of solar energy all across the United States.
This program benefits both renters and homeowners alike. Multi-homeowners can still use it in all their homes.
Currently, Arcadia operates in the U.S. alone. It’s not clear whether they intend on expanding their territories to the global market or not.
Where Do We Get Our Electricity?
For a deeper understanding of how Arcadia Power works, it’s worth knowing how electricity works in the U.S. The U.S. relies on the following energy sources for its electricity:
- Coal
- Wind
- Solar
- Natural gas
- Nuclear
The moment electricity gets generated, it gets directed to the national power grid. Power from the power grid will then get to our homes via a complex nexus of electric cables.
In essence, once electricity is generated and enters the power grid, it becomes a collective source of power.
There’s no way to differentiate the various forms of electricity. To put it practically, when you throw a clear cup into a huge mass of clear water, it may be hard to pinpoint its exact location.
Unless you decide to generate your own electricity using solar panels for example, only then can you say or know where you get your electricity. Here’s where RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates) come into play.
What is REC?
A Renewable Energy Certificate is formed each time a single megawatt-hour of sustainable energy is generated.
The sole purpose of RECs is to emphasize that the power you receive in your home indeed comes from a renewable source of energy.
That’s why when you buy electricity from any renewable energy sources, you have to buy the power that it generates as well as the REC that comes along with its generation. When renewable energy sources are established and incorporated into the power grid, RECs follow suit.
Each time the renewable energy that reaches the grid hits 1-megawatt hour of energy, a REC is issued. The REC will act as proof that the hour of sustainable energy was created.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a short primer that you can get all the information you need about RECs.
However useful they may be, RECs aren’t all that perfect. Consumers have faulted the legitimacy of RECs and their role in proving that the electricity they receive comes from renewable sources of power.
Consumers are majorly concerned with the fact that they’re too cheap to convince companies to establish projects centered around renewable energy sources.
Supporters of RECs, on the other hand, reason out that there are no alternative systems that are able to work based on how we receive electricity from the power grid.
The debate revolving around RECs is too wide for this post to cover. The main thing you should consider, however, is without RECs, there are zero possibilities of getting renewable energy.
How Does Arcadia Power Make Clean Energy Within Reach?
Approximately 13 percent of the collective energy that gets into the grid comes directly from renewable sources. Arcadia Power’s main goal is to increase the energy that goes into the grid by a significant percentage.
Unlike basic fossil fuel electricity, Arcadia Power buys its own energy from eco-friendly sources like wind farms. When purchasing that energy, Arcadia Power receives Renewable Energy Credits which they sell to its consumers.
So, how does it make clean energy accessible to you? Truth is, it doesn’t. Arcadia Power is not in the business of getting clean energy to its consumers.
If you were relying on a specific power source for your electricity before signing up to Arcadia Power, you’d still be dependent on it.
RECs play a major role in increasing the demand for clean energy sources. They also put extra clean energy into the power grid.
If you, as a consumer, have any concerns about the 13 percent of collective energy being relatively low, join Arcadia Power as they seek to increase renewable energy in the grid.
Arcadia Power also seeks to give you a solution for clean energy in your home without having to put up solar panels on your roof or other drastic measures.
Which Membership Options are Offered by Arcadia Power?
Right after you’ve set up your Arcadia Power account, you have the option of choosing between any of these three plans:
- The free plan is just as its name suggests – totally free. For zero dollars, you can enjoy having fifty percent of your power being attributed to limited renewable energy sources.
- The premium plan will require you to part with a few dollars (about $5 – $10) per month. By signing up for the premium plan, a hundred percent of your home energy will be attributable to sustainable wind power.
- The evergreen plan works similarly to the premium plan. How much you have to pay, however, depends on the total kWh you consume on a monthly basis. You will receive a monthly statement for the clean energy charges and nothing more.
Right after you’ve completed your registration, you don’t have to worry about pending contracts or anything of the sort.
Once you sign up for the ‘freemium’ plan, fifty percent of your energy will come from advanced wind energy sources. You’ll receive quality services with no strings attached. If you pay $7 every month, you’ll continue to pay $7.
When you pick any of the three options, you’ll be redirected to link your credit card. What you’ll basically be doing is linking your Arcadia Power account with your electric utility account. Arcadia Power offers two options of payment: bank withdrawal or by credit card.
To get reward points, it’s highly recommended that you go with the second option. There are no extra charges for paying with your credit card. Once you’re done with the linking process, you may want to educate yourself on the billing process.
How Expensive is Arcadia Power?
It’s not really easy to determine how expensive or how affordable Arcadia Power really is. The free plan doesn’t change in terms of pricing, while the premium requires you to pay approximately 1.5 cents per kWh.
Your renewable energy may be a tad more expensive. If you’d rather not purchase a set of solar panels and go through the hectic process of setting it up, Arcadia Power is your best bet at enjoying renewable energy.
How Does Arcadia Power’s Billing Process Work?
It’s pretty simple. Each time you receive your bill from your current electricity provider, Arcadia Power will acquire a copy of your bill from them.
They will then charge your bank account or credit card, then cater for the stated electricity bill on your behalf.
Arcadia Power’s new ‘autopay’ feature may be particularly useful to you if you make late payments for one reason or another.
When you received your most recent electricity bill, you have to ensure that you haven’t been overcharged without your knowledge.
Most of the time, the bill paid by Arcadia Power will be exactly similar to the one from your electricity provider.
Basically what happens is that Arcadia Power will receive your autopay, rather than your usual electric company.
The best part about it is that you can rest easy knowing that you’re supporting what this planet needs the most – renewable energy.
How Does Arcadia Power’s Dashboard Compare to Other Utility Companies?
Beyond the positive environmental benefits, Arcadia Power has a dashboard that gives users a reason to create a free account.
It features an easy-to-navigate online dashboard that most utility companies may never adopt. Arcadia Power’s official website gives you a glimpse of what to expect in your dashboard if you do decide to sign up.
The dashboard offers a ton of information on a single page that makes it easier for you, the user, to retrieve whatever data you want in little time. Keep in mind, however, you can still head over to your electricity company’s dashboard.
Having access to your Arcadia Power dashboard doesn’t mean that you’ve lost access to your original one. Creating an Arcadia Power account only rewards you with an extra dashboard.
It features a lot more comprehensive and useful information, including an energy usage chart and an impressive section where you can monitor the percentage of power from various energy sources.
More often than not, you’ll notice that approximately half of your energy sources are attributable to renewable energy sources.
It’s not clear how Arcadia Power gathers this kind of crucial information; they most likely base their results on the averages or something.
What should concern you the most is that a huge portion of your energy comes from renewable sources. How can you be certain of this?
After a couple of months of joining Arcadia Power, you may be awarded an REC stating the total kWh consumption of your previous month’s electricity was sourced from renewable energy sources.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to pay for anything to enjoy all these benefits. If you sign up for an Arcadia Power account today, you can enjoy 50 percent of your energy coming from renewable energy sources.
How Does Arcadia Power Benefit from Free Sign-Ups?
Like most companies, Arcadia Power operates under a ‘freemium’ type of business model. This kind isn’t recognized in the utility industry, but rather in the software field.
While you may opt for the free plan, Arcadia Power’s main agenda is to get you to sign up for the premium plan, which offers 100 percent renewable wind energy. For each premium account, Arcadia Power is assured of getting paid every month.
However, that’s not the only way they make money. The following are some of the additional ways Arcadia benefits from your membership:
- When they find you better providers using Price Alerts, they take a small percentage of the savings.
- Each time they link you to any solar community project, they receive a certain commission.
- The renewal energy credits also earn them a commission.
- Partnerships with companies like Nest Thermostat are valuable as they receive their share from product sales.
Arcadia Power Pros and Cons
Like all services, Arcadia Power has its upsides and its downsides. As you’ll see below, there are several perks to being an Arcadia Power member compared to its disadvantages:
Pros
Arcadia Power can help you settle for a slightly lower energy rate
Most people are not aware of the fact that they can search around for more preferable energy rates – just as they would with insurance.
For people who support clean energy while being able to view their cost-effective options, this feature can be beneficial. However, this is only possible if it has a presence in a state with Price Alerts.
It increases the need for renewable energy
Many people are willing to go the greener way in terms of energy, but they’re just not sure how to go about it. Arcadia Power provides a straight-forward approach to receive renewable energy without taking up much of your time. The sign-up process is pretty fast.
It’s affordable
Unlike solar panels, Arcadia Power’s renewable wind energy reduces your carbon footprint at reasonable to no costs. Also, not everyone would prefer having huge solar panels take up most of their yard space.
Compared to my local utility company’s dashboard, Arcadia Power offers a more advanced dashboard complete with stats and info that’s relevant to the user. The tools provided on the dashboard will appeal to individuals with a knack for cutting-edge tools.
Helps you save on credit card fees
A huge number of utility companies charge their fees to credit card customers. If you look to the credit card for convenient payment, that may turn out to be a complete turn-off.
With Arcadia Power, you can get your cash back each month if you have a functional credit card or you’re simply trying to get a bonus. If you opt for that plan, you can easily offset the bonus 1.5 cents per kWh
Offers a helpful no-cost plan
The free plan allows you to enjoy 50 percent of renewable energy resources at zero cost. That gives you the unique chance to make a noticeable difference in your energy consumption without having to pay hefty fees for every kWh you consume.
You can cancel at any time at no cost
Signing up for an Arcadia Power membership doesn’t mean that you’re bound to the company for the rest of your life. Once you decide to cancel your account, you won’t have to pay any fees to have it terminated permanently.
Cons
Your location may interfere with your plans
Based on your current location, you may not qualify for a plan of your choice.
There will be a slight increase in your base rate per kWh. That may be a problem to you if you look at it in the dollars and cents perspective, rather than how much good you’re doing for your planet.
Limited payment options
For now, Arcadia Power only offers auto-pay options. If you’re having problems paying your bill on time, your auto payment can be delayed for a maximum of three days. You may have to go through extra processes to achieve this.
Most people will sign up for the free plan without batting an eye, considering there’s no payment involved. Arcadia Power will use certain strategies to get you to go for the premium plan.
Is Arcadia Power a Scam or is it Legit?
Arcadia Power is in no way a fly-by-night scam company that takes advantage of your need for renewable energy.
TrustPilot has rated it with an impressive 9.1 rating, and it boasts of over 175,000 members. If you’re looking for low-cost renewable energy, Arcadia Power should be your number one resource.
Is That Reason Enough to Make the Switch?
Honestly, only you can have a say in this. Depending on whether it has the potential to meet your needs and goes in line with your values, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to become an Arcadia Power member.
If you’re looking for a reason to become a member of Arcadia Power, focus on its benefits and what it stands for.
When you have a free or premium account, you can connect to renewable energy (wind and solar power) at affordable and fixed prices.
Joining Arcadia Power gives you not only the opportunity to save money but also the chance to promote clean energy.
The sign-up process is fairly simple; no need for going through the stress of installing equipment, binding contracts or filling out complex paperwork.
At the simple click of a button, you can support clean energy as you tap into significant energy market savings.
All that will be required from you is your local utility credentials (Arcadia Power has its reach in all 50 states in the U.S.), along with your preferred mode of payment.
Bottom Line
Now more than ever, we need to save the planet at all costs. This explains why renewable energy is becoming more widespread and more people have access to it.
Unfortunately, a vast majority consider it expensive and time-consuming. Thanks to Arcadia Power, there’s now a more natural way for hardcore environmentalists to help the environment.
When dealing with electricity, you can choose to either save money on your power bill or switch to a more eco-friendly and cost-effective energy source.
With these and more environmental benefits, there’s no possible reason why you would opt to continue relying on fossil fuels.
Arcadia Power’s availability in over 450 utilities across all 50 states in the U.S. ensures that most homeowners have access to cost-effective renewable energy.
No need to worry about additional equipment e.g solar panels, wind turbines to utilize affordable energy. Take the step towards reducing your carbon footprint today and enjoy a free subscription to Arcadia Power.
