PRINCETON, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NRG, one of the nation’s leading competitive energy suppliers, now offers consumers across the country a convenient way to green-up their lifestyle through monthly and annual carbon offset subscriptions.
Customers choose carbon offsets to balance out carbon generated by their daily activities, such as driving or using electricity in their home. Each carbon offset purchased represents the elimination of one metric ton of greenhouse gas emissions.
By offering carbon offsets via its new website, picknrgoffsets.com, NRG is making it easy for customers to help reduce the impact of climate change. Customers can choose a trusted solution that fits their lifestyle because all contain third-party verified carbon offsets.
“As a company that believes people deserve to choose who they buy their energy from, providing our customers with offerings that help them live more sustainably is important,” said NRG Retail East Vice President and General Manager Mike Starck. ”By offering carbon offsets, NRG allows consumers to take control of their energy footprint, improving the environment for everyone.”
The company started its carbon offsets program in recognition that consumers want to do their part to reduce the environmental impact of their day-to-day activities. NRG has created five categories based on annualized average consumption data of American consumers by the World Bank and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) for emissions connected with various activities.
NRG Offsets monthly subscriptions include:
1. Driving Offsets: Drive your car guilt-free! By subscribing to this package, you can offset up to 950 miles of driving. For every month you are enrolled in this plan, NRG will retire enough carbon offsets to cover the emissions from driving your car, up to 950 miles annually.
2. Air Travel Offsets: This plan takes into consideration the emissions per passenger per mile of air travel. You can choose between three categories- domestic travel, close international (places like South America and the Caribbean) and long international (places like Asia and Africa).
3. Offset your Electricity Use: As we spend more time at home, it is hard to ignore the impact our electricity use has on the environment. This plan takes the guesswork out of your electricity carbon footprint so that you can enjoy being at home. For every month you are enrolled, NRG will retire enough carbon offsets to cover the emissions from your household electricity up to approximately 900 kwh per month.
4. Offset your Gas Usage: Average monthly gas consumption for an American household is 5,500 cubic feet of natural gas (based on EPA data). For every month you are enrolled in this plan, NRG will retire enough carbon offsets to cover the emissions from your household gas use up to 5,500 cubic feet of natural gas per month.
5. Offset by Quantity: Daily activities such as driving, electricity use, and heating your home all have an impact of the environment. Choose to offset between 0.5-2 metric tons per month based on your monthly habits (or activities).
For customers who want to purchase a specific number of carbon offsets, NRG provides a custom option, where customers can select the quantity of metric tons of CO2 that they want to offset at any point in time. This option works well for individuals and companies aiming to be carbon-neutral and using offsets to help provide the “net” in their personal or corporate net-zero emissions goals. While most of the options are subscriptions, we work with customers who prefer one-time approaches to manage their carbon footprint as well.
NRG sources carbon offsets using industry-leading, third-party certification standards, such as the Verified Carbon Standard and Climate Action Reserve. Using these trusted platforms, NRG purchases offsets from registered projects that capture or destroy greenhouse gases that otherwise would have been emitted, such as methane gas capture projects at landfills, destruction of ozone-depleting substances, or other projects that include reforestation or renewable energy.
ABOUT NRG
At NRG, we’re bringing the power of energy to people and organizations, putting customers at the center of everything we do. We generate electricity and provide energy solutions and natural gas to more than 3.7 million residential, small business, and commercial and industrial customers through our diverse portfolio of retail brands. A Fortune 500 company, operating in the United States and Canada, NRG delivers innovative solutions while advocating for competitive energy markets and customer choice, and by working towards a sustainable energy future. More information is available at www.nrg.com. Connect with NRG on Facebook, LinkedIn and follow us on Twitter @nrgenergy, @nrginsight.