Community & Environment > Clean & Renewable Energy > Evergreen Options Program

Evergreen Options Program

Making your home or business as energy-efficient as possible helps you save money while protecting our environment. If sustainability and energy efficiency are important to you, you can make a difference with our Evergreen Options program. This program allows you to:

Offset the overall carbon footprint of your home or business beyond your electricity use.
Invest in renewable energy generation in our region.
Support renewable energy grant funds for local schools, nonprofits and government agencies.

Since most of our electricity comes from hydropower, it is clean, renewable and already 97% carbon free. Evergreen Options allows you to offset your carbon footprint beyond your electricity use, such as driving a car or using natural gas to heat your home, by investing in the regional and local development of new renewable energy sources.

One of the country’s largest wind projects is across the Cascades, in Kennewick, Washington. Operated by Energy Northwest, Nine Canyon Wind Project has 63 turbines collecting radical amounts of unharnessed wind. Members of Evergreen Options contribute to renewable energy projects in our state, like Nine Canyon, by donating as little as $3 per month. These are real projects that are making a difference in keeping the entire country clean.

How does the program work?

Our Evergreen Options program is completely voluntary and you do not need to sign a contract to participate. You simply need to sign up. The charges for the program are then added to your existing bill. You have two payment options under the plan: a percent of use and a fixed monthly charge.

With the percent of use option, you choose any percent between one and 100 of your monthly home or business electric use and pay an additional 1.2 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) over your normal electricity cost. Since your electric use varies each month, your Evergreen Options cost will vary with every bill as well. If you receive your utility bill every two months, you will see the Evergreen Options amount you chose calculated on your electric use over both months.

With the fixed monthly charge option, you purchase as many 250 kWh blocks of electricity for your home or business as you want. Each block is then priced at $3 above your normal monthly electricity cost per month. For example, if you buy one block, you pay $3 per month; if you buy two blocks, you pay $6 per month, and so on. This lets you support renewable energy while paying a predictable fixed amount each month.

How do I sign up for the Evergreen Options Program?

You can enroll your home or business online or by contacting us at (253) 502-8600 or evergreen@cityoftacoma.org.

If you have further questions, please contact us at evergreen@cityoftacoma.org.

What are the benefits of participating in the program?

The program allows you to:

Offset the overall carbon footprint of your home or business beyond your electricity use.
Invest in renewable energy generation in our region.
Vote on local renewable energy grant applications for nonprofits.
Receive newsletter updates about our renewable energy activities.
Display your commitment to renewable energy with one of our window clings.

What is a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC)?

Will renewable energy be delivered directly to my home or business when I enroll in the program?

In most cases, yes. Though it is possible that electricity from other sources may reach your home or business along with this renewable energy. However, by enrolling in the Evergreen Options program and using RECs, you are directly supporting the development of new regional renewable energy available to the entire system.

Why should I pay extra for renewable energy when Tacoma Power’s electricity is already mostly carbon-free? What difference will it make?

It is true that most of our electricity comes from renewable hydropower that is 97% carbon free, but your participation in our program can offset the small amount of your electricity use that still comes from fossil fuels. It can also help offset your overall carbon footprint beyond your electricity use. For example, emissions from your car or the natural gas used to heat your home or business.

How is my contribution used?

Your contribution is used to purchase RECs, fund our local renewable energy grant program for nonprofits and cover the minimal communications costs of the program.

I signed up for a similar program with another company. Why can’t I access my TPU bill anymore?

Some third-party programs take over your utility bill, payment and online account for you and then charge you a processing fee in addition to your regular bill. These third-party providers may also replace your utility bill with an invoice of their own that will not show you the same level of detail as a TPU bill.

Is paperless billing required to participate in the Evergreen Options program?

No, you can still receive a paper bill if you prefer.

Is there a fee for participating in this program?

No, all the program costs go directly to the purchase of RECs, funding for our local renewable energy grant program for nonprofits and our minimal communications costs.

Who can apply for renewable energy grants?

Registered 501(c)(3)s, nonprofit academic institutions, government agencies and public agencies can apply. However, applicants must be an Evergreen Options participant to apply. Lean more and apply online here.