Green Electricity Watch makes it easy to make the switch

The latest independent review of GreenPower products — Green Electricity Watch 2007 — has revealed the country's top green energy providers. The ranking system helps consumers to make more informed choices when buying government accredited GreenPower.

Commissioned by WWF-Australia, the Total Environment Centre and the Australian Conservation Foundation, Green Electricity Watch provides an independent ranking of GreenPower electricity products offered by Australian electricity retailers, helping consumers to choose a product that will help reduce Australia's greenhouse emissions.

"Over 500,000 Australians now have GreenPower, as more and more people realise that switching to accredited GreenPower for home electricity is the best and easiest way to cut household greenhouse emissions," said Phil Freeman, climate campaigner for the Australian Conservation Foundation.

"There are big differences between the GreenPower products and how much they help fight climate change. Green Electricity Watch takes the confusion away by ranking products on their capacity to reduce greenhouse emissions, so that people can make an informed decision based on their needs and budget," said Jeff Angel, director of the Total Environment Centre.

For the first time, this year's Green Electricity Watch shows the value for money of each product.

"Providing a cost analysis helps people choose products that not only benefit the environment, but are good value for money too. It demonstrates clearly that switching to GreenPower is an affordable way of making a difference," said WWF-Australia's climate change policy manager, Nicole Ikenberg.

GreenPower is government-accredited, clean, renewable energy sourced from the wind, water, waste and the sun. While many GreenPower products include only a small percentage of accredited GreenPower, it is the accredited portion that makes the difference to our environment.

Electricity consumption is the biggest single cause of Australia's greenhouse pollution, with 90% sourced from dirty fossil fuels such as coal. Buying electricity with the highest GEW ranking helps cut greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and boosting the demand for clean, safe, renewable energy such as wind and solar.

For further information, visit www.greenelectricitywatch.org.au.