Associated Press
Figuring out where your power comes from usually isn't as simple as looking up your utility.
- Do you know where your energy comes from? Most people don't, even though residential energy use makes up a large chunk of greenhouse gas emissions in the US.
- Energy regulation and infrastructure in the US is highly technical, which makes figuring out the mix of fuel that sends the electrons that power your home especially challenging.
- Start with your utility. If you can't find answers there, you may need to visit the websites of specialized agencies called regional transmission organizations or independent system operators that regulate the wholesale energy marketplace in your state.
- Do you have a tip or story idea about the business of energy? Contact this reporter at bjones@businessinsider.com or through the encrypted messenger app Signal at 646-768-1657.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
There are few resources more important than energy. Sure, you may die if you don't eat for days. But your phone will die if you go too long without charging it.
Energy feeds tech, the internet, city infrastructure, refrigerators, lights. You get the idea. Yet unlike our other common needs, such as food, energy sources aren't exactly front of mind for most people.
"I think a lot of people don't put a lot of bandwidth into thinking about this part of their lives," said Richard McMahon, the SVP of energy supply and finance at Edison Electric Institute, a trade group that represents investor-owned electric companies in the US.
It makes sense. For most Americans, electricity is always there, and in many locations, there's not much of a choice involved. You sign up with a utility when you move into a new residence and pay your bills when they're due.
But there's an important reality that indifference eschews: In 2018, a third of the energy-related carbon-dioxide emissions in the US came from the electric power sector, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).
A good chunk of that is from the residential sector, which consistently uses more energy than commercial customers, per EIA data.
Just as many people exercise choice when they eat, you typically also have a choice when it comes to your energy supply. That's not to say your current offering isn't what you want, or that switching will be easy or affordable, but "if you're a customer and want power with a certain attribute," McMahon said, "you can pretty much get it wherever you are."
But first, you need to know the energy mix you have right now. As it turns out, it's not so straightforward. At all.
This brief guide may help.
