Natural Gas

When our electric stove began to die a couple months ago, we were really torn about how to replace it.  We went back and forth – mostly because of the concerns over ‘fracking’ for natural gas.  If you don’t know about hydraulic fracturing, give it a google search.

Here’s a brief overview of what I understand about its controversy at the moment.  There have been some very destructive mistakes made while ‘fracking’ for natural gas.  But supposedly, it can be done safely.  Sort of like drilling for oil.  It can run smoothly much of the time, but when accidents happen, or when it is done poorly from the get go, the result is a really bad situation.  And, of course, it’s not a renewable energy source, and therefore not a long-term sustainable solution.  But it is cleaner than oil or coal, and it’s a domestic source of energy and abundant at the moment, but…  On we go, back and forth.  Ugh.

We have natural gas in our home already (heating, hot water, etc), but of course have no real control over where that gas is coming from or how it is extracted from the earth.  We had signed up with an alternate gas supplier a couple years ago, but they had no expressed concerns for responsible drilling and even their promise of money savings did not pan out (that story here).

But now comes a little glimmer of hope with regard to responsible natural gas choices…

We had signed up with Viridian as electric customers a year ago because of their greener energy content label, which was 3x greener than our utility company for roughly the same price.  In fact, over this past year, our electricity service from Viridian has only cost us, averaged out, about $0.50 more per month than what we were paying the utility anyway.  50 cents a month for 3x more renewable energy?!  I’m good with that.  Love it.

And now Viridian is offering natural gas service, with a strong commitment to be a voice for sustainability and stewardship in the area of safe and responsible drilling and extraction.  While there is no really great natural gas solution right now, going with Viridian is the best possible option for our family at the moment.  We appreciate knowing that they are committed to the same sort of values we are, and are working toward similar goals.

From Viridian’s pamphlet on natural gas:  “Every form of energy generation has some degree of undesirable environmental impact. Although natural gas is a cleaner-burning resource, that’s not the whole picture. The negative environmental, and social impacts related to production and extraction methods for drilling and hydraulic fracturing must be considered for natural gas to play a credible role in the future of our energy mix. Unfortunately, legislation and environmental protection guidelines have not kept up with recent technological advances and new methods of extraction. As a supplier or customer hoping to support a responsible and credible solution, today’s options are limited. Without clear research to define what is and what is not harmful, without innovation to perfect an extraction process, without transparency and regulation that makes sense for all stakeholders, the future of natural gas is unclear. Viridian is committed to taking an industry lead in driving demand, education and solution-focused discussion to increase transparency and responsibility in natural gas production.” 

For Viridian’s full, 3-page pamphlet on their position, mission, and vision for natural gas, click here.

We’ve been very happy with Viridian for our electric service, and we are switching to them for our natural gas service as well – to add to the collective voice “driving demand for responsible solutions.”

Will you join our family in adding to that collective voice as an electric, natural gas, or ‘combo’ customer with Viridian?  If so, would you please consider enrolling by phone instead of online and giving them my referring ID#?  Just grab your utility bill and give them a call at 866-663-2508 to enroll or ask additional questions.  My referring ID# is 11636.  Disclosure – As I mentioned in my post a year ago about their electric service, I am not actively growing a business with Viridian, but yes, I will get a small commission for referring you.  Thanks! 

Here are the rate sheets for New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.  Some nice savings there, too, on top of the sustainability commitments.  Always a plus!  🙂