Energy Service Companies:

The electricity produced by renewable generators is generally sold into the wholesale electricity market, and becomes part of the energy mix purchased by utilities and electric suppliers on behalf of their customers. Independent electric suppliers, also called Energy Service Companies (ESCOs), are listed on our web site under “Energy Choice,” and some of these may offer renewable energy options. Contact these companies directly to learn of their current programs and offerings. Central Hudson will still deliver the energy you purchase from these companies.

Renewable Energy Certificates:

RECs represent the environmental benefits of electricity produced through renewable resources, and are sold to residential customers, businesses, institutions and municipalities by independent companies to encourage the development of renewable energy. REC purchases provide a way for you to support renewable energy, as they help fund, for example, ongoing operating costs of existing facilities or the construction of new renewable power plants. They also help developers obtain financing for new renewable energy facilities. Please note that when you purchase RECs, your electric supply is still purchased on the wholesale market by your utility, Central Hudson (or by an independent supplier of your choice), and your utility bill does not change. You will likely receive a separate bill for the RECs from the independent provider. Purchasing RECs does not alter the content of the energy provided to your home or business, nor does it mean that additional renewable energy is being generated to match your specific needs, only that you are supporting its future development. Several municipalities, organizations, and individuals in the Hudson Valley already purchase RECs in order to support renewable energy in our state and nation.  Independent companies offering RECs include Community Energy, Sterling Planet and others listed on the NYS Public Service Commission’s web site, and many sell them nationally. To view this list, and to learn more about renewable energy options, visit www.AskPSC.com, or see the links, below.

*As a result of deregulation, Central Hudson is an energy delivery company only, and we no longer own electric generating facilities (other than our small, local hydroelectric stations, which use renewable energy to provide less than two percent of our customers’ total electric energy needs). Our former power plants were sold to independent companies that, together with other generators throughout New York (including those using renewable resources), now sell their energy into the wholesale market. It is through this market that Central Hudson purchases electricity on behalf of its customers. The wholesale market assigns energy to utilities based on the total demand of all customers, their geographic location, and the current operating status of all available power plants and transmission lines, etc.; it does not identify the fuel source of electricity purchased until some months afterwards. The electricity supplied by this market is a mix produced by all types of generators operating in the region.  

It is important to note that as electricity produced from renewable energy plants is often variable and dispersed, continued investment in electric transmission and generation facilities statewide is needed to meet the growth in energy demands and to ensure reliable and continuous service.