Most people get the electricity for their home—or their business—from their local utility company. They pay the going rate, and they use what they need. They may take steps to reduce their energy use, like implementing some of the techniques I covered in Chapter 1, “Home.” But people typically don’t even know they have a choice when it comes to how their electricity is produced and by whom. Well, I’m here to tell you: You do have a choice. Actually, you have a lot of choices. You can produce your own electricity, as I do using solar panels and a wind turbine mounted on the roof of my home. You can even sell some of the excess electricity you produce back to your local utility company. But what if you don’t own your home? What if you’re on a tight budget? Or what if you live in a restrictive community that has rules against things like solar panels on your roof? Well, there are other options. For instance, you can still buy electricity from your local utility company, but you can choose to participate in a green power program.
