I began utilizing Arcadia Energy over a 12 months in the past, and wished to share my Arcadia evaluate on the way it’s figuring out – if I’ve been saving cash, if I’m actually making an impression on the setting, and if it’s price signing up for his or her companies.
When you’ve been studying this weblog for some time, by now it is best to know that I’m all about saving cash. I like the sensation that I get after I discover out that I scored some main financial savings on one thing.
However, have you learnt what else I like saving? My carbon footprint. So, after I found Arcadia Energy, an power dealer that has the mission of constructing renewable wind power accessible to everybody, I used to be stoked. And, since I at present use Arcadia, I believed I’d dedicate this put up to an Arcadia Energy evaluate in addition to look into some Arcadia critiques from a few of their different prospects.
What Is Arcadia?
Arcadia Energy is basically an power firm dealer/utility invoice administration platform that helps clear, renewable power sources, largely wind power.
Arcadia Energy permits their prospects to cut back their carbon footprints. Actually, in keeping with their web site, the common Arcadia member cancels out the equal of 712 kilos of coal per 30 days! That’s wonderful! And, relying on which energy firm you have got, typically Arcadia may even provide help to lower your expenses in your month-to-month power invoice. It’s a complete win-win!
Based on Arcadia, at present solely about 17% of the US energy grid is clear power. Their objective is to extend that proportion.
What Does Arcadia Energy Do?
One factor I need to set straight, as a result of it usually causes some confusion for individuals scoping out Arcadia, is the truth that Arcadia Energy isn’t truly an power provider. They don’t promote or produce electrical energy. So, while you join with them, you don’t truly get renewable power from Arcadia itself, and also you aren’t changing your present power firm with them.
I do know that is tremendous complicated, so keep on with me. I’m going to interrupt all of it down for ya.
Okay, so as a result of all power sources are basically pushed to the identical energy grid and are combined collectively earlier than they’re distributed to your house through energy strains and the nationwide energy grid, Arcadia isn’t in a position to ship renewal power on to your own home. So, you possibly can’t use them as your electrical/power provider. However, while you join with Arcadia, you might be nonetheless investing in inexperienced power as a result of they supply clear wind power to your present electrical firm. Make sense?
How Does Arcadia Work?
Okay, so now that I acquired that out of the best way, let’s dig in and discuss slightly bit about how Arcadia Energy works.
Arcadia does a very good job of breaking down a fancy drawback (understanding photo voltaic/wind energy) and making it simple in order that anybody can use it. Like I discussed earlier, Arcadia capabilities as an power firm dealer/utility invoice administration platform, not an power/electrical provider. So, while you join with them, they hook up with your present power account through your provider, and also you pay Arcadia on your electrical invoice every month. And, then Arcadia turns round and pays your electrical firm in your behalf.
Now, right here is the place the clear power half is available in. Arcadia verifies how a lot power you might be utilizing every month. Then, relying on which membership choice you have got, Arcadia then “sources, verifies, purchases and retires the corresponding variety of wind RECs” and credit them to your electrical firm.
I do know it’s lots to digest, and is slightly difficult, however they deal with the entire heavy lifting. You simply have to enroll, present entry to your utlity invoice, and let Arcadia do the remaining to start out making higher strides in the direction of utilizing cleaner power.
Step-By-Step Instructions on How Arcadia Energy Works
Simply to simplify issues, right here’s a step-by-step breakdown on the way it all works:
1. The very first thing you do is head right here and enter your zip code and electrical supplier to see what’s accessible in your space. All of it depends upon:
- The place you reside
- What electrical supplier you at present have
- The variety of wind farms in your space
- Some other clear renewable power initiatives in your space
2. When you plug in your data, Arcadia will present you what your choices are. That is what a pal of mine’s display screen seemed like after she plugged in her data:
3. You choose the plan choice that they’ve accessible for you and click on “proceed.”
4. You join your power supplier account to your Arcadia account.
5. Arcadia then takes over the administration of your electrical account. You pay Arcadia what you owe your electrical supplier every month plus no matter your Arcadia membership payment prices. Mine is $5 a month. And, then Arcadia pays your electrical supplier in your behalf. Right here, you’ll add your bank card to pay on your month-to-month payment (extra on the plan charges under).
6. Relying on the plan you have got, Arcadia matches a sure proportion of your power utilization with clear wind power. As an illustration, I’ve the Common plan, so Arcadia will match 50% of the power I take advantage of every month with clear wind power by giving my power supplier entry to inexperienced power via using Renewable Vitality Credit (RECs).
Arcadia created a nifty little video explaining their course of. Test it out! I discovered it to be fairly useful.
Is Arcadia Energy Actually Free?
As of November 2020, their free plan has been discontinued, and so they now provide two membership choices. These choices assist you to choose in for both 50% or 100% of your power from renewable sources on your energy invoice. When you choose in for the essential plan, you’ll get a decrease price in your energy.
Arcadia’s Membership Choices
Arcadia provides two completely different membership choices:
- The Common Plan (That is the one I’ve. It’s $5 a month.)
- The Primary Plan
Arcadia’s Primary Plan
The Primary plan matches 100% of the power you employ with clear wind power. It prices 1.5¢ per kWh. Arcadia claims that on common the Primary plan prices about $10 a month. All of it depends upon your month-to-month power utilization. I do need to level out that the Primary plan is simply accessible for choose members.
Arcadia’s Common Plan
The Common plan is $5 a month, and it matches 50% of the power you employ every month with clear wind power.
So whereas these plans are at an extra price, you might be serving to the setting through the use of much less fossil fuels by changing it with wind energy and/or solar energy. To me, that’s a simple solution to offset our carbon footprint at a really low price, which makes it a win-win in my ebook.
What Are RECs?
Based on Arcadia’s web site, Renewable Vitality Certificates (or RECs) had been “particularly created to trace clear and renewable power because it strikes via our energy grid.” Principally, “anytime an organization or a person claims to be utilizing renewable power, they’re actually utilizing RECs.” Click on right here to study extra about RECs and the way they work.
Arcadia’s Subscription Vitality Program
Arcadia now provides a Subscription Vitality program for choose members that lets you pay the identical set quantity each month on your utility prices. It analyzes your utility payments from the earlier 12 months, after which comes up with a month-to-month quantity primarily based in your common. This invoice quantity will likely be set for the subsequent 12 months. The Subscription Vitality program additionally features a free 100% wind power match. It is a nice choice for these of you on a price range because it lets you have a predictable invoice every month. Pricing for the Subscription Vitality program varies relying on the place you reside and your present power supplier.
Arcadia’s Group Photo voltaic program
Arcadia additionally has a Group Photo voltaic Program that enables you the entire advantages of utilizing solar energy with out having to really set up panels on your house.
You purchase “distant” photo voltaic panels via Arcadia for an upfront payment. The extra you purchase, the extra you’ll find yourself saving. After you buy your panels, you’ll get a month-to-month photo voltaic credit score utilized to your Arcadia invoice in keeping with the power manufacturing of your panel or panels. Just like the Wind Vitality program, the pricing of photo voltaic panels varies relying in your location and present utility corporations. I additionally need to make you conscious that so as to enroll in the Group Photo voltaic program, you must at present be enrolled within the Wind Vitality program.
Do You Save Cash Utilizing Arcadia Energy?
It actually relies upon. Eligibility for financial savings varies by state and by utility firm. When you’re a member of the Sensible Charge program, Arcadia will scour the power market to search out you the bottom price doable. Personally, I’ve saved slightly further money through the use of Arcadia. Whereas the saving isn’t enormous or mindblowing, I’m okay with that as a result of I really feel like I’m doing one thing nice for the setting. They gained’t ship you value alerts, however they’ll regulate it routinely so that you just’re instantly saving extra, at no further price.
Right here’s a glimpse of my financial savings simply in case you’re curious:
Arcadia’s Referral Program
Arcadia provides a fairly good referral program. Each time somebody indicators up with Arcadia Energy utilizing your referral hyperlink, you’ll each get a $10 credit score utilized to your accounts. And, for those who get 10 individuals to enroll utilizing your referral hyperlink, you’ll get $1000. It’s an effective way to avoid wasting cash (and the setting), and assist others accomplish that as properly!
How Do I Cancel Arcadia Energy?
Arcadia offers detailed directions on their web site for cancelling their service. Principally, you possibly can both electronic mail them at assist@arcadia.com or give them a name at (866) 526-0083 between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm EST, Monday via Friday. It’s utterly free to cancel. Nonetheless, if you’re enrolled within the Group Photo voltaic Program, it may well take wherever from 90 to 190 days to course of your cancellation.
Is Arcadia Energy A Respectable Firm?
As a consumer of Arcadia, I can say that it’s utterly official, and I’m an enormous fan. I’ve had no issues with utilizing their service, and my payments are decrease.
Based on the BBB, they’ve a score of A and have been accredited since July of 2014. There are some complaints listed, however they’re addressed somewhat shortly by the corporate’s customer support crew. In studying the critiques and responses, it sounds to me like lots of the complaints are as a result of adjustments in this system with out the consumer realizing it. Additionally, they don’t appear to grasp which plan they’re signed up for, and what every one entails.
The opposite large criticism is that prospects are saying that they will’t discover contact info for Arcadia to cancel or focus on their plans. I checked and see it within the footer of their web site, in addition to within the emails they ship. Their customer support has offered that info within the responses as properly:
Members are at all times welcome to contact us by telephone throughout regular enterprise hours, Mondays via Fridays between 9am and 5pm EST at (866) 526-0083, or 24/7 through our “Contact Us” portal listed on our web site at www.arcadia.com or through electronic mail at assist@arcadia.com.
Arcadia Sends Month-to-month Standing Emails
I like the month-to-month emails they ship exhibiting my financial savings, and letting me understand how my power utilization compares to earlier months. They’ll ship you personalised reviews about your house and neighborhood power. It contains info on for those who used wind or photo voltaic power that month, see how a lot of an impression your adjustments are making, and see your credit in your utility invoice. You’ll see:
- Data on the photo voltaic or wind farm that’s making your power
- See how a lot coal, pure fuel, and uranium you’ve averted utilizing each month
- Monitor your impression on the setting, by seeing how a lot carbon you’ve saved out of the environment
- Month-to-month comparisons to see how your power utilization is altering
Arcadia Energy additionally has partnerships with a number of well-known corporations, together with Goldman Sachs, McDonalds, Biogen, Urbint, Audi, and Reformation.
So typically your financial savings may not offset the plan pricing, and also you may not at all times lower your expenses through the use of them. However, isn’t discovering a simple solution to scale back your carbon footprint properly price it?
Is Arcadia Secure?
Based on Arcadia’s web site, they take safety and privateness very critically, and so they provide bank-level safety with PCI-DSS compliance in the case of cost processing. So, sure, they maintain your delicate info protected.
My Arcadia Energy Assessment
Sure, I’m an Arcadia buyer, however I additionally need to present my readers with all of the details. So, I did slightly digging and researched some Arcadia Energy critiques from different prospects.
My first cease was the Higher Enterprise Bureau, the place I used to be shocked to search out that Arcadia had a number of not-so-favorable critiques. It has a 3.12 out of 5-star score and about 50 posted critiques.
A number of the execs of Arcadia I noticed posted, embrace:
- They’ve a pleasant cell app.
- The platform’s interface is simple to make use of.
- Their customer support representatives are good and useful.
- They provide power effectivity ideas.
- You may probably lower your expenses.
A number of the cons of Arcadia I noticed posted, embrace:
- It takes some time to course of a cancellation.
- It’s onerous to get a reside particular person while you name their customer support quantity.
- They will promote your account to a different electrical supplier with out your consent.
Like I stated, I actually like Arcadia, and I’ve by no means had an issue with them. And, certainly one of my pals lately contacted their customer support crew to ask a number of questions, and he or she didn’t have an issue getting linked to a reside particular person. So, I’m undecided what to consider these unfavourable critiques.
One factor I believed was fairly cool is that Arcadia truly replied to nearly each single one who posted a unfavourable Arcadia Energy evaluate. And in every response, somebody from the corporate supplied to personally communicate to the unfavourable reviewer. I believe that claims lots about Arcadia and that they really worth their prospects and need to make any unhealthy experiences proper.
Trustpilot Arcadia Energy Assessment
There are tons of optimistic critiques of Arcadia Energy on Trustpilot. And, they at present have a 4.8 out of 5-star score. The primary complaints had been in regards to the customer support crew, how lengthy the cancellation course of takes, and that folks thought they had been paying extra with Arcadia than with their electrical firm. However, a whopping 92% of the Arcadia Energy critiques had been optimistic with a 5-star score. That’s fairly good for those who ask me.
Arcadia’s Buyer Service Contact Data
Since a number of the Higher Enterprise Reviewers talked about that discovering the contact info for Arcadia is tough, I believed I’d checklist it right here simply so you have got it.
The Arcadia customer support crew is accessible weekdays from 9:00 am to five:00 pm EST. Simply give them a name at 866-526-0083. It’s also possible to electronic mail them at assist@arcadia.com.
To spherical out my Arcadia energy evaluate, I really feel that it’s a very good service that’s price testing. They’ve an amazing trigger that they’re working in the direction of, and can assist make utilizing renewable sources simpler for the common one who isn’t certain how or the place to get began.
In Signing Up For Arcadia?
When you’d prefer to check out Arcadia Energy, be at liberty to make use of my referral hyperlink to enroll. We’ll each get $10 credit!
Different Cash-Saving Concepts
Searching for another methods to save cash? I’m stuffed with concepts! Take a look at these previous posts:
Are you a previous or current consumer of Arcadia Energy? I’d love to listen to your Arcadia Energy evaluate and listen to the way it labored out for you. Did you find it irresistible? Or did you cross on their companies? Simply remark under.
