Mandatory Greenpower offer

The ACT will soon be leading the country in 'green' energy consumption, after the Chief Minister and Minister for the Environment, Water and Climate Change, Jon Stanhope announced the mandatory offering of accredited GreenPower electricity to Canberrans.

"Action 5 of the government's Climate Change Strategy flagged our intention to require all electricity retailers operating in the ACT to have access to an accredited green product and for the first offer of product they make to any new customer to be that green product," Stanhope said.

The ACT government is a foundation member of the national GreenPower accreditation scheme, which guarantees that accredited products are exclusively from renewable sources.

"The ACT will be the first jurisdiction to promote the GreenPower brand in such an active manner and this reverses the usual market approach of customers having to actively seek out and request GreenPower."

Stanhope did note, however, that the greener energy solution would still be considerably more expensive for the consumer.

"The government is mindful that green products are generally more expensive than standard products and that some disadvantaged Canberrans may inadvertently over-commit themselves financially by accepting the initial offer, and so it must be stressed that while energy suppliers must offer a green product it does not have to be accepted by the consumer.

"There will be no pressure put on the customer to take up the retailers' offer, though I am hopeful that many Canberrans will take this opportunity to do their best for the environment."