Stream Energy is celebrating 15 years of service for customers and now operates in a number of high-profile states, including Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Texas, where the company is based. But while Stream Energy’s traditional energy plans have been wildly successful over the years, green energy has emerged as one of the retail energy provider’s most popular offerings.

As it stands, Stream Energy customers are given plenty of choice when it comes to renewable energy options. Customers in Dallas, for instance, have a choice between a plan that locks energy prices in for 12 months or a plan that uses 100 percent green energy, with a locked rate for a year. Other Dallas plans are available, allowing customers to lock in a rate for as long as 36 months, but all focus on saving the Stream Energy customer money both monthly and over a longer period of time. 

But while the retail energy provider’s customers have been happy with saving money to keep their homes and businesses up and running, many were worried about their carbon footprint. And the retail energy provider has been more than happy to provide services that meet this need. 

Enter eco+. Eco+ is Stream Energy’s popular add-on that can be tacked on to any traditional energy plan, which includes plans that provide energy from power plants and other classic means. With eco+, customers can get up to 1,000 kWh of renewable energy each month. And because eco+ customers benefit more when others use the add-on, the more people who use eco+, the more renewable energy is available. 

The discount energy provider’s eco+ renewable energy comes from a lot of different sources. Renewable energy from Stream is energy that doesn’t cause air pollution or carbon emissions. The most well-known sources of renewable energy are wind and solar, but there are many other places where the retail energy provider sources this sought-after energy:

Solar Thermal

Solar thermal energy takes the power of solar energy and turns it into heat. On the lowest level, plates may be used to gather solar energy to heat air or even swimming pools. At the highest level, mirrors may be used to capture sunlight and generate heat that can be turned into traditional energy. There are a number of solar thermal energy plants in the world, with California being one of the world’s leaders in that regard.

Geothermal 

Geothermal energy is the capture of energy that naturally comes from the earth. This energy may emerge from the decay of materials and the heat that comes from the core of the planet. The most commonly known sources of geothermal energy are hot springs, which was a source of energy and heat for ancient civilizations. While geothermal energy is enough to provide energy for our entire civilization, theoretically speaking, accessing it often requires expensive drilling equipment, so it’s not exactly ready for mass market production.

Biomass 

Biomass energy is interesting because it is essentially the energy of waste. Sometimes, plants are grown to be used specifically for biomass energy, but often, biomass energy comes from things like corn cobs, manure, and even the waste you’d find in your yard, including leaves and plants. Residue from logging and forestry is often used as biomass as well.

All of these techniques to gather energy – and more – are chosen because of their tiny carbon footprint. As part of eco+ with Stream Energy, users are offsetting their carbon footprint by relying on more responsible, ethical, and sustainable energy sources.

What constitutes a carbon footprint for Stream Energy customers and other people around the world? Driving a car leaves a carbon footprint, as does throwing out waste that isn’t recyclable or renewable. Taking plastic bottles and recycling them is a simple way to offset a carbon footprint, but if you’re simply throwing out garbage that will need to be stored or burned, you’re adding to your carbon footprint. 

For the Stream customer who is unsure that they’re offsetting their carbon footprint with eco+, there’s the green certificate. For customers who use eco+, Stream Energy provides a renewable energy credit (REC), which states that the energy used for eco+ is only from renewable sources.

Beyond eco+, Stream Energy suggests that eco-conscious customers can do some things on their own to offset their carbon footprints. Concerned customers can start by flying less frequently. If that’s not possible, customers can spend more time in one place after a flight rather than flying to many different places. 

Using energy efficient practices and appliances is another way to offset your carbon footprint. Simply purchasing and using appliances that use less energy and turning out the lights when you leave a room are easy ways to reduce your carbon footprint in daily life. 

In the past, conserving energy and reducing your carbon footprint was challenging because there was no formula to estimate how much carbon was used each day by each person. Today, through eco+ and renewable energy from retail energy provider Stream Energy, customers just have to sign up for a plan to find out how much is being offset each month.

Not every retail energy customer is concerned with carbon footprints, calculations, and offsets, and many are satisfied just to get their energy at a reasonable rate, especially during the winter or summer, when heating and cooling are a must. However, by using tools like Stream Energy’s eco+ for renewable energy, it’s easier than ever to get a locked-in energy rate and reliable source of energy that doesn’t pollute the atmosphere.