This Valentine's Day, Fall in Love with Clean Energy

It's a love that can power your life!

Tomorrow is not just World Bonobo Day — it’s also Valentine’s Day! So it’s not surprising if your thoughts are turning to love. And there’s no love more powerful (get it?) than the love for clean energy.

If you’re like most Americans, you’ve probably already fallen for it; poll after poll has shown that we love clean energy.

Breaking up with fossil fuels

But many of us feel this love from a distance. Let’s face it — we have strong ties to fossil fuels. They’ve powered so much of our lives, for so long. It’s a relationship we’ve grown comfortable with. And we do owe fossil fuels a lot.

We all know, though, that ultimately, our relationship with fossil fuels isn’t healthy. It’s gotten us where we are today. But now, if we’re going to thrive, we need to move on.

The good news is, we don’t have to do it all at once! We can take some simple steps to start moving from an unhealthy relationship with fossil fuels to a healthy new one powered by clean energy.

“Simple steps?” I hear you say. Yes. Breaking up with fossil fuels doesn’t have to mean putting solar panels on your roof. That’s just one kind of clean-energy relationship, but we’re open-minded here.

If you have a bank account (you do have one, don’t you?), you can start with that. Even a small savings account is supporting fossil fuels if it’s in a big bank. Consider breaking up with fossil fuels by moving your savings, checking, and credit card accounts to socially responsible institutions.

The first date

It’s not just about breaking up with fossil fuels. I mean, you don’t want to go from one bad relationship to another one. How can you tell if clean energy is right for you? Will it cost you a lot to get involved? Do you feel like you still have too much to learn about it? Will your relationship be too high-maintenance?

To test the waters of this budding relationship, start getting to know your new love gradually. An easy first step is to sign up for a clean power plan. If you pay a power bill, you can sign up in minutes — even if you rent your home!

These plans sell you a cleaner mix of electricity, usually from sources like wind, solar, and renewable energy certificates (RECs) — instead of power that may come from dirty fossil fuels like coal and gas.

Watch for red flags when entering into this kind of relationship, because not all clean power plans are what they say they are. Check to see where the power really comes from; local power sources are best. In California and some other states, community choice aggregators (CCAs) are increasingly offering electricity sourced from local projects.

Going steady

Even if you can’t get clean power in your home, you can increase your efficiency and minimize your use of fossil fuels.

Something anyone can do, whether you own or rent your home, is switch to efficient, long-lasting LED bulbs. What better way to show your commitment to the relationship than saying you’ll use the same bulbs for the next 20 years? These bulbs may not be cheap dates, but they’re devoted and will work hard for you — saving you thousands over their lifespan! That’s a relationship worth investing in.

You can take the relationship even farther with a smart thermostat and smart power strips, which will also save you a bundle.

The great thing about all of these is that if you move, you can take them with you! After all, you are serious about this relationship, aren’t you?

Getting serious

Ready to take your relationship up a notch — all the way up to your roof? If you own your roof, you might consider having solar panels installed. It’s no secret that Americans are smitten with solar — for good reason! Solar power saves you money (notice a theme?), can increase your home’s value, creates jobs, helps the environment, helps us save water, promotes energy independence and national security, and even saves lives. What’s not to love?

The price of solar has plummeted in recent years, and with various financing options, it’s now within reach for many more people.

Rent your home? Live in a multi-unit building? Have a shaded roof? No worries — in many states, you can still commit to a relationship with solar, thanks to community solar. That arrangement lets anyone sign up to get electricity from a local solar installation that’s shared among multiple homes and businesses. You receive credit on your electricity bills for your share of the power produced, and you may also enjoy solar savings.

Taking it all the way

So you’ve gone solar or signed up for a clean power plan. You’ve switched to LEDs, smart power strips, and smart thermostats.

Isn’t it time to take your relationship to the next level?

This is the stage in your relationship when you might look into powering your car with some of that clean electricity you’ve grown so devoted to, instead of dirty gas.

That also applies to the gas in your house; despite its often-used name, there’s nothing natural about bringing this highly combustible fossil fuel into our homes.

If you own a house, consider some cozy nights at home with a super-efficient electric heat pump heater. Enjoy a steamy, hot bath courtesy of a heat pump water heater; you can really relax knowing that your bath isn’t powered by dangerous, polluting fossil gas. And for those romantic home-cooked dinners for two, what could be better than an induction stove?

Looking for a match made in heaven? There’s no better union than clean energy and electric cars, or clean energy and heat pumps. When you nurture your bond with these combinations, the relationship pays you back — with even bigger savings.

Declaring your love

Whether you’re still at the dating stage or have made a long-term commitment to clean energy, one thing’s certain: you know what it takes to have a healthy relationship.

Maybe you’re already feeling over the moon and want to declare your love from the solar-covered rooftops. If that sounds like you, why not post clean-energy selfies on social media, and spread the joy to your friends in real time. If you’ve gone solar, Vote Solar, an organization working to make solar more accessible, wants to hear your solar love story. The more people hear about the joys of clean-energy love, the more people will consider this new kind of relationship — and that will benefit all of us, and our planet.

Now is the perfect time to stop being a secret admirer. Don’t be shy; let everyone know how you feel about your new love! After all, isn’t it time to celebrate your healthy new relationship?