Certification and Verification
- Why should I buy certified and verified products?
- What is certification?
- What is verification?
- Who certifies green power products?
Why should I buy certified and verified products?
The voluntary green power market is essentially a free market economy—an economic market driven by consumer preference and run by supply and demand—with little regulatory oversight. As such, it can be difficult for buyers of green power to know whether they are buying credible products from credible suppliers. For this reason, EPA recommends, as a consumer best practice, buying green power products that are third-party certified and verified.
Green power products certified by an independent third-party offer consumers a higher level of certainty about the integrity of their purchase. In meeting specific environmental and customer protection guidelines adopted by the certifying organization, you can be sure that your purchase meets nationally accepted standards for resource and product quality.
What is certification?
Green power certification answers the question: "Does this product meet acceptable standards for quality?” Certified products meet widely accepted consumer and environmental standards, ensuring the product you buy comes from eligible renewable resources and meets product-marketing standards. Certification both ensures the quality of a green power product and validates the product's environmental attributes. Certification includes standards of conduct for ethical behavior, including marketing claims by suppliers, and requires regular reporting to monitor these claims.
What is verification?
Green power verification answers the question: "How do I know I'm getting what I pay for?” Third-party certification usually carries a requirement on suppliers for independent verification that the amount of green power sold to customers is equal to the amount of green power obtained through supply contracts. Third-party independent auditors apply the verification process to retail and wholesale electricity providers. The audit verifies that the green power behind the product was produced and placed on the utility grid and helps verify the product's environmental benefit. Verification serves as a form of buyer protection against deception or fraud and ensures the buyer has exclusive rights to make claims about “using” or “being powered with” the green power they purchased.
Who certifies green power products?
Currently, one organization certifies green power products in the United States: the Center for Resource Solutions' Green-e Energy program. This organization has programs in place that not only certify green power products, but also independently verify the products on an annual basis.
Locate green power suppliers and then use this online tool to check whether a supplier and its products are Green-e certified.