Arcadia Power Review: 2023 Guide to Clean Energy
I started using Arcadia Power over a year ago, and wanted to share my Arcadia review on how it’s working out – if I’ve been saving money, if I’m really making an impact on the environment, and if it’s worth signing up for their services.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, by now you should know that I’m all about saving money. I love the feeling that I get when I find out that I scored some major savings on something.
But, do you know what else I love saving? My carbon footprint. So, when I discovered Arcadia Power, an energy broker that has the mission of making renewable wind energy accessible to everyone, I was stoked. And, since I currently use Arcadia, I thought I’d dedicate this post to an Arcadia Power review as well as look into some Arcadia reviews from some of their other customers.
Arcadia Power is essentially an energy company broker/utility bill management platform that supports clean, renewable energy sources, mostly wind energy.
Arcadia Power allows their customers to reduce their carbon footprints. In fact, according to their website, the average Arcadia member cancels out the equivalent of 712 pounds of coal per month! That’s amazing! And, depending on which power company you have, sometimes Arcadia can even help you save money on your monthly energy bill. It’s a total win-win!
According to Arcadia, currently only about 17% of the US power grid is clean energy. Their goal is to increase that percentage.
One thing I want to set straight, because it often causes some confusion for people scoping out Arcadia, is the fact that Arcadia Power isn’t actually an energy supplier. They do not sell or produce electricity. So, when you sign up with them, you don’t actually get renewable energy from Arcadia itself, and you aren’t replacing your existing energy company with them.
I know this is super confusing, so stick with me. I’m going to break it all down for ya.
Okay, so because all energy sources are essentially pushed to the same power grid and are mixed together before they are distributed to your home via power lines and the national power grid, Arcadia isn’t able to send renewal energy directly to your house. So, you can’t use them as your electric/energy supplier. But, when you sign up with Arcadia, you are still investing in green energy because they provide clean wind energy to your current electric company. Make sense?
Okay, so now that I got that out of the way, let’s dig in and talk a little bit about how Arcadia Power works.
Arcadia does a good job of breaking down a complex problem (understanding solar/wind power) and making it easy so that anyone can use it. Like I mentioned earlier, Arcadia functions as an energy company broker/utility bill management platform, not an energy/electric supplier. So, when you sign up with them, they connect to your current energy account via your supplier, and you pay Arcadia for your electric bill each month. And, then Arcadia turns around and pays your electric company on your behalf.
Now, here is where the clean energy part comes in. Arcadia verifies how much energy you are using each month. Then, depending on which membership option you have, Arcadia then “sources, verifies, purchases and retires the corresponding number of wind RECs” and credits them to your electric company.
I know it’s a lot to digest, and is a little complicated, but they handle all of the heavy lifting. You just have to sign up, provide access to your utlity bill, and let Arcadia do the rest to start making greater strides towards using cleaner energy.
Just to simplify things, here’s a step-by-step breakdown on how it all works:
1. The first thing you do is head here and enter your zip code and electric provider to see what’s available in your area. It all depends on:
2. Once you plug in your info, Arcadia will show you what your options are. This is what a friend of mine’s screen looked like after she plugged in her info:
3. You select the plan option that they have available for you and click “continue.”
4. You connect your energy provider account to your Arcadia account.
5. Arcadia then takes over the management of your electric account. You pay Arcadia what you owe your electric provider each month plus whatever your Arcadia membership fee costs. Mine is $5 a month. And, then Arcadia pays your electric provider on your behalf. Here, you’ll add your credit card to pay for your monthly fee (more on the plan fees below).
6. Depending on the plan you have, Arcadia matches a certain percentage of your energy usage with clean wind energy. For instance, I have the Regular plan, so Arcadia will match 50% of the energy I use each month with clean wind energy by giving my energy provider access to green energy through the use of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs).
Arcadia created a nifty little video explaining their process. Check it out! I found it to be quite helpful.
As of November 2020, their free plan has been discontinued, and they now offer two membership options. These options allow you to opt in for either 50% or 100% of your energy from renewable sources for your power bill. If you opt in for the basic plan, you’ll get a lower rate on your power.
Arcadia offers two different membership options:
The Basic plan matches 100% of the energy you use with clean wind energy. It costs 1.5¢ per kWh. Arcadia claims that on average the Basic plan costs about $10 a month. It all depends on your monthly energy usage. I do want to point out that the Basic plan is only available for select members.
The Regular plan is $5 a month, and it matches 50% of the energy you use each month with clean wind energy.
So while these plans are at an additional cost, you are helping the environment by using less fossil fuels by replacing it with wind power and/or solar power. To me, that’s an easy way to offset our carbon footprint at a very low cost, which makes it a win-win in my book.
According to Arcadia’s website, Renewable Energy Certificates (or RECs) were “specifically created to track clean and renewable energy as it moves through our power grid.” Basically, “anytime a company or an individual claims to be using renewable energy, they are really using RECs.” Click here to learn more about RECs and how they work.
Arcadia now offers a Subscription Energy program for select members that allows you to pay the same set amount every month for your utility charges. It analyzes your utility bills from the previous year, and then comes up with a monthly amount based on your average. This bill amount will be set for the next 12 months. The Subscription Energy program also includes a free 100% wind energy match. This is a great option for those of you on a budget as it allows you to have a predictable bill each month. Pricing for the Subscription Energy program varies depending on where you live and your current energy provider.
Arcadia also has a Community Solar Program that allows you all of the benefits of using solar power without having to actually install panels on your home.
You buy “remote” solar panels through Arcadia for an upfront fee. The more you buy, the more you will end up saving. After you purchase your panels, you will get a monthly solar credit applied to your Arcadia bill according to the energy production of your panel or panels. Like the Wind Energy program, the pricing of solar panels varies depending on your location and current utility companies. I also want to make you aware that in order to sign up for the Community Solar program, you have to currently be enrolled in the Wind Energy program.
It really depends. Eligibility for savings varies by state and by utility company. If you’re a member of the Smart Rate program, Arcadia will scour the energy market to find you the lowest rate possible. Personally, I have saved a little extra cash by using Arcadia. While the saving isn’t huge or mindblowing, I’m okay with that because I feel like I’m doing something great for the environment. They won’t send you price alerts, but they will adjust it automatically so that you’re immediately saving more, at no extra cost.
Here’s a glimpse of my savings just in case you’re curious:
Arcadia offers a pretty good referral program. Every time someone signs up with Arcadia Power using your referral link, you’ll both get a $10 credit applied to your accounts. And, if you get 10 people to sign up using your referral link, you’ll get $1000. It’s a great way to save some money (and the environment), and help others do so as well!
Arcadia provides detailed instructions on their website for cancelling their service. Basically, you can either email them at [email protected] or give them a call at (866) 526-0083 between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm EST, Monday through Friday. It’s completely free to cancel. However, if you are enrolled in the Community Solar Program, it can take anywhere from 90 to 190 days to process your cancellation.
As a user of Arcadia, I can say that it is completely legitimate, and I’m a huge fan. I have had no problems with using their service, and my bills are lower.
According to the BBB, they have a rating of A and have been accredited since July of 2014. There are some complaints listed, but they are addressed rather quickly by the company’s customer service team. In reading the reviews and responses, it sounds to me like many of the complaints are due to the changes in the program without the user realizing it. Also, they don’t seem to understand which plan they’re signed up for, and what each one involves.
The other big complaint is that customers are saying that they can’t find contact information for Arcadia to cancel or discuss their plans. I checked and see it in the footer of their website, as well as in the emails they send. Their customer service has provided that information in the responses as well:
Members are always welcome to contact us by phone during normal business hours, Mondays through Fridays between 9am and 5pm EST at (866) 526-0083, or 24/7 via our “Contact Us” portal listed on our website at www.arcadia.com or via email at [email protected].
I love the monthly emails they send showing my savings, and letting me know how my energy usage compares to previous months. They’ll send you personalized reports about your home and neighborhood energy. It includes information on if you used wind or solar energy that month, see how much of an impact your changes are making, and see your credits on your utility bill. You’ll see:
Arcadia Power also has partnerships with several well known companies, including Goldman Sachs, McDonalds, Biogen, Urbint, Audi, and Reformation.
So sometimes your savings might not offset the plan pricing, and you might not always save money by using them. But, isn’t finding an easy way to reduce your carbon footprint well worth it?
According to Arcadia’s website, they take security and privacy very seriously, and they offer bank-level security with PCI-DSS compliance when it comes to payment processing. So, yes, they keep your sensitive information safe.
Yes, I’m an Arcadia customer, but I also want to provide my readers with all the facts. So, I did a little digging and researched some Arcadia Power reviews from other customers.
My first stop was the Better Business Bureau, where I was shocked to find that Arcadia had several not-so-favorable reviews. It has a 3.12 out of 5-star rating and about 50 posted reviews.
Like I said, I really like Arcadia, and I have never had a problem with them. And, one of my friends recently contacted their customer service team to ask a few questions, and she didn’t have a problem getting connected to a live person. So, I’m not sure what to think about these negative reviews.
One thing I thought was pretty cool is that Arcadia actually replied to almost every single person who posted a negative Arcadia Power review. And in each response, someone from the company offered to personally speak to the negative reviewer. I think that says a lot about Arcadia and that they truly value their customers and want to make any bad experiences right.
There are tons of positive reviews of Arcadia Power on Trustpilot. And, they currently have a 4.8 out of 5-star rating. The main complaints were about the customer service team, how long the cancellation process takes, and that people thought they were paying more with Arcadia than with their electric company. But, a whopping 92% of the Arcadia Power reviews were positive with a 5-star rating. That’s pretty good if you ask me.
Since some of the Better Business Reviewers mentioned that finding the contact information for Arcadia is difficult, I thought I’d list it here just so you have it.
The Arcadia customer service team is available weekdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm EST. Just give them a call at 866-526-0083. You can also email them at [email protected].
To round out my Arcadia power review, I feel that it’s a good service that’s worth checking out. They have a great cause that they’re working towards, and can help make using renewable resources easier for the average person who isn’t sure how or where to get started.
If you’d like to try out Arcadia Power, feel free to use my referral link to sign up. We’ll both get $10 credits!
Looking for some other ways to save money? I’m full of ideas! Check out these past posts:
Are you a past or present user of Arcadia Power? I’d love to hear your Arcadia Power review and hear how it worked out for you. Did you love it? Or did you pass on their services? Just comment below.
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