You have questions, we have answers

Green Future makes it easy to match your home’s electricity use with renewable resources like wind and solar. You choose the level that’s right for you, and PGE purchases renewable energy certificates on your behalf. The cost is added to your monthly bill, so there are no separate payment statements. Your participation reduces your environmental impact and supports renewable energy nationwide. You’ll also help fund clean energy projects right here in our local communities through the Green Future Renewable Development Fund!

The cost depends on the option you choose, and the price starts at $1.88 per month. The most popular option is to support 100% renewable energy, which would cost about $5 more per month on average for the typical residential customer who uses 784 kilowatt-hours per month. When you choose this option, Green Future Choice matches 73% of your electricity use with renewable energy certificates and the other 27% comes from Oregon’s Renewable Energy Requirement. You also have the option to match a portion of your energy use for a fixed monthly price. Use our tool to find the option that’s right for you.

Your Green Future participation supports:

• Renewable energy: PGE purchases Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) on your behalf. The amount of RECs that PGE purchases depends on the participation level you select.
• Community grants: Green Future participants support the Green Future Renewable Development Fund, which provides grants to local organizations to build renewable energy projects.
• Outreach, education, and administration: Your participation enables us to keep offering this option to Oregonians throughout the state.

PGE does not make a profit from the Green Future program. For participants who add Habitat Support to their enrollment, $2.50 per month goes directly to restoring local fish habitats. 

Learn more about the impact that Green Future participants are making.

A Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) is created every time one megawatt-hour of renewable energy is generated and added to the electric grid, and it represents the environmental benefits of this energy. Learn more about how RECs work in this video from the Center for Resource Solutions.

Participation in Green Future does not mean renewable energy is coming directly to your home. Once electricity is added to the grid from any source, it mixes together, making it impossible to direct specific renewable electrons to individual homes or businesses. But, when you participate in Green Future, PGE purchases Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) on your behalf. These RECs represent the environmental attributes of one megawatt-hour of renewable energy generated and delivered to the electric grid. Adding more renewable energy to the grid reduces the need for non-renewable types of energy, which means your participation makes a positive difference for the environment.

Starting in 2026, Participants in Green Future support renewable energy certificates (RECs) from states where the electricity grid has higher carbon emissions than the national average, according to eGrid.* That means you get to help drive the creation of new renewable energy projects in states that are more dependent on fossil fuels.

*Renewable Energy Certificates will be purchased from grid subregions that have a higher carbon intensity (emission rate) than the national average (per EPA 2024a, eGrid)

Green Future Choice and Green Future Block are overseen by the Oregon Public Utility Commission and audited annually by a third-party to verify the renewable energy purchased on your behalf.

Oregon’s Renewable Energy Requirement (also called the Renewable Portfolio Standard, or RPS) is a statewide policy requiring utilities to provide customers a specified percentage of electricity from certain types of renewable energy sources. Oregon’s RPS requires that 50% of the electricity Oregonians use come from renewable sources by 2040. Oregon utilities like PGE are also required to meet interim benchmarks to ensure they are on track to hit the 2040 goal. More information on Oregon’s RPS can be found here.

Oregon is considered to have one of the more ambitious Renewable Portfolio Standards in the United States, especially for investor-owned utilities like PGE. A good resource for viewing other state RPS benchmarks can be found here.

While Oregon’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) mandates that PGE provide at least 27% renewable energy to all customers in 2025 through 2029, Green Future Choice is a voluntary program designed for customers who wish to go further and support 100% renewables. Green Future Choice participants will only pay to match the difference (73%) of their electricity use with renewable energy certificates in order to support a total of 100%.

As the RPS benchmark percentage increases (35% in 2030, 45% in 2035, 50% in 2040), Green Future Choice will continue to automatically adjust to close the gap, allowing customers to continue to support a combined total of 100% renewable energy. All customers will be notified of these changes as future benchmarks approach. 

PGE’s “Basic Service Mix” represents the overall blend of generated and purchased energy (including renewables, natural gas, hydropower, etc.) associated with serving retail customers within the state of Oregon. The estimated percentages may change throughout the year and are reported after the year is completed to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. It’s important to note that some or all of the renewable energy attributes associated with PGE’s Basic Service Mix may be sold, claimed or not acquired. You can find more on PGE’s 2024 Basic Service mix here.

In contrast, the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) is an Oregon state mandate requiring PGE to ensure a minimum, specific, and increasing percentage of electricity is obtained from qualifying renewable energy sources by set deadlines. PGE must annually retire Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to report its RPS compliance to the Oregon Public Utility Commission. These RECs are retired separately from Green Future Choice and Block. 

Participation in Green Future allows customers to go further in supporting renewable energy.