Question 1

What is Emrgi?

Accepted Answer

Emrgi is a renewable energy cooperative that helps members access clean and renewable energy from the grid and shop for the right clean energy technologies for their home. Think of us as your clean energy advisor, helping you make an impact with your power bill.

Question 2

How does it work?

Accepted Answer

Members sign up to our bill management service at either the Core or Pro levels. In Core, we provide bill analysis and search for savings and upgrades in exchange for a 10% finder's fee. In Pro, we provide you with 100% solar power based on your monthly usage, sourced from a local solar farm, and charge you 10% of the cost of your power bill for that month. Members can add additional payment features to their Pro service, including Pay with Emrgi, Bill Smoothing, and Rate Lock.

Regardless of your service level, we provide you with monthly reports on their usage and impact, and work with you to recommend additional programs and technologies that can help you save money and go green via their energy usage.

Question 3

Am I Still Eligible If I Am A Renter?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Anyone who lives in a home in the United States with an electricity meter (i.e., you pay a power bill) can upgrade that electricity to solar with Emrgi.

Question 4

Can Emrgi save me money on my power bill?

Accepted Answer

We currently charge a 10% premium for our services, so cannot guarantee immediate savings on your bill. However, as a mission-driven, member-owned cooperative, we ensure that any money we save in the course of providing services to our members is returned to them as dividends. We also donate approximately half of any fee we charge to the Emrgi Equity Fund, to support families who are strugging to pay their energy bills or connect to renewable energy upgrades that would support their financial and physical health.

As with any cooperative, the more members we have, the more power powerful our collective bargaining power is, and the closer we come to earning savings on our members' behalf. Refer your friends!

Question 5

Where does the solar come from?

Accepted Answer

Our 100% solar energy comes from local solar farms and is delivered through the existing grid infrastructure in your area.

What does this mean?

The electric grid is a big pool of energy, with lines and wires connecting energy generation sites to homes across the country. All the electrons that are generated and distributed across the grid are meticulously accounted for, which means it is possible to attribute the energy you use to a particular type of energy source. Emergi facilitates this attribution so that residential households are able to access renewable sources of energy more efficiently and easily.

So...where are the panels?

Currently we work with a community solar farm called Zelda in Asheboro, North Carolina to connect customers to solar energy. This means that your house is locally and renewably powered, without needing to install solar panels on your roof. It also means that we can provide you with solar power, even if you rent.

Question 6

How do you work with my default electric distributor (e.g. Duke Energy)?

Accepted Answer

Our work is complementary to the service the electricity distributor provides you. While they ensure that the lines and wires deliver seamless, reliable power to all buildings in their territory, we work to ensure that more and more of the power that is transmitted and distributed by them is clean and renewable. Think of us as your energy advisor, working at a layer in between you and your default utility, to make your energy usage more sustainable, affordable, and efficient. 
For anyone looking to nerd out over electricity market structures, we recommend this resource: US Electricity Markets 101. Most of the southeastern US functions as a “Traditional Regulated Market.”

Question 7

What if I want solar panels on my own roof?

Accepted Answer

We can help with that! As your energy advisor, we are here to shop around on your behalf and provide you with the most competitive estimates for clean energy resources for your home - this includes everything from solar panels to efficient appliances to smart thermostats. What’s more, because we are building collective purchasing power across the community, we can provide these technologies at a lower cost than if you were to shop on your own.

Frequently asked questions