Once upon a time London Bridge was put up for sale at a ridiculously cheap price. A man, thinking it was an incredible deal, offered to buy it right away only to discover that it wasn’t the bridge he thought it was. The fancy bridge that is one of the key symbols of London is Tower Bridge (pictured here). London bridge is a less popular concrete bridge from where you get a fantastic view of Tower Bridge.
Recently we have been shopping for a new energy provider so naturally we took a look at alternative energy plans; wind, solar etc. There are two options. First there are small independent energy providers that provide 100% renewable/alternative energies at quite high prices. Second are the mainstream energy providers. They provide two plans, either their standard energy plan or a renewable energy plan. So our question is, which do we choose?
The dilemna is this. First is it better to support the independent small business that is providing this service (but at a premium) or to support the mainstream business so that they can continue to build on providing green energy solutions in their standard offerings reaching a much larger group of consumers?
Second It doesn’t matter how much I try to be more eco conscious, paying twice as much for eco energy is something I just can’t afford at this point in my life. So even thought I would love to support the independent group and be assured I am getting 100% renewable energy it just isn’t a viable option. The green energy option provided by the major energy provider is more expensive than their standard plan but significantly less than the other group.
Third how can I be sure I am getting green energy? The energy coming into the house is the same that everyone else is getting but I need to trust that the company is actually sourcing a certain amount, at least the amount I am using, from green energy sources. How can I be sure?
I imagine that the guy who sold London Bridge knew that Robert was really after Tower Bridge but sold it to him anyways. That night I’m sure he went to the pub and told this story over roars of laughter. That’s the problem still with some sustainable products; how can we be sure we aren’t being sold London Bridge?