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MXenergy is an energy reseller that supplies gas and electricity in the US and Canada.  In the United States, it supplies gas and/or electricity in Texas, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Kentucky, Florida, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, and California.   Canadian operations are in British Columbia and Ontario.  

To understand the significance of this, it is necessary to understand the history and nature of deregulation. At one time, companies that laid the pipelines and built the electrical power grid were allowed a monopoly on the sale of natural gas and electricity.  This was allowed to protect the investment these companies made in building the infrastructure that supplied natural gas and power to homes and businesses.   

However, this changed in the 1980s.  The Federal Energy Agency handed down a mandate stating that pipelines provide open access to customers.  This change later evolved into what is now called in 22 states a competitive reseller market.  Small, third party companies are allowed to buy gas, and now electricity, from the companies who built the infrastructure.  In term, they sell gas and power to homeowners and businesses at competitive rates.  States, not the Federal Government, regulate this process. 

MXenergy is one of the very first of what is now a total of 200 companies to offer this type of competitively priced energy to residential and commercial clients in the deregulated marketplace.  It has played a uniquely environmentally aware role in the market since its inception in 1999.  It has also demonstrated strong a strong sense of community awareness.   

The organization belongs to the Chicago Climate Exchange through an alliance with the certified offset aggregator, Valley Wood, Inc.  It is also an Energy Star Partner.  Connecticut customers have the option of buying 100% renewable energy.  The organization places a very strong focus on sustainability issues and the environment.  Carbon offset credits are offered to clients who seek to neutralize their carbon footprint.  In Columbus Georgia, the money from these credits goes toward reforestation programs.   

MXenergy sponsored two community service initiatives in year 2010.  The first of these was in Allentown, PA, where the organization partnered with radio stations WAEB 790AM, WODE 9939 FM The HAWK, and WMHX 106.7 FM.  This drive gathered food and warm clothing for the Jewish Family Service Food Bank, the Kosher Food Pantry, and the Volunteers of American in Mechanicsburg, The Rescue Mission, and the Salvation Army in Allentown.   

In Norwalk, CT, MXenergy partnered with 95.9 FM The Fox.  This community drive was originally intended to only collect food and warm clothing for the Norwalk Emergency Center.  However, so many donations were made by residents that a large donation was also made to Bridgeport, CT’s Community Closet.   

In 2009, MXenergy financially back James Boncek’s conversion of a 1993 Toyota Tercel from gasoline to battery power.  After 100 hours of research and 100 hours of labor, the conversion was successful.  Mr. Boncek’s car runs off of 12 batteries and gets 50 miles per charge.  It can be recharged at any wall socket.

The term “carbon credits” is used to describe any tradable certificate or permit which allows the right to emit one ton of carbon or carbon dioxide equivalent.  Carbon credits and carbon markets were created as part of a national and international attempt to mitigate the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.  Greenhouse gases absorb and emit radiation in the atmosphere and are the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect.  Primarily greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and ozone. Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, burning fossil fuels has contributed to the increase in carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere.  Carbon dioxide is emitted by the combustion of carbon caused by the proportional increase of energy consumption by industrialized nations worldwide.

Carbon credits are traded on the international market as an application of emission trading.  Greenhouse gas emissions are capped and then markets are used to distribute the emissions among the group of regulated sources.  The goal of trading carbon credits is to allow market mechanisms and procedures to encourage low emission practices and less carbon intensive approaches in commercial processes as an alternative to no-cost practices that emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.  Carbon credits are generated by greenhouse gas mitigation projects the accrued carbon credits can be used to finance carbon reduction practices between trading partners.

Carbon credits can be purchased by commercial and individual customers who voluntarily take action to reduce their carbon footprint.  Investment funds and carbon development companies collect carbon credits from individual projects and make it available to businesses and individuals who want to actively offset carbon emissions.  The quality of carbon credit is determined through a sophisticated validation process performed by the investment fund or development company that sponsors the carbon project.  Carbon credits quality is reflected in price.  Carbon credits sold through the meticulously validated Clean Development Mechanism has greater value than carbon credits sold voluntarily.

The carbon credits market creates an incentive to reduce greenhouse emissions by assigning a cost to polluting the atmosphere.  Businesses are allowed a quota of how many tons of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases it can produce annually.  Once that quota is reached the business is required to purchase carbon credit for the excess.  The expense associated with the mandated purchase of carbon credits is intended to act as an incentive for businesses to take steps to reduce emissions.  Furthermore, companies and individuals who use less than their quota can profit by trading their available carbon credits. 

By treating emissions as a market commodity, proponents of carbon credits maintain that businesses that contribute greenhouse gases are better equipped and more inclined to understand and manage their carbon emission activities.  The availability of carbon credits creates a program that rewards individuals and companies who take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Consumers are becoming more aware of their dependence on fossil fuels and its impact on the environment. Beginning to live a more environmentally-friendly lifestyle can be a daunting task—with lots of new terminology and vendors marketing everything from windows to light bulbs with claims of energy efficiency. A good place to begin to assess your existing dependency and evaluate ways to reduce fuel use is to use an online tool to calculate carbon footprint. Tools that will calculate a carbon footprint will evaluate your lifestyle and provide feedback on the amount of carbon emissions you produce annually.

Carbon footprint calculators work by asking you a series of questions that quantify your emissions based upon your lifestyle. Most tools that calculate carbon footprints begin with an average individual emissions amount that is calculated by dividing total US annual emissions by the population. A Carbon footprint can be calculated for you as an individual, or based upon the size of your household.

Several factors increase the size of your  footprint. The primary source of carbon dioxide emissions is the burning of fossil fuels for energy (81% in 2008), therefore, your transportation amount and methods will increase your personal emissions. Shipping of goods and services from long distances also leads to increased carbon emissions, so the source of your food and shopping habits affect your footprint. The use of fossil fuels to heat and cool your home is also a contributing factor to emissions output.

Other factors benefit you when you calculate carbon footprint size. Transportation alternatives like driving hybrid vehicles or riding public transportation significantly reduce your use of gas. Choosing energy efficient appliances and HVAC equipment will similarly affect the amount of energy used at home. Simpler choices like recycling and replacing incandescent bulbs with fluorescent ones will reduce your energy use, and therefore your carbon footprint. 

After you’ve answered the questions given, the calculator will give you the size of your carbon footprint, quantified as a number of metric tons of carbon emissions produced per year. As mentioned earlier, calculating your carbon footprint size is just the beginning of your journey. Now, you need to find ways to reduce or offset your carbon use.

A helpful reason to calculate carbon footprint is to learn methods for reducing your carbon emissions. Many calculators actually display the amount of annual emissions credited or deducted from your footprint as you answer the questions, which can be a great way to get ideas for living more efficiently. When reducing your carbon emissions, it’s best to take little steps first, and plan for larger changes as you can afford them. Taking shorter showers or unplugging appliances when unused are simple ways to reduce your footprint quickly and with no cost.

Another way to mitigate your carbon emissions is to invest in carbon offset. Carbon offset refers to providing financial support for projects that reduce or prevent carbon emissions. Carbon offset projects include reforestation, renewable energy and energy conservation programs. Purchases are quantified in carbon credits, each reflecting a unit equal to a one metric ton reduction in carbon emissions. Because of wide variances in terminology and standards among providers, consumers are advised to carefully compare credit options and look for investment in projects that offer third-party verification of emissions reduction.