Cooperation AWO
Together for the energy turnaround
The AWO Bundesverband e.V. and the Grüner Strom Label e.V. will cooperate in the future. The aim of the new cooperation is to promote climate protection and energy transition in social work. In addition to better access to credible green electricity products, a support program for renewable energies at AWO facilities will also be launched.
The cooperation forms a basis on which framework agreements are concluded with individual electricity providers. This gives AWO facilities and services transparent and uncomplicated access to credible and effective green electricity products - certified with the Grüner Strom-Label, of course.
Background
Switching to green electricity can be an important measure for effectively reducing the emissions of social work facilities and services in the short term. For example, CO₂ emissions per care place can be reduced by 10 to 15 percent in the short term by purchasing electricity from renewable sources. Hardly any other measure can be implemented so effectively.
Support program
An important component of the cooperation is a funding program to promote energy transition measures. The intention of the program is to support energy transition measures of AWO facilities and thus to enable and accelerate their realization.
Community-based organizations like AWO often lead the way when it comes to sustainable, forward-thinking lifestyles and social change.
Institutions that want to play an active role in shaping the energy transition can apply to the AWO Bundesverband for funding from investment funds from green electricity providers.
Funding Areas:
- Photovoltaic systems with supplementary optional measures
- Electric charging stations
- Individual projects in the development cooperation of AWO International e.V.
All AWO organizations or their societies are eligible to apply, provided that they can prove that they are customers of a green electricity product certified by Grüner Strom-Label at the time of application or that they will switch to such an electricity purchase at the earliest possible date.
Application
AWO recommends tariff comparison of environmental associations
For effective climate protection and the permanent reduction of CO₂ emissions, AWO recommends that its properties use green electricity and biogas from energy providers with our label.
Suitable electricity and gas tariffs can be found in the comparison portal of the environmental associations, Compare-you-green.com can be found. The portal enables consumers to make an independent comparison of high-quality, green energy products. Transparent, independent and without financial benefit!
Consistent climate protection
"These days, we are standing alongside Fridays for Future and calling for consistent climate protection. At the same time, we ourselves are also called upon to reduce our CO2 emissions. The cooperation should pave the way for this and also set an example."
- Brigitte Döcker, AWO Board Member
Together for the energy turnaround
Your contact person
Steffen Lembke | AWO e.V.
Head of Quality Management / Sustainability Department
What you should know about green electricity
Grüner Strom-Label
Frequently asked questions
With Green Electricity-certified green electricity tariffs, guaranteed investments flow into the expansion of renewable energies. The level of investment is determined by a fixed amount per kilowatt hour consumed. Thus, your green power purchase indirectly influences investments in the energy transition.The funding areas include the mobility transition, energy infrastructure, energy efficiency, and other projects that serve the energy transition, such as nature conservation, development cooperation, and education.
The full range of funding opportunities can be found in the criteria catalog for the Grüner Strom-Label. Selected energy transition projects can be found here.
The Grüner Strom-Label is awarded for a green electricity tariff, not for the provider itself. The label criteria therefore relate primarily to the tariff.Thus, the Grüner Strom-Label can be found on tariffs of independent green electricity providers as well as on tariffs of municipal utilities that sell conventional electricity in addition to the certified green electricity.
Nevertheless, the Green Electricity certification also looks at aspects concerning the supplier. For example, the Grüner Strom-Label will not be granted to any company that is still directly involved in a coal-fired power plant on the cut-off date of 1.1.2027, i.e. operates a coal-fired power plant itself or is involved in an operating company with share capital/share capital. Participation in nuclear power plants is also an exclusion criterion.
You can find all the energy suppliers that offer certified green electricity here.
Among them are several nationwide providers as well as local and regional energy suppliers. In our tariff portal of the environmental associations for switching energy providers. You will find all tariffs and can easily switch to a real green electricity tariff with a Grüner Strom-Label.
Green Electricity
Green electricity is electrical energy that comes from renewable sources. It can be generated from solar radiation, wind and water power, biomass, geothermal energy or sewage gas.
Electricity from renewable sources is ecologically and socially sound because it protects the climate and reduces the consumption of fossil, finite resources. In addition, it does not produce hazardous waste, such as radioactive waste from nuclear power plants.
When you buy green electricity, it doesn't mean that green electricity is actually coming out of the pipe. Every kilowatt hour generated flows into an electricity lake, from which it is then redistributed to end customers. In other words, everyone gets the same physical electricity. But every single green electricity customer helps to make the electricity lake ever greener.
However, green electricity does not automatically promote the energy transition. For this, additional investments must be made in the expansion of renewable energies. This is guaranteed by tariffs that carry the Grüner Strom-Label.
The numerous green power products available on the energy market differ significantly from one another.
The energy markets cannot prevent energy providers from relabeling their nuclear and coal-fired power as "green power" with the help of additionally purchased certificates of origin. The reason is that the certificates can be traded independently of the actual quantities of electricity. Under this model, an energy supplier can supply its green electricity customers with electricity from conventional power plants. For this electricity, the utility buys an equivalent amount of (very cheap) guarantees of origin and can then re-declare its electricity as green electricity. The electricity purchased for customers and the guarantees of origin therefore do not come from one and the same power plant.
In addition, the decisive point in a green electricity tariff is whether or not the consumers provide an additional environmental benefit with their purchase decision. An additional environmental benefit arises when the purchase of green electricity promotes the nature-friendly expansion of renewable energies. However, this is not the case with many green electricity offers.
If, for example, an energy supplier only purchases electricity from old hydroelectric power plants for its green electricity customers, then an already existing amount of green electricity is only diverted to a certain group of consumers. The consumers who previously received the hydroelectric power may now (unknowingly) be supplied with nuclear power because they do not specifically ask for green power. The bottom line is that everything remains the same, new plants are not built, and the share of green electricity in the European electricity mix is no higher than before. Such supposedly "green" tariffs promise an additional environmental benefit that cannot be proven. In terms of this promise, they are deceptive packages.
The Grüner Strom-Label identifies for consumers the purchase of 100% genuine green electricity as well as guaranteed investments in renewable energies and innovative energy transition projects.
The guaranteed investments in the nature-compatible expansion of renewable energies are an essential distinguishing feature compared to many other green electricity labels and green electricity tariffs, where customers only receive electricity from already existing green power plants. This is because merely shifting "green" electricity quantities back and forth does not result in any additional environmental benefit.
Green electricity tariffs for private customers require an investment of at least 0.5 cents per kilowatt hour. Many energy providers also invest more than 0.5 cents per kilowatt hour.
If you want to compare an electricity tariff via the tariff portal of the environmental associations, the subsidy component and thus your energy transition contribution will be displayed for the respective energy provider.
For commercial customers, the subsidy is lower due to the higher consumption values: it ranges from 0.1 cents to 0.4 cents per kilowatt hour.
Yes. Green electricity tariffs do not necessarily have to bear a label. Certification by the Grüner Strom-Label or other seals of approval is voluntary. There are electricity providers who do not have their tariffs independently verified at all. Here, consumers must decide for themselves how credible the offer is.
On the one hand, it is not the energy providers that are certified, but only the individual tariffs. Secondly, the certification of green electricity tariffs with the Grüner Strom-Label is voluntary. Suppliers can decide for themselves whether they wish to have their products certified according to our criteria. Therefore, we cannot make any statement about the quality of your non-certified green electricity tariff. You can find more information about our certification here.
We recommend the tariff portal of the environmental associations for switching energy providers.Here you'll find only green electricity-certified green electricity rates. When changing tariffs, you don't have to be afraid that the lights will go out at some point. The power supply is guaranteed by law - even when you switch providers. By switching, you can save energy costs, protect the environment and promote the energy transition. Here you will find helpful information on switching.
