Clean Currents and Groundswell Help 109 Local Organizations Save Money and  Switch to Wind Power

(ROCKVILLE, MD, April 16, 2012) – Clean Currents, a leading green energy supplier in the Mid-Atlantic, and Groundswell, a DC based nonprofit, announced the successful close of its third green energy purchase, called the Community Power Project.  109 groups from across Maryland and the District – more than twice the number that participated in the previous green energy buying group – were assembled to leverage collective buying power in order to take advantage of lower electricity rates while also going green.

Groundswell, a DC based nonprofit committed to unlocking communities' shared economic power to grow sustainability and expand prosperity, assembled the group, which includes religious, community, labor, and low-income housing organizations based in the Washington DC and Maryland area.  The Georgetown Presbyterian Church, Cesar Chavez Public Charter School, and the NAACP were among the 103 groups that took part in the green energy buying group.  Groundswell selected Clean Currents as the energy supplier.  

Collectively, the 109 participating groups purchased over 60.5 million kilowatt hours (KWh) of wind power, with an estimated aggregate savings compared to standard rates through local utilities of nearly $600,000; an average cost reduction of 10 percent.  The group energy purchase of wind power has an environmental equivalent of removing 41,718 metric tons of carbon-dioxide (CO2), a leading greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere.

“We are especially excited about this Groundswell green energy buying group because of the positive environmental and economic implications on the participating organizations.  By aggregating multiple entities’ electricity purchases, we were able to extend the benefits of green energy to local community institutions while helping them save money over the long-term,” said Gary Skulnik, President and Co-founder of Clean Currents.  “Electricity costs can command a large proportion of a community institution’s operating budget, so a cost savings can be a huge boon; and the ability to switch electric supply to clean wind power is the icing on the cake,” added Skulnik.  

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Another initiative led by Groundswell is the Strong Homes Program.  Stopping home energy waste can have valuable consequences for your wallet, home health and safety and the overall comfort of where you live.  Yet, for most community members, home performance is not on the top of their leisure-time agenda.

Yet, the number of homeowners across the D.C. metro area who invest in energy upgrades is steadily climbing. Why?

The power of community.

By tapping into the strength of community connections, a local non-profit organization called Groundswell has made it more enticing for community members to look into home energy upgrades and complete the weatherization projects that they start.

Groundswell’s Strong Homes Program brings together homeowners as a group of consumers. Approaching their work as a group means community members are more likely to complete their weatherization projects and not get stalled along the way.

This allows local home performance businesses to offer community members discounts – on average 15 percent - on the services, in addition to local rebates.

The purchasing groups can stretch across neighborhoods. A current project, anchored in Capitol Hill, also includes Bloomingdale, Petworth, Eckington and Edgewood.

How effective is this approach? Ninety percent of homeowners who receive an energy assessment follow through and complete their energy upgrades. That’s nine times the U.S. average!

Do you want to join your community by completing a home energy upgrade? Call Groundswell Field Program Manager Ayla Schlosser at 202.630.9381 or email her at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it