Energy deregulation allows New York energy customers to not only determine their energy costs, but also the type of energy they wish to use. New York's goal is to have 30 percent of the electricity used in the state generated from renewable sources by 2015, according to the Times Herald-Record.

New York energy customers are showing they don't mind paying a little bit more per month to use renewable energy. Marlena Lange, a New York energy customer, pays about $5 more per month to use renewable energy.

"I did it for the same reason I have a Prius and and I'm on the board of the Orange County Land Trust and all the other environmental things I do," Lange told the paper. "I figure I should put my money where my mouth is!"

Another New York entity is making the news with their energy use. Mount Sinai School District in Long Island, New York have saved $350,000 per year by simply reminding students and teachers to turn off the light when a classroom is empty, according to The New York Times.

The school district has made this process more efficient by hiring an official energy manager. Chris Heil, an assistant high school principal, polices the hallways and writes teachers tickets who fail to keep their lights off when not in use, says the paper.