Tuesday, October 7

Today, the City of Providence announced the new winter supply rate for the Providence Community Electricity Program, effective with the November 2024 meter read. The winter rate for the Providence Standard supply option will be set at 16.287 cents/kWh for a period of six months, providing a cost-competitive alternative to Rhode Island Energy’s supply rate of 16.387 cents/kWh. Current participants do not need to take any action to remain in the program and receive the new pricing for the product in which they are currently enrolled.   

“Since taking office, I have prioritized building partnerships and supporting initiatives that create a more sustainable, resilient city,” said Mayor Brett P. Smiley. “By integrating renewable energy into the default electricity option, the Providence Community Electricity Program remains the easiest way for our community to reduce their carbon footprint, save money on their electricity bills and join our collective efforts to build a healthier future for generations to come.” 

The Providence Community Electricity Program, launched last year, was designed to help residents and local businesses manage electricity costs, increase renewable energy use and reduce carbon pollution. The Providence Standard program offers 5% more renewable energy than Rhode Island Energy’s Last Resort Service, while also saving participants more than $1.4 million from May 2023 through August 2024. In collaboration with Providence-based nonprofit Green Energy Consumers Alliance, the Providence Community Electricity Program ensures that clean energy is sourced locally from wind turbines in Providence and Coventry, as well as solar energy from West Greenwich. Additionally, the program purchases over 15,500 megawatt hours of voluntary renewable energy each year, helping to reduce more than 11 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.  

The following table shows the prices for residential customers for different mixes of renewable energy offered by the Providence Community Electricity Program:   

Residents and businesses may also choose to increase the renewable energy content of their electricity supply to 50% or 100% renewable at any time. Enrollees are allowed to opt-out of the program at any time with no cost. 

More information about Providence Community Electricity can be found online at Electricity.ProvidenceRI.gov . Residents and businesses interested in entering the program, changing between renewable energy tiers, or that would like to opt-out can still do so when they reach out to the program’s supplier, NextEra Energy Service, at (888) 387-1084 or by visiting the program website.