PORTSMOUTH — Electricity supply prices are going up this winter for customers enrolled in Portsmouth Community Electricity, although the program’s default residential rate will remain slightly below Rhode Island Energy’s rate.

Beginning with November meter readings, the town program’s Standard option — the default for participating customers — will cost 16.929 cents per kilowatt-hour. Rhode Island Energy’s residential Last Resort Service rate is 17.029 cents per kWh from Oct. 1 through March 31.

For a residential customer using 500 kWh a month, that amounts to a difference of about 50 cents a month in supply costs.

The new Portsmouth rates will be fixed for six months, through customers’ May 2027 meter readings. Customers already participating do not need to take any action to receive the new price.

Portsmouth’s Standard option also includes 5% more renewable energy than required by the state. That additional renewable power comes from Rhode Island projects, including wind turbines at Fields Point in Providence and Coventry and solar generation in West Greenwich.

The town said customers will also receive electricity-bill credits recently announced by the governor and through a Rhode Island Energy settlement. For a typical residential customer using 500 kWh monthly, those include a roughly $20 monthly credit from January through March and a $14 credit beginning in October.

According to the town, those credits should keep participants’ total winter bills at or below their total costs from this summer, despite higher supply prices.

Customers can also choose among several Portsmouth Community Electricity options. The least expensive, Basic, will cost 16.705 cents per kWh and does not provide additional renewable energy. The “50” option, which increases renewable energy to 50%, will cost 17.108 cents, while the 100% renewable option will cost 19.344 cents.

Customers may change options, leave the program for Rhode Island Energy supply or join the community program at any time without a fee or penalty. Residents who opted out in May must re-enroll if they want to participate again.

Portsmouth is one of eight Rhode Island communities participating in municipal electricity aggregation programs with a common supplier and pricing.