PORTSMOUTH — The Portsmouth Community Electricity program has announced new electricity supply prices to go into effect beginning with the November 2024 meter read. 

Prices will still remain lower than Rhode Island Energy’s Last Resort Service (LRS) rate for the default electricity option. The new prices will be fixed for six months through customers’ May 2024 meter read. 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. 

Most participants in Portsmouth’s program use “Portsmouth Standard,” which provides more renewable energy than Rhode Island Energy’s LRS and will still provide cost savings this winter. The additional renewable energy is sourced entirely from local Rhode Island projects, including the Narragansett Bay Commission wind turbines at Fields Point in Providence, solar in West Greenwich, and additional wind turbines in Coventry.

The LRS listed in the above table reflects the total rate as filed by Rhode Island Energy, and the rate had not yet been approved by the Public Utilities Commission as of Oct. 1. The Portsmouth Community Electricity Program cannot guarantee savings compared to Rhode Island Energy’s LRS for the duration of the program pricing because future LRS prices are unknown.  

Portsmouth is part of a group of seven municipalities that shared in launching the first municipal aggregation programs in Rhode Island. Portsmouth, Barrington, Central Falls, Narragansett, Newport, Providence, and South Kingstown are all working with Good Energy as their consultant and share a common electricity supplier and pricing.

The voluntary renewable energy content in the program’s standard and optional products comes from projects that qualify as RI New and makes a sizable impact on the town’s carbon footprint, town officials say. The program annually purchases over 3,500 MWh of renewable energy on behalf of program participants. This equates to a reduction of over two million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.

The vast majority of the town’s residential and commercial electricity participate in the program, and collectively participants saved more than $362,000 from May 2023 through August 2024, while supporting new, renewable energy facilities in Rhode Island, according to the town.

The town-operated program is open to all Portsmouth residents and businesses. To join, complete the enrollment form at Electricity.PortsmouthRI.com or call the program’s supplier, NextEra Energy Services Rhode Island, at 888/387-1083. Participants may leave the program at any time without fees or penalties.