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Council asks staff to form committee to vet Kilowatt energy option and other aggregation approaches
Summary
After debate over a private energy-aggregation vendor, the Richmond council directed staff to draft a resolution creating a volunteer committee to investigate Kilowatt’s proposal and compare it with state-sponsored community choice aggregation and other potential vendors.
Councilors debated whether the town should endorse or otherwise host information about Kilowatt, a private energy-aggregation vendor, and whether doing so would set a precedent for endorsing private businesses.
Town administration presented background on earlier community-choice aggregation (a state-vetted program) and contrasted that with Kilowatt’s private, opt-in model. Some councilors said they had signed up to test the service so they could speak from experience; others cautioned the town should not appear to endorse a private company and urged an impartial review.
After discussion, a motion passed instructing staff to draft a resolution to establish a volunteer committee of at least five people charged with investigating Kilowatt’s offering and any competitors. The committee’s scope will include comparing private vendor proposals with state-sponsored aggregation options, making the comparative information publicly available, and recommending whether the town should host information on its website or take additional steps. The council asked staff to include one council liaison and to avoid narrowing the charge to a single vendor.
What happens next: staff will prepare a draft resolution establishing the committee and return it for council approval; the committee will vet Kilowatt and comparable options and recommend next steps to the council.
