North Kingstown holds public briefing on Ocean State Community Electricity aggregation; enrollment set to begin January

North Kingstown Councilor Matt McCoy opened a public briefing on the Ocean State Community Electricity municipal aggregation, introduced Good Energy consultants Courtney Van Hoeffel and Rachel Ferdinand, and said the program — which will begin supplying accounts in January 2026 — is intended to give residents and businesses another supplier option while delivery remains with Rhode Island Energy.

Courtney of Good Energy said the program is an opt-out municipal aggregation that pools the town's buying power with seven other Rhode Island municipalities to seek wholesale supply contracts and consumer protections that are difficult to obtain through individual retail contracts. "This program provides residents and businesses with new options for electricity supply," she said. She added the town's role is to enable the option and that participation is voluntary.

Rachel (Good Energy) outlined three supply products available under the program. The Basic product mirrors the state-required mix (41% renewable in 2026) and is priced at 14.447¢ per kilowatt-hour; the Standard product adds 5% Rhode Island-new renewable energy (about 46% total) and was presented at 14.69¢/kWh; the Plus product, at 17.652¢/kWh, is marketed as a 100% renewable option. Rachel said prices reset every six months and that the program follows procurement cycles similar to other municipal aggregations. "All 3 options would begin on the January meter rate should you choose to join the program," she said.

Enrollment rules differ by current supplier. Customers on Rhode Island Energy's last-resort service who received an opt-out letter will be automatically enrolled in the Standard product on their January meter read unless they opt out by December 13. Customers using a third-party supplier must affirmatively opt in through the program website, a dedicated phone number, or a mailed postcard included with the outreach letter. Rachel said there are no penalty fees for joining or leaving the aggregation.

Presenters also addressed technical and consumer concerns. Regarding rooftop solar and net metering, Rachel said customers will continue to sell surplus power to Rhode Island Energy under the same net-metering arrangements and rates; only the supply portion of their bill would change if they participate. On sourcing, Good Energy said the program's additional renewable content comes from "Rhode Island-new" projects including local wind, solar, anaerobic digestion and small hydro sourced via partner Green Energy Consumers Alliance and offered to provide project-level details through GECA.

Residents raised several lines of questioning during the Q&A. One attendee asserted that NextEra has been involved in lawsuits and large penalties in multiple states and asked whether Good Energy was comfortable recommending the company. A resident said, "In the past, they've been involved in multiple lawsuits in numerous states ... they had to pay over $30,000,000 in penalties and settlements." Courtney responded that Good Energy's vetting focuses on suppliers' ability to reliably serve the buying-group load in the wholesale market, that municipal aggregation contracts differ from one-on-one retail contracts, and that Good Energy has worked with NextEra in the buying group for three years.

Other residents asked whether diverting supply from Rhode Island Energy would reduce the utility's ability to maintain poles and wires. Presenters and Councilor McCoy said delivery and distribution remain the utility's responsibility and that distribution rates and infrastructure decisions are handled separately by the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission.

Privacy and outreach drew repeated concerns. Several attendees said mailings felt like commercial solicitations and complained of confusion about whether participation was mandatory. Good Energy and Councilor McCoy apologized for any previous miscommunication and reiterated the town does not compel enrollment: "The town does not have a position on whether you should opt in or opt out," McCoy said. Presenters explained the utility provides account information to the supplier after an aggregation contract is executed under state procedures and offered to follow up with residents and the utility on specific mailing and data-sharing questions.

Good Energy said the buying group's default product has been lower than Rhode Island Energy's last-resort service in each six-month pricing period since May 2023, but the presenters cautioned that savings cannot be guaranteed and depend on market movements. The company estimated typical residential savings on the supply portion near 5–10% for customers who remain on the Standard product, and they estimated opt-out rates in current Rhode Island communities at about 10–15%.

The meeting closed with information about additional outreach, a follow-up session the next morning at the senior center, and contact details (oceanstatecommunityelectricity.com and the program's support phone number) for residents seeking account-specific information or project-level details. McCoy emphasized the choice rests with each household: "The purpose of this program is to give you an option."