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Energy software Kilowatt pitches opt-in municipal pilot to Westerly council
Summary
James Graasso, founder of Kilowatt, presented an AI-based platform that searches supplier offers and aims to guarantee savings for households and businesses; council members asked for a town-led vetting process and clarity about data security before any endorsement.
James Graasso, founder of the cloud-based energy platform Kilowatt, told the Westerly Town Council on Nov. 3 that his application uses algorithms to shop thousands of supplier offers each day and can lock in prices when market conditions favor savings. "My name is James Graasso. I am founder of Kilowatt," he said during a presentation introduced by town manager Sean Lacy.
Graasso said Kilowatt is designed to be opt-in and to prevent consumers from accepting offers that would cost them more than the utility. He described two modes: a guaranteed-savings approach that compares offers to the utilityrate, and a deeper forecasting mode that shops farther into the market for potential lows. He also said Kilowatt can aggregate participant data into town-level savings reports if the municipality requests them.
During a council question-and-answer, members pressed Graasso on several topics: whether the town would play a promotional or vetting role; where and how customer data are stored; whether municipal accounts had been piloted; and how the app handles contract terms and early-termination fees. Graasso said Kilowatt is live and in production, that Cranston is running a municipal account test for municipal accounts (not resident enrollments), and that suppliers currently sharing offers with Kilowatt in Rhode Island include First Point Power and Gridwell. He said supplier partners pay a license fee and that there is no direct fee to consumers.
Councilors repeatedly urged that the town establish a vetting committee or ask the town manager to review the platformmechanisms for consumer protections before the council would consider any official endorsement. In response, Graasso said he welcomed vetting and suggested follow-up briefings or a technical review: "I would present it in more detail, whether it's through a follow-up meeting ... to learn the details to see how this actually works, how it functions, the mechanisms and the logic that we have in place for consumer protection," he said.
No formal action was taken; the presentation closed with councilors supporting further review rather than immediate endorsement.
