Mamaroneck trustees hear Sustainable Westchester briefing on Westchester Power; board agrees to place renewal options on regular agenda

Representatives from Sustainable Westchester briefed the Board of Trustees on the Westchester Power community choice aggregation program and the choices facing municipalities as the current contract approaches renewal.

Noam, who said he leads Sustainable Westchester, explained how the program bundles municipal electricity demand, instructs suppliers to buy renewable energy certificates (RECs), and defaults participating households into a municipal supply from which they may opt out. He emphasized the program’s goals — providing renewable energy, expanding consumer choice and capping electricity costs — and said participation has helped Westchester Power mitigate nearly 311,000 metric tons of carbon in 2023 across all participating municipalities. "You can think of that as nearly 74,000 cars being removed," he said, illustrating the program’s claimed regional impact.

Noam walked trustees through supply options for the next contract given current REC availability: a "light green" default at 50% renewable (tier‑2 RECs) priced lower than a 100% option; a "dark green" 100% product blending tier‑1 and tier‑2 RECs; or remaining out of the program. He said the existing renewable default in some communities was 100% tier‑2 RECs but that tier‑2 supply has tightened. For pricing, he said the current contract price is roughly 15.5¢/kWh, his team estimates a dark‑green price near 13¢ and a light‑green price near 11.5–12¢, and that indicators suggest a 10–20% reduction is possible once bids are received — but he cautioned those are not guarantees until formal bids arrive.

Trustees raised concerns about opt‑out communications and the financial sensitivity of some residents; Noam described multiple opt‑out channels (mail, online, phone) and said households eligible for utility assistance (HEAP) are not enrolled automatically in aggregation under state rules. Several trustees emphasized outreach needs and asked Sustainable Westchester to supply consumer education materials; Noam offered short explainer videos and bilingual outreach assistance.

Because procurement bids were imminent (Noam said supply bids were expected around July 11 and REC availability later in the month), trustees decided to move the Westchester Power renewal discussion and public comment to the regular meeting so residents could weigh in. Trustee S2 moved to add the item to the main meeting agenda; the board approved the motion by voice vote.

What happens next: the Board added the Westchester Power item to the regular meeting agenda to allow public comment and to let trustees consider whether to sign the MOU that would default the village to either a 50% or 100% renewable default for the next contract period. Any final decision will follow public comment and receipt of formal supplier bids.