Thursday, October 1
City’s Default Electricity Option Winter Residential rate to begin at 16.929¢/kWh this November
Today, the City of Providence announced new winter electricity supply prices for the Providence Community Electricity program to go into effect beginning with the November 2026 meter read. The program’s winter pricing for the default electricity will cost less than RI Energy’s Residential Last Resort Service rate, while continuing to offer 5% more clean energy from RI based sources. The new prices will be fixed for six months through customers’ April 2027 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.
“Investing in clean and renewable energy has been a priority of my administration since I took office,” said Mayor Brett P. Smiley. “The Providence Community Electricity program creates tangible ways for our communities to not only reduce their carbon footprint, but also invest in building a cleaner, greener and healthier Providence.”
The City is pleased to confirm that participants will receive all bill credits recently announced by Governor McKee’s Executive Order and the RI Energy Hold Harmless settlement. These include a roughly $20 credit for residential customers for months January through March and a $14 credit beginning October 2026 (for a typical customer using 500 kWh monthly).
While the program’s supply prices, like that of RI Energy’s supply, are increasing this winter, the bill credits mentioned above will keep customers’ total bills over the winter pricing period at or below their total cost from this summer.
The additional renewable energy in the program 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. Program participants annually purchase more than 20,000 megawatt-hours of voluntary renewable energy, equivalent to displacing over 14.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
The program expands community members’ choices for electricity supply, and residents and businesses can exercise that choice at any time:
- Participants may switch between Providence Community Electricity options at any time, such as to the lower-priced Basic or to the 100% renewable Plus product.
- Participants may leave the program at any time and return to RI Energy supply, without fees or penalties.
Non-participants may join the program at any time.
Residential Pricing Beginning November 2026:
* RI Energy’s residential Last Resort Service price is 17.029 ¢/kWh from October 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027 and includes no additional renewable energy.
*For customers on A-60 low-income distribution rate from RI Energy, they receive a 25-30% reduction on their entire electricity bill. The “Low-Income” supply rates shown above factor in a 30% discount on regular residential price. Note that these prices will not appear on the bill but will be the effective rate once the 30% bill discount is applied to the total. Learn more at https://www.rienergy.com/site/ways-to-save/assistance-programs/discount-rates.
Prices for Residential, Commercial and Industrial customers can be found on the program website: Electricity.ProvidenceRI.gov.
Participants may switch their product option or leave the program at any time, without fees or penalties. To make a change, use our form at Electricity.ProvidenceRI.gov or call the supplier, NextEra Energy Services at (888) 387-1084. Participants looking for the lowest cost in the program can switch to Providence Basic.
As program prices and electricity costs in general are rising, the following programs may help residents manage the cost of energy bills:
- Low-Income Discount Rates: Rhode Island Energy customers who are currently enrolled in certain government assistance programs, like SNAP or Medicaid, qualify for either a 25% or 30% discount on their monthly RIE bills. Learn more here.
- Weatherization Assistance Program: LIHEAP recipients may also be eligible for home weatherization improvements including insulation. Learn more here.
- Energy efficiency programs: Rhode Island Energy offers a variety of energy efficiency rebates, incentives, and services for residents, listed here. There are also a variety of incentives to convert heating and cooling to high efficiency heat pumps, listed here.
- RI Energy Home Energy Assessment: Schedule a no-cost home energy assessment to understand energy-saving opportunities. An energy specialist will assess your energy use, develop a plan to make your home more energy-efficient, and identify available rebates and incentives to make the improvements. Schedule an assessment here.
- Budget Billing: Rhode Island Energy’s Budget Billing program averages annual energy costs into 12 equal monthly payments, making it easier to manage expenses during high-usage months like winter and summer. Learn more here.