Providence and Other Community Electricity Programs' Rates 20% Higher Than RI Energy This Summer

Providence and Other Community Electricity Programs' Rates 20% Higher Than RI Energy This Summer

When the Community Electricity Programs launched in early 2023, they promised to be greener and to provide a discount over RI Energy’s pricing, but three years later, there have been few savings, and this summer consumers in the program are about to take a major hit.

This summer, Community Electric rates will be 20% higher than those of Rhode Island Energy.

Energy expert James Grasso said, “For the period April through September 2026, residential is 20% higher than RI Energy Last Resort. Small commercial rates are closer to 30% higher than RI Energy."  

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Grasso adds, “Prior to April 2026, the program yielded a scant 1-2% average savings vs. RI Energy Last Resort Service, and lost to the competitive supply market every month.  Any savings the program yielded to date will not only be wiped out this summer, it will push participating taxpayers into the red with a net loss vs. the utility alternative.”

And, Grasso is a regular critic of Rhode Island Energy — he heads the firm Silent Sherpa, an energy consulting firm that works with Amica, TD Garden, and other large energy consumers.

Greg Cornett, the President of Rhode Island Energy, echoes Grasso’s comments.

“And in many communities in Rhode Island, Providence is one notable example. The communities have themselves decided to aggregate and collectively pick one supplier to provide service to their constituents and residents unless they opt out,” said Cornett in a phone interview with GoLocal on Wednesday.

“So, there is no penalty at least. I'm not aware of any penalty. There would certainly be no penalty in joining RI Energy. And I don't believe on the municipal side that if the customer decides to switch out. So it's an individual decision that can go on to our website… if they want to go in and make a change to their supplier, they can do that. It's not instantaneous, but it certainly happens within a matter of a couple days, if not sooner,” said Cornett.

 

Smiley Defends the Program

In 2026, Smiley defends the program.

Smiley said in an email to GoLocal on Wednesday, “I’m proud to have made a commitment to provide cleaner, more sustainable energy to our community when we implemented this program in 2023. Since then, we have successfully made renewable energy more accessible and consistently provided a competitive, more affordable energy alternative for our residents. While I’m disappointed that extreme weather in recent months dramatically exacerbated the cost of utilities in Providence and in cities across the region, this program continues to provide competitive pricing and more clean energy options.”

By the end of the summer, the program will be a net economic loser for its consumers.

Providence residents can opt out HERE.

 

Program's Foundation in 2023 - Trump, DeSantis

A GoLocal investigation at the inception of the program in 2023, unveiled that the Providence program was buying its energy from NextEra.

NextEra had been in the national and global news. The company has been a major funder of Republican candidates in Florida and in DC. The company has provided more than $127,000 to election deniers in Congress, according to ProPublica. NextEra has close ties with the Trump administration and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. 

The London media company, the Guardian, published a major investigative piece about NextEra’s subsidiary, Florida Power & Light.

In July 2022, the Guardian published a major expose´ titled “Leaked: US power companies secretly spending millions to protect profits and fight clean energy.”

The investigation uncovered a range of damning communications:

"The CEO of the biggest power company in the US had a problem. A Democratic state senator was proposing a law that could cut into Florida Power & Light’s (FPL) profits. Landlords would be able to sell cheap rooftop solar power directly to their tenants – bypassing FPL and its monopoly on electricity.

“I want you to make his life a living hell … seriously,” FPL’s CEO Eric Silagy wrote in a 2019 email to two of his vice-presidents about state Senator José Javier Rodríguez, who proposed the legislation.

Within minutes, one of them forwarded the directive to the CEO of Matrix, LLC, a powerful but little-known political consulting firm that has operated behind the scenes in at least eight states.

Rodríguez was ousted from office in the next election. Matrix employees spent heavily on political advertisements for a candidate with the same last name as Rodríguez, who split the vote. That candidate later admitted he was bribed to run.

Hundreds of pages of internal documents – which are only coming to light now because Matrix’s founders are locked in an epic feud – detail the firm’s secret work to help power companies like FPL protect their profits and fight the transition to cleaner forms of energy.

As a result of that report and other investigations, Silagy and the company have been tied to allegations of campaign finance violations, media manipulation, and the surveillance of critical journalists. Silagy, CEO since 2014, will depart the company in April.

In 2023, members of Smiley's staff admitted in a phone interview with GoLocal that they knew little about NextEra or its history. And then, in a statement, the Smiley administration defended NextEra -- the company and its subsidiaries that have been fined more than $30 million for federal and state violations.

"The City has contracted Good Energy, who has chosen NextEra Energy Services RI, LLC, a separate company from NextEra Energy Inc., as the electricity supplier. We are unaware of any fines that have been issued to NextEra Energy RI, LLC. However, the Mayor expects any vendor that works with the City to follow regulations meant to keep people safe," said the Smiley administration in 2023.

In 2023, then-Newport Mayor Xaykham “Xay” Khamsyvoravong and Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera refused to respond to questions about the selection of NextEra.

And the CEO of NextEra, John Ketchum, has railed against renewable energy like offshore wind.