North Kingstown Ocean State Community Electricity Public Information Meeting - December 4, 2025
North Kingstown Ocean State Community Electricity Public Information Meeting
On December 4, 2025, the Town of North Kingstown held a public information meeting to present the Ocean State Community Electricity program, a municipal electricity aggregation program. The meeting was led by Courtney and Rachel from Good Energy, the program consultant, and included a presentation followed by a question-and-answer session. The program aims to provide residents and businesses with competitive electricity supply options and additional renewable energy choices, with automatic enrollment starting in January 2026 for those on Rhode Island Energy Last Resort Service.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Several residents expressed confusion about the opt-out nature of the program, with one stating, "This is not a choice; we're being put into it and have to opt out." The consultants clarified that while the program is designed as opt-out, participation is voluntary and residents can opt out at any time without penalty.
- A resident questioned the timing of the notification, stating that the program has been in development for years but letters were only sent recently. The consultants explained that pricing and terms were finalized only shortly before the mailing, and that earlier public meetings and council discussions had occurred.
- One resident asked about the difference in cost between the Standard and Basic options, noting that a small difference might not matter to some. The consultants explained that the Basic is the most cost-effective, and the Standard adds 5% renewable energy at a slightly higher price.
- A resident raised concerns about voltage increases from new smart meters, claiming a 4% voltage increase that could offset savings. The consultants directed them to Rhode Island Energy for meter concerns, as the program does not affect voltage or delivery.
- Several residents asked about the opt-out process, including whether notification is received when opting out by mail. The consultants confirmed that mailed opt-out cards do not receive confirmation, but online opt-outs provide email confirmation, and calling the supplier can verify receipt.
- A resident asked about the experience of the seven other Rhode Island communities already in the program. The consultants reported that those communities have consistently seen savings of 5–10% compared to Rhode Island Energy Last Resort Service over the past three years, but noted that savings cannot be guaranteed for future six-month periods.
- A resident questioned why the program is opt-out rather than opt-in, referencing earlier statements that the opt-out structure was required by state law. The consultants apologized for the miscommunication and clarified that the program is designed as opt-out because opt-in models do not achieve the high participation needed to attract competitive suppliers, and that the 2017 Rhode Island statute revision enabled opt-out aggregations.
Discussion Items
- Courtney and Rachel presented the program's purpose: to leverage the town's collective buying power to select an electricity supplier (NextEra Energy Services) and offer three supply options—Standard (46% renewable, 14.69¢/kWh), Basic (41% renewable, 14.447¢/kWh), and Plus (100% renewable, 17.652¢/kWh). All rates are fixed for six months starting January 2026.
- The consultants explained that only the supply portion of the bill changes; delivery, billing, solar net metering, low-income discounts, and budget billing all remain with Rhode Island Energy.
- They emphasized that participation is voluntary and that residents can opt out at any time without penalty. The deadline to opt out before automatic enrollment is December 13, 2025, with the opt-out request postmarked by that date.
- The consultants clarified that Good Energy is paid by the supplier (NextEra), not by the town or residents. The town does not make or lose money from the program.
- The program is part of a buying group of seven Rhode Island communities that have been operating for three years.
Key Outcomes
- Automatic Enrollment: Residents on Rhode Island Energy Last Resort Service who do not opt out by December 13, 2025, will be automatically enrolled in the Standard option starting with their January 2026 meter read.
- Opt-Out Methods: Residents can opt out by calling NextEra at (888) 880-3211, filling out the online form at OceanStateCommunityElectricity.com, or mailing the postage-paid card included in the notification letter. Opt-out requests must be postmarked by December 13, 2025, to avoid enrollment.
- Opt-In for Basic or Plus: Residents can choose the Basic or Plus option at any time by calling the same number or using the online form. Once enrolled, they remain on that option until they change or opt out.
- Clarification on Opt-Out Program: The consultants clarified that the program is structured as an opt-out model by design, not because it is legally required. They apologized for any prior miscommunication suggesting otherwise.
- No Penalties: There are no fees to opt out, opt in, or change options at any time during the program's two-year contract with NextEra.
- Next Steps: The program website will post updated presentations and FAQs. The consultants will remain available for individual questions via phone (401-203-3400) or the website contact form.
Meeting Transcript
Of North Kingstown. We're just going to give a brief introduction to our consultant Good Energy. So Ocean State Community Electricity is a program that's endorsed by the town of North Kingstown, and some of the goals of the program are to give energy consumers more options when it comes to their energy supplier. So right now you could go out as an individual and seek a third party supplier, but it takes a lot of information and knowledge to be able to do that. So this kind of sets you up a second option without having to do that research on your own. Another tangible benefit could potentially be savings, which we do hope for. So today, Good Energy is going to walk you through a brief presentation of how the program works and what you can expect if you decide to stay in or opt out of the program. They are the experts in this field, and after that, they're going to take any questions that you may have. I also want to let everyone know I know it's a little bit tight in here. We have had three prior presentations, so if anyone at any time is uncomfortable or prefers, we do have those previous meetings available online. And a lot of the questions that are going to be asked will probably be very similar. So if you do want to watch that, you can see myself or Nicole, and we can send you that link afterwards. And we'll make sure that link is available on the program website as well. Hi everyone, my name is Courtney. I'm here with Good Energy, and I'm with my colleague Rachel today. We are really excited to present to you today about the Ocean State Community Electricity Program. Just so you know what this presentation is going to be. It's going to be about 15 to 20 minutes long, and afterwards, we'll have a QA session where the majority of our time will be spent. We ask that you keep your questions until that QA session. That will be the majority of the meeting today. And we are going to run through in this presentation how the program works, what supply options you have through the program, and how participating or not participating in the program works. So without further ado, we thought we would start by talking about the purpose of the program. Ocean State Community Electricity is known as a municipal aggregation program. The collective buying power of a town is pooled together and leveraged to select an electricity supplier for the program. The only thing that changes if you participate in this program is who your supplier is and that supply rate on your bill. While we can't guarantee savings in every six-month rate period, our programs, both in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, have historically all saved money over the course of the entire contract for its participants. So, in terms of how it works, as I mentioned before, this is a municipal aggregation program which functions based off of collective buying power. I want to address how this is an opt-out program because we've received a lot of questions about it over customer support, and there was a lot of conversation about it around our last public meetings. Once a town authorizes aggregation programs for their community, there is a bid with thoroughly vetted suppliers, and negotiations occur for the best prices and terms with the buying power of the whole town. This is why the program is designed as an opt-out program. In our experience running these programs nationally for 15 years, opt-in programs do not achieve meaningful participation. High participation is necessary to attract suppliers, and without supplier interest, the program does not function. And so, because of this, opt-in models are considered a non-starter. And I want to clarify that there was a question two public meetings ago about why the program is opt-out instead of opt-in. To clarify, this particular program is designed solely as an opt-out program. It is not structured to operate as an opt-in program because opt-in does not work effectively. In Rhode Island law, while the statute does allow for opt-in programs and nearly every state allows for opt-in programs, those programs do not reach the critical mass of participation required for suppliers to offer competitive pricing. So the Rhode Island legislator recognized these barriers and revised the statute for aggregation programs in 2017 to make these opt-out programs available and realistically allow for aggregation in the state of Rhode Island. So we apologize if there was any miscommunication on any of the previous public meetings, which, as mentioned before, are available online. What we are able to offer is competitive pricing, electricity supply options, and maintain your right to come and go out of this program at any time. A great benefit of these aggregation programs are the consumer protections that are built into the contract and town negotiated. So there's no penalty fees associated with leaving the program, with rejoining the program, or changing what electricity supply option you choose. So you can maintain that right to come and go at any time. So this program is joining a group of seven active aggregation programs that are pulled together into what's called a buying group. And these include the neighboring South Kingstown and Narragansett, who all share good energy as a consultant. So moving on from how it works, I want to touch on our electricity supplier for the program. Next ERA has been chosen as the supplier for the program through that competitive bidding process that I discussed before. One of our next era is one of the largest wholesale suppliers in New England and nationally. Next era supply will start through the program in January of 2026. So the program has not started yet.
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