[Summit] Arcadia & Providence Community Electricity

[Proft, Kevin]

Hello,

There has been a lot of conversation on this list serve about how Arcadia Energy and Providence Community Electricity (PCE) will interact with each other. I asked the City's consultant on the PCE project to meet with Arcadia and get an answer to this question. Here's a quick FAQ:

1. Will switching to Providence Community Electricity impact my ability to participate in community shared solar with Arcadia?

A: No. You can participate in and receive the potential benefits of both programs at the same time.

2. Previously, you said that if I was an Arcadia customer, I shouldn't have received a notification letter in the mail, and that I wouldn't be enrolled in PCE automatically.

A: I did previously (and erroneously) say this. It is true that residents who have proactively selected a third-party electricity supplier should not have received a letter and will not be automatically enrolled in PCE. That said, I was mistaken in describing Arcadia as a third-party electricity supplier. They are not.

Joining Arcadia does not change your electricity supplier. Instead, joining Arcadia registers financial credits in the "Other Charges/Adjustments" portion of your RI Energy Bill. If RI Energy was your supplier before you signed up for Arcadia, they remain your supplier today (unless you have proactively selected a different supplier in the meantime).

Many Arcadia customers receive their energy supply from RI Energy. If you are one of those customers, you *should have* received a notification letter and you *will* be automatically enrolled in PCE unless you opt out.

3. So what do I get from each program?

A: Joining PCE switches your electricity supplier from RI Energy to NextEra. With PCE, customers get electricity supply rates that are competitive with (and ideally cheaper than) the utility rate, while sourcing more of their electricity from renewable energy. The program will also help grow renewable energy in Rhode Island.

Joining Arcadia does not switch your electricity supplier. With Arcadia, customers can reduce their electricity costs (with an appropriately sized subscription) and help grow renewable energy in Rhode Island.

I have a more detailed FAQ that I can share with Arcadia customers via email. Please email me if you'd like to receive this. kproft at providenceri.gov.

Sincerely,

Kevin Proft
Dep. Director | Dept. of Sustainability
City Hall, 25 Dorrance St., 501B, Providence
401.680.5476

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