Lieutenant Governor Daniel McKee (D) joined Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers Administrator Thomas Ahern on January 27 at the State House to announce the launch of Empower RI, a website to help Rhode Islanders shop for the best retail electricity prices.
Empower RI will enable business and residential customers to compare electricity prices and terms from competitive suppliers to the current "Standard Offer" from National Grid, McKee said. The site is designed to make the process of selecting a competitive electricity supplier easier and more transparent in Rhode Island, which is a New England State with some of the highest energy costs in the country.
To date, two business suppliers – Best Practice Energy and Town Square Energy – have signed up to appear on the site. Three residential providers – Best Practice Energy, Town Square Energy, and Viridian Energy – also are participating. Suppliers currently are being limited to listing fixed-price offers that are not also introductory offers.
Their costs are being compared with the standard offer from National Grid ($89.01/month for residential customers using 1,000 kWh; $166.54/month for business customers using 2,000 kWh/month).
Empower RI represents a joint effort among the Office of the Lieutenant Governor; the Rhode Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers; and Rhode Island Interactive, the agency that built the website.
