Lt. Governor McKee, Division of Public Utilities Launch Energy Website Empower RI helps business and residential customers compare electricity prices
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Lt. Governor Daniel J. McKee and Rhode Island Division of Public
Utilities and Carriers Administrator Thomas F. Ahern on Wednesday announced the
launch of Empower RI, a website to help Rhode Islanders shop for the best
electricity prices for their homes and businesses.
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El nuevo portal en la red ayudara a los residentes de Rhode Island a escoger mejores tarifas de electricidad. Con las calculadoras los dueños de negocios y casas pueden calcular la cantidad de Kilovatios que usan y cuanto dinero se economizan. El teniente gobernador Daniel McKee dijo ahora los consumidores pueden decidir qué compañía utilizan para su suministro de energía, comparando las tarifas de electricidad y términos en los contractos.
Empower RI, www.ri.gov/empowerri
residential customers to compare electricity prices and contract terms from
competitive suppliers to the current «Standard Offer» from National Grid. The site
is designed to make the process of selecting a competitive electricity supplier
easier and more transparent in Rhode Island, which has some of the highest energy
costs in the country.
Empower RI is a joint effort of the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the Rhode
Island Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, and Rhode Island Interactive.
The website is part of the Lieutenant Governor’s efforts to ease the burden of high
energy costs on Rhode Island small businesses. In 2015, Lt. Governor McKee and
Attorney General Peter Kilmartin intervened before the Rhode Island Public Utilities
Commission on behalf of ratepayers to eliminate the so-called billing adjustment,
which cost National Grid electricity customers some $1.5 million last winter after
they switched to competitive suppliers. The PUC voted to end the adjustment as of
July 1, 2015, removing a barrier to a robust competitive market.
«Empower RI is a valuable tool to help small businesses and residential ratepayers
shop for the best electricity prices,» Lt. Governor McKee said. «Empower RI was
designed to do exactly what its name says: empower ratepayers to make the most
cost-effective decisions on their electricity supplier. Using this website,
consumers will be able to easily navigate the marketplace and choose the plan that’s
best for them.»
Noted Administrator Ahern, «While large industrial and commercial customers have
participated in the competitive electric supply market for years, we have only
recently seen an increase in the number of competitive suppliers offering service to
residential and small commercial customers. Empower RI will serve as a resource for
these residents and businesses.»
Rhode Island Interactive, which designed Empower RI, demonstrated the features of
the website, including a savings calculator based on kilowatt usage, at a press
conference at the State House on Wednesday.
Rhode Island Interactive is a wholly owned subsidiary of NIC USA, a publicly held
company and the largest developer of eGovernment solutions in the nation. The State
of Rhode Island has a long-term contract with Rhode Island Interactive to manage the
RI.gov