Weston Power Choice program sees wide adoption

Over the past two years, Weston residents have been cutting down on carbon emissions, and they may also see savings on their energy bills.

They are able to do this through Weston Power Choice, an electricity purchasing program run by Peregrine Energy Group.

Nick Christman, the chair of Weston’s Sustainability Committee, and Paul Gromer, CEO of Peregrine Energy Group, updated the Select Board on Nov. 13 on the status of the program, which is about 18 months into its existence.

Christman said the program has made electricity more affordable for residents and provides more renewable energy credits than typical Eversource rates. The opt-out program requires no action from Eversource Basic Service customers who are automatically enrolled. According to the Power Choice website, they will receive automatic enrollment notifications in March.

According to Gromer, Weston residents have saved more than $1.4 million. Over the past year, the Power Choice price has remained below the Eversource rate, which is abnormal for such programs, since Eversource prices fluctuate and there is no guarantee for consistent savings in the program.

“That’s very good and not typical,” he said.

Gromer said around 75% of utility accounts in town are part of the program, which is a higher participation than he has seen in most communities.

Within the program, there are three options ranging from about 12 cents to 15 cents per kilowatt-hour, as compared to Eversource’s basic service which Power Choice says is about 15 cents per kilowatt-hour.

“You have about 12% who’ve chosen the lowest-cost option,” Gromer said. “This is a fairly normal distribution of accounts, but higher participation in total than most communities have.”

Those prices are set through next December, when Weston Power Choice’s contract ends. Next year, Gromer said, suppliers will have to bid on the contracts.

“The way the program operates is you have one tiny contract with a consulting firm like mine, and then a much larger one with an electricity supply company,” he said. “To keep the program going, you would need to enter into a new contract about mid-September of next year.”

He also added that he hopes to reach the rest of the residents in town and inform them about the prices available through their program. More information can be found at westonpowerchoice.com.