The Energy Consumer's Bulletin- a New England energy news blog

Rhode Island Must Get Serious About Decarbonizing Buildings

The Act on Climate is one of the strongest climate policies in the nation, mandating that Rhode Island reduce its emissions 45% by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. However, the law is not self-implementing. For the state to meet these targets, it must implement additional policies, especially in the building sector, which accounts for nearly 40% of the state's greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Despite this significant contribution to GHGs, Rhode Island lacks a clear, actionable plan to decarbonize buildings.

How the “Purchase of Receivables” System Drives Up Everyone's Electric Rates in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, customers of Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil receive electricity bills that are split into two sections: distribution (or delivery) and supply. The distribution section pays for the utility that physically puts up the wires that move power. When it comes to the supply side of bills, Massachusetts is one of a minority of states that allows residential customers to buy their electricity supply in three ways, from their utility (also known as basic service), from their community through a municipal aggregation plan, or a third-party supplier sometimes called a “competitive supplier.” Even when a customer has chosen to get their supply from a municipal aggregation program or a third-party supplier, they almost always receive one bill sent by their distribution utility with charges for both distribution and supply.

Support the Rhode island Building Decarbonization Act!

UPDATE JUNE 6 2024: The Building Decarbonization Act urgently needs your help to pass in the House!

Call the Governor & Speaker:

Please take action by calling Governor McKee and Speaker Shekarchi’s offices before Friday, June 14! Speak to a staff member, or leave a message. They will be tallying your calls!

Governor McKee's office: (401) 222-2080 

Speaker Shekarchi's office: (401) 222-2447

Here's what to say:

"Hello, my name is [Name], and I live in [City/Town], RI.  I am calling to ask Speaker Shekarchi to support the Building Decarbonization Act (H-7617, and S-2952) and sign it into law this session." 

There are weeks not months left in Rhode Island’s 2024 legislative session, which means we must act urgently to pass crucial legislation for climate. 

This year, our top priority is the Building Decarbonization Act (H7617/S2952), as Rhode Island is not currently on track to achieve the emissions reductions required by the Act on Climate, and that is especially true in the building sector which makes up over a third of the state's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

Looking Back on QARI Drives Green

Way back in July 2022, we published a blog announcing QARI Drives Green, our two-year partnership with Quincy Asian Resources, Inc, better known as QARI. Our partnership was funded through a grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center through its Accelerating Clean Transportation For All (ACT4All) program. Now, nearly two years later, that particular grant has run its course, so it’s time to celebrate what we’ve achieved and look to what’s next!

New Electric Vehicles Qualify for Federal Tax Credit

As spring 2024 unfolds, we have some good news: more vehicle models are now eligible for the federal tax credit than when the list changed on January 1. The U.S. Department of Energy recently released a new list of EVs that receive between $3,750 and $7,500 in federal tax credit. And with the updates in the IRS guidelines for 2024, this credit can now be taken at point of sale, so the savings are instantaneous at IRS-registered dealerships.

Rhode Island Wants Your Feedback on New Electric Car Charging Stations!

Rhode Island is preparing to install new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and wants to hear from you about where those stations should go. This is great news for EV drivers and potential EV drivers. So where is this funding coming from, what is the plan, and how do you provide input? Read on!

New EPA Vehicle Standards & What They Mean for Massachusetts & Rhode Island

Recently, the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its final vehicle emissions regulations for vehicle model years 2027 through 2032. You’ve likely seen lots of headlines about this. As the New York Times put it, “in terms of lowering the emissions that are heating the planet, this regulation does more than any other climate rule issued by the federal government and more than any measure planned in the remainder of Mr. Biden’s first term." In this blog, we’ll cover what these regulations are, why they’re so important, and how they interact with electric vehicle (EV) policies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Good Climate Bills in the Massachusetts House of Representatives

On February 7th, Massachusetts State Representatives on the Telecommunications, Utility, and Energy Committee (TUE) led by Representative Roy, House Chair of the Committee, sent several climate and energy bills forward to the next step of the legislative process, the House Ways and Means Committee. It’s taken two months to fully update all the information on the website, but now that all the info is available, we’re excited to highlight nine great sections in the House climate bills.

WBUR/The Boston Globe: These energy suppliers say they can save you money. Regulators say it’s a scam.

This blog is a repost of a story that was produced by a partnership of the Boston Globe and WBUR. Published March 28, 2024

Across Massachusetts, the complaints sound similar: A person discovers their electric bills have spiked, and when they look into it, they find that the company providing their electricity isn’t who they expected — instead of a utility like National Grid or Eversource, it’s a third-party provider they’ve never heard of.

Coordinating Mass Save with the Clean Heat Standard is Essential

This year, Massachusetts government agencies are working on major aspects of building decarbonization in three different arenas: Mass Save, the “Future of Gas” proceeding, and the Clean Heat Standard. The Commonwealth must coordinate these efforts to find the optimum set of policy solutions. This blog outlines our view on how state agencies should be coordinating these processes.