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

Some of us are big soccer fans, especially when it comes to the World Cup, now being played in Brazil.  On Monday, we witnessed an excellent match between the United States and Ghana.  As Americans, we can be proud of the 2-1 victory.  But there is more to that match than just the final score.  We also learned that Ghanaians were quite stressed out about the possibility that they would be unable to watch the big game due to electricity shortages.  For them, the World Cup is the equivalent of the World Series, Stanley Cup, Super Bowl and NBA Championships all rolled into one.

Thanks to a 4-2 vote of the Town Council on June 3, there is a good chance for the Portsmouth, RI local wind turbine to spin again.  And if everything falls into place, Portsmouth will once again become part of People’s Power & Light/Mass Energy’s green power portfolio as early as September 2014.

The Cost of Heating Oil

You may have noticed throughout the past few years that the cost of a service policy has gone up significantly. In the summer of 2013, Mass Energy looked around to see what was happening in the industry, and found that there had been a 19% increase* in the average renewal price for service contracts over the last 5 years[1]. Why?

Rhode Island was one of the first states in the country to establish a renewable energy standard, a requirement for electricity suppliers to include an increasing percentage of power from sources such as local wind turbines and solar. The standard has worked well, changing the mix that Rhode Islanders get, whether they purchase from National Grid or through a competitive supplier. The standard is scheduled to increase by 1 or 1.5% per year. However, we were disappointed in December to learn that the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), appointees of Governor Chafee, voted 2–1 to delay a scheduled increase in the state’s requirement. What it means, very simply, is less renewable energy purchased by Rhode Islanders. And that means less green power on the New England grid because generators cannot get financing to build projects unless there is sufficient demand.

If you haven’t heard about Mothers Out Front (MOF), it was only a matter of time. Mothers Out Front is a local non-profit organization gathering hundreds of parents in numerous communities to confront climate change. Motivated by the love of their children, grandchildren, and their commitment to protect them, MOF is working hard to convey the dangers climate change poses for future generations and the necessity of switching to clean energy.