ALBANY — The New York State Public Service Commission (Commission) today approved New York’s fourth Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program, allowing seven Upstate communities to make bulk purchases of electricity and natural gas for their residents and small businesses that can help lower energy bills and combat climate change. The approved program also allows CCA members to become community-distributed generation (CDG) subscribers, which will allow residents to participate in local community-scale renewable energy projects.

“Community Choice Aggregation provides consumers and small businesses with greater control over energy bills and energy choices,” said Commission Chair John B. Rhodes. “With this option in hand, residential and small business customers can reduce their energy bills, take advantage of renewable energy choices and enjoy other money-saving services because of the leverage enabled by the bulk purchasing available through these community-based associations.”

Created under Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) strategy, CCAs can provide communities with lower energy prices, as well as new clean energy options. The CCA program approved today is organized by the energy consultant Joule Assets, Inc. to serve the Town of Fishkill, the City of Beacon, the Town of Philipstown, the Village of Cold Spring, the Village of Lima, the Village of Brockport, and the Town of Geneva.

Before this latest approval, the Commission most recently permitted five communities in Central New York and in the Capital Region to form a CCA with Good Energy acting as the CCA administrator. Previously, the Commission had also allowed 22 municipalities in Westchester County to form a CCA and 23 municipalities have joined the CCA program administered by the Municipal Electric and Gas Alliance (MEGA).

CCAs are growing in popularity across New York State. While additional communities may pass local laws in the future to join or establish a CCA, under the program regulations residents and small businesses can decline the opportunity to join a CCA and remain a customer of a utility or energy service company (ESCO). The decision also addresses consumer protections, including how the CCA will ensure protection of data, including data security protocols and restrictions to prevent the sale of that data or its use for inappropriate purposes. The order also included customer protections related to the CDG product, including a guaranteed savings requirement.

In its decision, the Commission permitted Joule to integrate CDG into its CCA, as proposed, but will not approve at this time utility-consolidated billing for the CDG product; instead, Joule will be required to separately bill customers for the CDG charges. While CCAs can result in lower energy prices, Joule will also help municipalities determine whether renewable or clean energy products can be included as part of the CCA program. Joule will facilitate the solicitation of renewables and distributed energy resources (DER), as directed by program municipalities, and also represent those municipalities in REV markets, such as demand management programs, energy efficiency incentives, and by participating in community-scale renewable energy projects. A central priority of Joule’s CCA program is to both incentivize local renewable generation and demand-side resources, and to create a mechanism for flexibly integrating DER into the program as they become available.     

Today’s decision may be obtained by going to the Commission Documents section of the Commission’s Web site at www.dps.ny.gov and entering Case Number 14-M-0224 in the input box labeled "Search for Case/Matter Number". Many libraries offer free Internet access. Commission documents may also be obtained from the Commission’s Files Office, 14th floor, Three Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223 (518-474-2500). If you have difficulty understanding English, please call us at 1-800-342-3377 for free language assistance services regarding this press release.

About Reforming the Energy Vision

Reforming the Energy Vision is Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's strategy to lead on climate change and grow New York's economy. REV is building a cleaner, more resilient and affordable energy system for all New Yorkers by stimulating investment in clean technologies like solar, wind, and energy efficiency and requiring 50 percent of the state's electricity needs from renewable energy by 2030. Already, REV has driven growth of more than 1,000 percent in the statewide solar market, improved energy affordability for 1.65 million low-income customers, and created thousands of jobs in manufacturing, engineering, and other clean tech sectors. REV is ensuring New York reduces statewide greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030 and achieves the internationally recognized target of reducing emissions 80 percent by 2050. To learn more about REV, including the Governor's $5 billion investment in clean energy technology and innovation, visit rev.ny.gov, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.