In March of 2022 Yonkers became the largest city in New York to establish a community energy program under the NY State community choice aggregation model, reinforcing it’s already impressive accomplishments and momentum under its Yonkers Green City initiative.
Scroll down for more information about the program, rates, contact information, how
to know whether you’re in the program, program outreach and education and more
Constellation New Energy is the supplier for this contract, which is in effect
from the first meter reads in March of 2022 to first meter reads of December 2023
NY State sourced
Primarily hydropower
Residential: 8.71¢/kWh
Grid mix similar to utility
Majority fossil fueled
Residential: 7.52¢/kWh
Rates will display on your bill with the 3% Gross Receipt Tax (GRT) added
COLLECTIVE POWER – the community-selected default electricity supply option for 29 participating municipalities
[ConEdison remains responsible for Distribution – the infrastructure and billing]
100% RENEWABLE ENERGY made easily accessible, vetted, at scale; Standard supply also available
OPT-OUT FORMAT – eligible customers are enrolled in the default supply unless they take action to opt out or change supply
CONSUMER-FRIENDLY structure allows you to participate with no contracts, fees, or penalties for coming or going.
RATE STABILITY – stable and predictable pricing vs the monthly variability of the utility supply
Savings are not guaranteed through this program, as we cannot predict what the utility will charge month-to-month
For more information the Dept. of Public Service has prepared this FAQ: faq-template_v2.pdf
When your electricity supply is from an Energy Service Company (ESCO) such as is the case with participation in Westchester Power, the supply charge is separated from the Con Edison distribution charge, where before they were combined. Click here for Con Edison explanation of other charges.
Westchester Power is a community electricity program managed by local nonprofit Sustainable Westchester. The program was established in 2016 and today includes 28 Westchester County municipalities who buy their electricity in bulk to provide low-cost fixed rates. With the addition of the City of Yonkers in March, the program will expand to 29 municipalities and provide 100% renewable energy supply to roughly 135,000 Westchester residents and small businesses (and standard energy supply to another 10,000 accounts).
To date, this program has been able to offset the emission of roughly 880,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent into the atmosphere. That represents ~191,000 cars off the road for a year, or 14.6 million seedlings grown for 10 years.
Since the recording of this video the Village of Tuckahoe joined the program (with the 2020 contract), as well as Yonkers (March 2022).
Check back for Westchester Power Program Information Sessions
Please contact westchesterpower@sustainablewestchester.org if you are interested in co-sponsoring a future information session on the Yonkers Community Energy Program.
Email Westchester Power program staff with any of your questions or comments about the program:
westchesterpower@sustainablewestchester.org
The large scale of the program enables us to attract new opportunities for increased environmental impact and potential savings. These include:
Community Solar – You can help put more clean energy on the grid and save money at the same time by subscribing to a large solar farm through Sustainable Westchester’s Community Solar program. Currently, participation requires a separate signup process and a two bill system (your electric bill and a separate solar credits bill). NY State has required Con Ed and other utilities to include Community Solar on the electric bill, which means that the program will be able to deliver solar discount credits directly without a separate bill.
This has very exciting implications for our ability to engage and provide benefits to low income households.
Solar developers have taken particular interest and this should stimulate more projects in Westchester. Meanwhile, you can subscribe today and save up to 10% on your electric bill.
Demand Response – Previously available only to large commercial businesses, Sustainable Westchester has collaborated with a technology firm, Logical Buildings, to pilot demand response for residential customers. By cutting usage during a few peak hours of the year, Con Ed can avoid switching on the dirtiest “Peaker Plants”, and will pay you money for that. Learn more about the GridRewards program here.
Why clean energy? By now, everyone has heard of climate change, but it’s not always easy to make the connection to our daily lives. Our energy choices are, however, linked to many of the most serious challenges that we face these days, as well as the question of what kind of future we leave our children.
Most of our electricity is still generated by burning fossil fuels which release greenhouse gases into our atmosphere. This has contributed to our environment’s degradation, increased global temperatures, and triggered extreme weather events at the local levels, such as more frequent and higher intensity storms and changes in seasonal patterns. Here’s a short video about the greenhouse effect which is responsible for this problem.
Solar, wind, and hydropower are emissions-free sources of energy. New York State has an aggressive plan to switch over to these clean energy sources and away from fossil fuels. Westchester communities have taken the lead in these efforts, and now dozens of NY communities have followed with similar programs.
Our communities need to move away from fossil fuel-powered electricity quickly to help mitigate the challenges associated with Climate Change. A transformation towards clean-powered electricity is entirely possible.
Westchester Power communities can help accelerate this transition, promoting the generation of clean energy, as well as sending signals to electricity generators, investors, and governments that we place a high priority on ensuring a sustainable and healthy future.
Our energy choices and COVID 19
Studies are showing that areas with higher levels of pollution see worse outcomes from COVID 19. Many observers have pointed out the similarities in the challenges since both require collective, long-term action to solve.
Sea Level Rise
Over the past century, the Hudson has risen about a foot due to global warming (see this Scenic Hudson article), threatening households and habitats. This map shows how the Yonkers waterfront may fare over this century. We can reduce the impact and costs by taking strong action to reverse the growth of greenhouse gases.
Temperature Rise & Disparate Impacts
By the year 2100, on our current trajectory, New York starts to look more like Florida (Climate Central):
But like so many of the effects of global warming, the impact can vary greatly. Groundwork Hudson Valley has done amazing work to go one step further and show how the practice of Redlining has amplified the environmental justice aspect of the problem through the creation of “heat islands” [read more here]:
More resources about local climate change impacts
Sustainable Westchester has received a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator. Make a donation to Sustainable Westchester here.
