Turning the Tide on Energy Costs in Rhode Island

If you’ve opened your electric bill lately, you’ve probably felt it. Rhode Islanders are paying some of the highest electricity rates in the country.

The average household here spends nearly 30 cents per kilowatt hour, compared to about 16 cents nationally. That’s a big gap, and it’s putting pressure on families and small businesses across our state.

We can debate who’s to blame. Is it Washington or the State House, but what does that accomplish?

Most people want an honest conversation about what’s really driving costs and what we can do about it.

The truth is, there’s no single culprit.

Energy costs in Rhode Island are high because of a mix of regional dependence on natural gas, state-level surcharges, aging infrastructure, and programs that haven’t always delivered the savings we were promised.

Here’s how we start to turn the tide, both now and for the long haul.

1. Diversify Where Our Energy Comes From

Right now, about half of New England’s electricity comes from natural gas. When gas prices spike, as they did after 2022, every ratepayer feels it.

Rhode Island can’t control global fuel markets, but we can control how dependent we are on them, and that means expanding our energy mix beyond just offshore wind.

We should consider hydro power imports from Québec, regional battery storage, and community solar projects that keep more generation local and stable.

Long-term, smartly negotiated contracts can lock in predictable prices instead of letting us ride the roller coaster of global fuel costs.

2. Clean Up the “Hidden” Costs on Our Bills

Most people don’t realize that around 20 to 25 percent of what we pay every month isn’t for electricity at all. It’s for a mix of state surcharges, renewable mandates, and efficiency programs. Many of these goals are good, but the programs behind them have grown in silos over the years with little accountability.

Rhode Island needs a “Ratepayer Transparency Report” that breaks down every fee, who benefits, and whether it’s delivering results.

Programs that work should stay. Programs that don’t should be scaled back or merged.

If we’re asking families to pay for clean energy and efficiency, we should be able to show them the return on that investment.

3. Modernize Our Power Grid, and Do It Regionally

About 40 percent of our electric bill covers delivery, not generation. We’re paying to maintain an aging grid designed for a different era.

Instead of each New England state rebuilding its own expensive infrastructure, we should be partnering regionally on shared transmission and storage.

Investing in a modern, smart grid would reduce outages, cut waste, and make it easier to integrate renewable power without expensive new lines.

Every kilowatt lost in transmission is money literally evaporating into thin air.

4. Make Efficiency Work for Everyone

Rhode Island is often praised for its energy-efficiency programs, but the benefits haven’t been shared evenly.

Homeowners with means can take advantage of rebates and upgrades, while renters and low-income families often can’t.

We should refocus these programs on the people who need them the most including weatherization, heating, and cooling upgrades for low- and middle-income households, not just new smart thermostats in higher-income homes.

Savings should be immediate and visible on the monthly bill, not buried in paperwork.

5. Give Consumers More Choice

Most Rhode Islanders buy power from a single utility supplier, but in other states, towns and cities have used municipal aggregation to negotiate better rates and greener options for residents.

When communities band together, they can use their buying power to secure more competitive prices.

Expanding retail choice, with proper safeguards, would give people a real say in where their energy comes from and how much they pay for it.

Competition drives innovation, and right now, we need both.

The Bottom Line

Rhode Island can’t solve the global energy market, but we can make smarter choices at home.

We can start with choices that stabilize costs, improve transparency, and modernize our grid for the next generation.

Lower energy costs don’t have to come at the expense of environmental responsibility. They come from practical leadership: diversifying our supply, auditing what we spend, and making the system fairer and more efficient for everyone.

Because at the end of the day, Rhode Islanders don’t want finger-pointing.

They want to know that someone’s focused on keeping the lights on while keeping the bills reasonable.