Yonkers Insider: Statement from Yonkers City Councilwoman Corazon Pineda Issac 2nd District.

 

We have received a lot of feedback from the community in regards to the Westchester Power Program, which will deliver clean and sustainable energy to the residents of Yonkers. Last year, my office held two Virtual Town Halls in collaboration with Sustainable Westchester to address any questions and concerns about the program. In short, Con Ed’s average price for electricity in the first half of January is around 12 cents, while Westchester Power is offering a fixed rate of 8.71 cents for renewable supply and 7.512 cents for standard supply. ConEd's 12-month average, however, is lower than the program price, though ConEd's price is variable and not fixed like that of Westchester Power. Westchester Power does not require an opt out fee, so one can opt out and switch from renewable to standard supply at any time, and vice versa. As per sustianbalewestchester.org: "Westchester Power: Westchester Power is a program that allows local governments to procure electricity, gas, and other services on behalf of their residents and small businesses. The program supplier is a qualified Energy Service Company (ESCO), selected through a competitive bidding process. The distribution, maintenance, and billing services remains with the utility. Enrollment is on an “opt-out” basis- you will receive a notification letter in January with all the program details, and will be enrolled unless you respond to Sustainable Westchester, indicating your wish to opt-out. Participants can exit (or change supply option) at any time with no fee. By joining together, communities gain leverage to negotiate better rates with competitive suppliers and choose greener power sources. Yonkers: Through the competitive bidding process, Constellation New Energy (CNE) was awarded the contract to be the ESCO provider to the City of Yonkers for the initial launch. CNE will supply electricity to Yonkers starting from the program launch on March 1st, until November 30th, 2023. There are two fixed-rate supply options available to Yonkers residents through Westchester Power: 100% Renewable: 8.710¢/kWh Standard (a mix of fossil fuels, nuclear, and some renewable energy): 7.512¢/kWh The City of Yonkers has chosen to have the 100% Renewable supply option as its default offering to residents. Should you wish to opt-out of the program or switch your supply option, you have the power to do that any time by contacting Sustainable Westchester." https://files.constantcontact.com/47ca0e2a401/afa48b9c-86f8-419c-b81c-d898d65a9670.pdf Hon. Corazon Pineda-Isaac E-mail: corazon.pineda.isaac@yonkersny.gov Tel: (914) 377-6312