12 communities band together once again to increase the quality and variety of energy offerings available to their residents and small businesses  

HUDSON VALLEY, NY (April 19, 2023) – Municipal elected officials are taking a stand on climate, controlling energy costs and increasing consumer protections. City of Poughkeepsie; Towns of Gardiner, Marbletown, New Paltz, Philipstown, Red Hook, Rhinebeck, and Saugerties; and Villages of Cold Spring, Nelsonville, New Paltz, and Saugerties have secured new electricity contracts through Hudson Valley Community Power, to once again provide residents and small businesses with fixed electricity supply rates and access to renewable electricity. Joule Community Power (a division of Joule Assets, Inc.) continues to be the program administrator. 

Available to more than 35,000 households and small businesses in the participating communities, the program will supply customers with roughly 350,000 MWh worth of renewable electricity, lowering the communities’ carbon footprint, and increasing demand for and directly supporting clean energy resources in New York State. 

Hudson Valley Community Power is a community choice aggregation (CCA) program that helps enable local climate action and functions as a buying group for local communities interested in increasing the quality and quantity of electricity offerings available to their communities. By working together, the communities can dictate the terms of the supply contracts and choose renewable electricity options.  

Program performance to date: 

Hudson Valley Community Power first launched in July 2019. During the most recent electricity supply contract alone, the program’s fixed rate for electricity supply saved customers a total of more than $7 million on their electricity costs compared to if they had been paying the utility’s variable rate for supply. Additionally, the program has also helped avoid 70,200 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions thanks to the communities’ support for renewable electricity resources. This is equivalent to greenhouse gas emissions from consuming 8 million gallons of gasoline. 

Ten communities participated in the last fixed rate electricity supply contract, which abruptly came to an end in July 2022 when the previous electricity supplier Columbia Utilities Power, LLC ended the program early. Joule Community Power (the program’s administrator), eight municipalities, and two local residents as plaintiffs, sued Columbia for breach of contract. The Public Service Commission also intervened in support of the lawsuit and continues to support the ongoing legal case.  

With a new electricity supply contract and more communities joining the program, Hudson Valley Community Power is set to relaunch this summer: 

Twelve communities are participating in the new contract. Out of the ten communities who were impacted by Columbia Utilities’ breach of contract, eight communities have chosen to move forward with the program, while four new communities have chosen to join this effort: Towns of Gardiner and Rhinebeck, and the Villages of Nelsonville and Saugerties. 

The Hudson Valley Community Power program has a new 24-month electricity supply contract that will begin supplying participants this July.  

The communities are looking forward to continuing to provide their residents and small businesses with renewable electricity and with the security that comes with fixed prices. All participating communities chose fixed rate renewable electricity supply options as the new default electricity supply options in their communities. The electricity supply will come from Direct Energy Services, LLC a leading competitive energy provider. 

Jason Angell Town of Philipstown Council Member, states “At the end of the day, the main goal here is to green the grid while offering people more choice and control over their electricity supply. We’re excited to work with Joule in the future to find ways to source local renewable projects directly into the CCA supply, lowering another barrier to a more resilient local energy system.” 

Eligible residents and businesses will be automatically enrolled in the default option of their municipalities’ choice, but may withdraw or switch supply options, at any time, without incurring fees or penalties. In mid-May, eligible customers will receive a letter from their municipality that includes information on how to opt out. Those who opt out will receive basic electricity supply service from Central Hudson at the variable utility rate. Regardless of program participation, Central Hudson remains responsible for delivery, repair services, and billing. 

The Town of Gardiner Supervisor Marybeth Majestic said of the community joining the program, “The Town is pleased to provide our residents competitive pricing for renewable energy. The fact that the rate will be locked in for 2 years is an additional benefit to having 100% renewable, clean energy.” 

Jessica Stromback CEO of Joule Assets, says “Local leadership is what drives the success of climate action in New York State today, from CCA programs to approving solar projects, to enabling job training. Today, CCA is the only mechanism available to residents that allows them to be represented as a group by their municipal leadership – using their group purchasing power to provide at scale access to renewable energy through protective contracts. At Joule, we are proud to be able to support this team of leaders in the Hudson Valley once again, making the decisions and taking the steps that drive change.” 

Hudson Valley Community Power Options and Rates
Effective July 1, 2023 

The program gives participating communities three different electricity supply options to choose from that vary in price and where the electricity comes from:  

Five of the participating communities chose the 100% NY renewable option as their default offering while seven chose a 50/50 blend option.  

Customer Type: Residential and Small Commercial 

For information and updates visit www.hudsonvalleycommunitypower.com