Town Board hears Sustainable Westchester pitch to renew Westchester Power CCA; members press for consumer protections

Noam Bramson, executive director of Sustainable Westchester, told the Greenburgh Town Board that renewing the Westchester Power Community Choice Aggregation program could expand renewable energy choices and make the town eligible for state grant points, but he acknowledged the last contract’s fixed rate performed poorly relative to Con Edison rates.

Bramson opened by framing climate change as an urgent local problem and described Sustainable Westchester as a municipal shared-service nonprofit that runs programs including Community Solar, Solar Origination and Westchester Power, the CCA that aggregates municipal demand to negotiate fixed electricity rates. He said the program’s goals are threefold: provide clean energy, expand consumer choice and cap electricity costs.

Bramson said the most recent renewable product averaged about 15.5 cents per kilowatt-hour while Con Edison’s trailing rate was just under 10 cents, and he acknowledged that the 2022 fixed-rate contract was an outlier caused by unique market timing. He stressed, however, that the program’s longer history shows roughly equal years where its rate has been above or below the utility rate and that current market indicators suggest more favorable pricing for the next bid, though he did not guarantee results.

On product design, Bramson explained Sustainable Westchester’s proposed defaults for municipalities: a basic ‘‘light green’’ default composed of about 50% Tier 2 RECs (legacy, often hydro), or a ‘‘dark green’’ blend of Tier 1 and Tier 2 RECs (50/50) that would be adopted only if the price differential between Tier 1 and Tier 2 met a modest target (roughly a $0.01 overall, or a half-cent on the municipality’s purchased share). He said Tier 1 RECs (new wind and solar) are newly available to CCAs and Tier 2 supply is limited.

Board members asked how an opt-out enrollment model would affect negotiated rates and individual choice. Bramson said the CCA requires an opt-out default to reach the demand threshold needed for market bids and that suppliers model expected opt-out rates when they price bids; he added that individual residents can opt out at any time and that a municipality’s participation decision and individual opt-outs are separate choices.

Members expressed concern about outreach and transparency after the prior contract. A board member suggested postcards or community-board outreach; Bramson said the program already provides mailings and monthly email comparisons and that including additional communications in the contract would increase the price, so Sustainable Westchester and the town would need to balance cost and information flow. He offered to meet with the town attorney and staff to answer detailed questions and recommended the board consider approving a memorandum of understanding in June to keep the procurement timeline on track.

Bramson also described resident-facing offerings available if the town participates: Grid Rewards (a demand-response program that pays participants to reduce load during peak hours), Community Solar (with priority for low- and moderate-income enrollment), and Energy Smart Homes (technical assistance and vetted contractor lists for electrification and weatherization).

The presentation closed with Bramson reiterating that leaving the program would reduce voluntary municipal greenhouse-gas reductions and limit affordable renewable options for residents; the board agreed staff and counsel should review the contract language and the board sign an MOU only after due diligence. The board did not take a final vote on the contract that night.