Community Choice Aggregation to save money, support renewables

A program that can save consumers money on their electric bills while increasing local use of renewable energy is New York State’s Community Choice Aggregation (also known as “CCA”), says Mary Makofske, of Sustainable Warwick, as CCA allows municipalities to cooperate in negotiating prices with an energy supply company.

As concerns rise over energy costs and changing climate, CCA can address both issues, she says. Sustainable Warwick is sponsoring a talk on CCA at its regular meeting on at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 28 via Zoom. Email steeringcommittee@sustainablewarwick.org to get a link.

Once a municipality has chosen to join this program, individual consumers can choose to opt out of CCA, but all who participate support the development of renewable energy and usually see lower bills, Makofske says. She notes that CCA has already been adopted by communities in Rockland and Westchester counties. Through the Rockland Community Power program, over 21,000 households have transitioned to renewable energy through CCA, while saving $3.8 million.

The featured speaker at the meeting will be Peggy Kurtz, Community Coordinator for Joule Community Power, one of the leading administrators for CCA programs featuring renewable energy. She is also a longtime environmental advocate, working on climate and water issues.