Pleasantville to Participate in Group Energy Buying Efforts
The Pleasantville Village Board has agreed to participate in a community choice aggregation energy purchasing program, although there were varying degrees of enthusiasm displayed by trustees.
Trustee Mindy Berard, who has been skeptical of the Sustainable Westchester program, was the dissenting vote on May 11, saying that she believed it would give local government too much authority to make decisions for residents.
“When we have the opportunity, which we don’t have very often, to engage our residents and small businesses that they have a choice, I believe we should give them that choice giving them the tools that they need to get informed and choose whether to opt into a program, not have the board make that decision for them,” Berard said.
Under the program, all residents who are using Con Edison as their energy provider are automatically included in Sustainable Westchester’s group-buying effort. In the coming months, Sustainable Westchester will put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for energy service companies (ESCOs). It will only enter into a contract if it demonstrates a significant savings over Con Edison rates.
Berard said she was uncomfortable that the program is run on an opt-out basis, noting that Sustainable Westchester could have utilized an opt-in method but chose not to. Any resident who does not wish to participate can opt out of the program at any time by making a phone call or sending a postcard.
Trustee Joseph Stargiotti said the ability to opt out at any point is what prompted him to change his mind and vote in favor of having the village join.
All residents who are currently Con Edison customers are now officially part of the community choice aggregation effort and can begin opting out at any point. Mayor Peter Scherer advised people to hold off on making a decision about opting out until Sustainable Westchester enters into a contract with an ESCO and the terms and savings are known.
“I would hate for anyone to deprive themselves of the savings without looking at the terms of the deal,” said Scherer, adding that he was “vigorously in favor” of participating.
Pleasantville is the sixth Westchester municipality to sign up for the community choice aggregation program.
Sustainable Westchester CEO Mike Gordon said he expects that an RFP will be put out by mid-summer once all municipalities have made a decision about joining. To solicit an RFP, Sustainable Westchester will need to submit aggregate data regarding residents’ current energy use. Trustee Steven Lord voted to have the village participate in the program, but said he remained concerned about data collection and its potential cost.
Berard said she wants Sustainable Westchester to agree that the data, including names and addresses, will remain private even after a bid is awarded and the selected company needs additional individual data on energy use. She also asked that Sustainable Westchester and the village publish the expenses associated with participating in Sustainable Westchester, including the cost of public outreach.
The village will provide links to information about community choice aggregation to residents and send mailings to alert residents of the eventual terms of the contract and their ability to opt out.
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