Overview

Rochester Community Electricity (RCE) is a program offered by the town of Rochester to provide new electricity supply options and more renewable energy to Rochester residents and businesses.

Rochester Community Electricity is the only electricity program offered by the Town – beware of look-alike offers and always look for the town seal on materials sent to you.

Please note, most residential and small business customers will not need to take any action to participate in the Program. See the “How It Works” section below for details on enrollment.

Rochester Community Electricity has a standard product, Rochester Standard, which meets renewable energy standards required by the Commonwealth. Participants in the program receive Rochester Standard unless they affirmatively choose one of the other electricity products.

Future savings compared to Eversource Basic Service cannot be guaranteed.

Products described as Green contain Renewable Energy Certificates (MA Class I RECs) above that required by the Commonwealth, and come only from solar, wind, anaerobic digestion, and low-impact hydro located within New England.

All of the additional RECs included in the Program are designated as Massachusetts Class I RECs and are the accepted legal instrument used to track renewable energy generation and to substantiate claims of renewable energy use. Learn more about the RECs that are included on the Renewable Energy page.

Goals of Rochester Community Electricity

How it Works

Rochester Community Electricity does not replace Eversource as our electric utility. The utility continues to deliver electricity, repair outages and manage all billing. The Program offers alternatives for the Supply portion of your bill.  See the Understanding Your Bill section on the Eversource website to see the difference between Supply and Delivery sections.

The Program is open to electricity customers in Rochester, whether they be a resident, business, renter, or owner. 

Prior to program launch, Rochester will conduct extensive education and outreach to notify our community. 

The Program is structured with voluntary participation and automatic enrollment.

• Voluntary participation: customers can leave the Program at any time without penalty, either before the Program starts or during.
• Automatic enrollment for most: in Rochester, most residential and some business customers are receiving their electricity supply from Eversource Basic Service. For these customers, entry into the Program will be simple and easy. They will be given a 30-day period during which they have the opportunity to opt out (i.e., not participate) or choose one of the program’s optional products. Those who do not opt out are automatically enrolled in the Program.
  
  Customers eligible for automatic enrollment will periodically receive a Customer Notification Letter in the mail. It will provide program details and ways in which to opt out via prepaid mailer, phone and online form.
• Opt-in required for some: those Rochester residents and businesses who have already chosen an electricity supplier other than Eversource are not automatically enrolled in the Program, though they can voluntarily opt in to the Program at any time. The Department of Public Utilities advises all customers of third party suppliers to check their contract terms as their supplier may charge them a fee or a penalty to leave before the end of their contract with that supplier. 

Questions & Support

Have questions or need help? Please visit the Contact Us page, which contains a form for comments.