The town of Marbletown has secured a new electricity contract through Hudson Valley Community Power to provide renewable electricity at fixed rates to residents and small businesses. This move comes after the town’s previous provider abruptly ended its services last year, resulting in litigation.

The new program is set to launch on Saturday, July 1, in a total of 12 communities across the Hudson Valley. They include the 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.

Hudson Valley Community Power has brought these municipalities together with community choice aggregation (CCA), acting as a collective bidder for electricity rates within their combined boundaries. With Joule Assets, Inc, as the administrator, Marbletown residents will receive a competitive rate for two years, with guaranteed clean energy sources.

Communities could choose between three electricity supply options: 100% NYS renewable energy, 50/50 NYS/national renewable energy, or the standard fossil fuel mix. Marbletown chose the 50/50 renewable option at $0.12240 per kilowatt hour (kWh), and all eligible residents and businesses will be automatically enrolled in it this summer. Residents can withdraw from the program or switch to the cheaper fossil fuel rate ($0.09870 per kWh) at any time, free of charge. Those who opt out entirely will receive Central Hudson’s variable utility rate.

Direct Energy Services, LLC, will supply the town’s electricity under the new contract, but Central Hudson will still operate the power lines and take care of repairs and billing.

Direct Energy will replace the previous supplier, Columbia Utilities Power, LLC, who ended its three-year CCA contract with the town in 2022, after just 11 months of service. Marbletown, along with Joule and seven other municipalities, agreed to sue Columbia Utilities for breach of contract last May, and the legal case is ongoing.

All told, over 35,000 households and companies will have access to the 350,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) supplied by the new program. The last fixed-price contract of this kind saved customers over $7 million when compared to the standard variable rate, and helped prevent 70,200 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, according to data provided by Hudson Valley Community Power. The new contract promises to do the same, reducing Marbletown’s carbon footprint and keeping prices low.

Marbletown residents should expect to receive more information about the program from the town in mid-May. In the meantime, customers can contact Hudson Valley Community Power at 845-859-9099 ext. 2, or email info@hudsonvalleycommunitypower.com with any questions. Visit hudsonvalleycommunitypower.com for updates.