Penfield Names Good Energy as CCA Program Administrator

The Town Board recently passed a resolution designating Good Energy, L.P. to act as the Program Administrator for the Town of Penfield’s Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) Program following an RFP process that was initiated in October 2020.

Good Energy is a respected pioneer in CCA and has set industry best practices for programs throughout the country. The company is the national leader in CCA with more than 400 successful and active public sector aggregations serving approximately 3,000,000 residents and municipal facilities. Roughly 400,000 households receive 100% renewable energy with a combined savings exceeding $200 million.

Good Energy has the professional staff and resources to support the Penfield community, including a 24/7 call center for customer support, public outreach and education teams, and energy experts to monitor and manage aggregation plans. Further, Good Energy is the fully endorsed and exclusive energy consultant to the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) and the New York State Association of Towns (AOT).

This milestone authorizes Good Energy to conduct an RFP to select an energy provider, negotiate and enter into agreements (including power purchase agreements), and implement the Town’s CCA program with the approval of the Town Board. The resolution further authorizes Good Energy to work directly with Town staff on this project. Good Energy is also positioned to act as program administrator for community solar if the Town of Penfield pursues that in the future.

“Penfield has been on the leading edge of sustainability over the last several decades by implementing innovative programs including energy efficient street lighting, recycling and reusing efforts, and pioneering public EV charging stations and rain gardens. Town solar applications support a sanitary sewer pump station, the Harris Whalen Lodge, and the Jackson Road solar field offsets approximately 70% of the Town’s electrical needs,” says Supervisor Tony LaFountain. “A CCA program is the next logical step in our overall energy journey. The Town has been very deliberate in vetting projects to ensure we are providing the best programs for our residents that help the environment and reduce costs. To quote an EEAC member, ‘We may not be first, and we won’t be last—but we will be the best in all we do.’  We look forward to working with Good Energy on this very important next step.”

The Town Board will determine next actions based on supplier proposals presented by Good Energy. If the bidding process fails to deliver an optimal balance of clean energy at a competitive rate, the Town Board may choose to do nothing until the market changes in favor of customers. If there is a favorable bid, the Town Board may enter into an agreement with an energy provider. When and if the Town proceeds, Good Energy will begin a comprehensive public outreach program for Penfield residents regarding details of the CCA program, including the ability to opt-out.  

The Town Board plans to instruct Good Energy to seek a combination of the lowest costs and the highest percent of renewable energy resources. Under the CCA model, the chosen supplier would replace RG&E as the supplier of electricity. RG&E remains the electricity distributor; it will still own and operate the transmission lines, respond to outages and emergencies, and bill as normal for delivery of those services.

The underlying strategy in the CCA model is that the municipalities leverage an entire community’s demand for electricity to negotiate with power suppliers for clean energy at a rate lower than what was recently charged by the local utility company for fossil-based energy sources. The concept is considered a win-win because customers are credited with using clean energy at a lower rate than they could have purchased independently, and the environment benefits from a shift to more demand for renewable energy sources. By definition and the rules of New York State, the CCA model is an opt-out community-wide program. It will include and affect every eligible household and small business in a municipality. Participants may opt-out at any time and return to their traditional utility supplier with no penalty.

“Good Energy is excited to work with the residents, businesses, and Penfield Town Board on this CCA with NYCOM,” says Ed Carey, Good Energy CCA Energy Director. “We look forward to developing this program that will help residents and businesses rely 100 percent on renewable energy. This is such a great opportunity for Penfield to make a difference!” In addition to ongoing support from Good Energy’s New York City-based headquarters and 24/7 call center, Good Energy Regional Sales Director John Berg, a Rochester native, will have an on-site office to help guide Penfield through the process of establishing its CCA.

Even with a Program Administrator in place, the Town Board has made no commitments for CCA in Penfield. Good Energy will conduct its due diligence, provide public education, and seek substantial public input before the Town makes a decision to proceed with the CCA energy procurement model for the Penfield community.

Learn more about Community Choice Aggregation in Penfield at www.penfield.org, under projects of community interest.

Those who wish to follow this topic can use E-notify at www.penfield.org to subscribe to the “Projects of Community Interest” page.