Most Rhode Island households that haven’t switched suppliers pay the 17.029-cent default rate through March 31, softened by flat per-account credits. A utility plan filed Oct. 23 would put more summer power purchases on the spot market starting in 2027.
ISO New England’s September market report, published Oct. 30, opens with two numbers that look like a warning. Wholesale electricity in the real-time market averaged $39.43 per megawatt-hour, up 16.3% from September 2025. The day-ahead market averaged $41.46, up 21%.
The rest of the grid operator’s report is less tidy. Real-time prices fell 27.6% from August. Natural gas, the fuel ISO says generated 54% of New England’s power in 2025 and usually sets the wholesale price, averaged $1.75 per MMBtu in September. That was down 13.4% from a year earlier and 21.9% from August…