Rhode Island Energy's new electric discount will range from 10 to 75 percent off bills, starting in early 2027

Rhode Island Energy has announced a five-tier electric discount for income-qualified customers, with the deepest tier cutting bills by 75 percent. The company says it is working to start the Enhanced Electric Discount Rate in early 2027, and there are no immediate changes to bills, according to its Nov. 9 announcement.

Customers will receive one of five discount levels based on household income as a percentage of the federal poverty level: 10, 38, 56, 66 or 75 percent off their electric bills. The company says the gas discount rate is unchanged.

The utility's current low-income rate, in a tariff effective Sept. 1, 2026, discounts the total bill by 25 percent for customers found eligible for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) or enrolled in SNAP or receiving Supplemental Security Income, and by 30 percent for customers enrolled in Medicaid, Rhode Island Works or General Public Assistance. Under the new structure, the discount follows income rather than the program that qualifies the customer. The lowest new tier, 10 percent, is below the 25 and 30 percent discounts in the current tariff, by our comparison of the two documents. The announcement does not say which customers fall into each tier.

Customers who are determined eligible for LIHEAP, or who receive SNAP, Medicaid, SSI, Rhode Island Works or General Public Assistance, may qualify. Rhode Island Energy says it relies on the state Department of Human Services to assign each customer a discount based on income eligibility. Customers already on the Electric Discount Rate will receive notifications "in the coming weeks" about their new discount levels, the company said.

Enhanced Electric Discount Rate participants keep access to Budget Billing, energy efficiency programs, customer advocate support, payment assistance and forgiveness programs, LIHEAP, Operation Help and the Good Neighbor Energy Fund, the company said. It points customers to rienergy.com/toolkit for more information.

The announcement does not list the income cutoffs for each tier or an exact start date, and it does not say how much the program will cost or how it will be paid for. It also does not say whether the Public Utilities Commission has approved the structure.