State energy efficiency programs face the chopping block

Both New York and Massachusetts this year have slashed budgets for their energy efficiency programs, and now a third state is poised to.

What’s happening: Rhode Island Energy, the state’s dominant power utility, is proposing funding cuts to its energy efficiency plan for 2026 — budgeting 18 percent below last year’s level and $42 million less than initially projected in 2023.

The other side: Nonprofit Acadia Center noted in an analysis that the state’s proposed cuts could put 833 jobs at risk and make customers’ electric and gas bills more expensive in future years, while Canary Media reported that the cuts would save the average household just $1.87 per month.

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