Checks are on the way to thousands of Brighton households that participated in a now-defunct town effort to help residents lower their electricity bills and get competitively priced renewable electricity.
The state Supreme Court has finalized a settlement between the town and ICON Energy, which did business under the name Source Power. The town had an agreement with Source Power to provide town residents with 100% renewable electricity as part of Brighton's community choice aggregation program, which it launched in 2021.
But ICON defaulted on that agreement in 2022, effectively torpedoing Brighton's community choice aggregation program and prompting the town and its program administrator to sue the company. A news release from the town said that over the first 18 months it was operating, the CCA program saved Brighton residents over $1.5 million in electricity costs.
The aggregation programs are about leverage — buying renewable power in bulk is typically cheaper than individual household or business contracts. Through the programs, local governments procure power on behalf of residents, businesses, and municipal customers from a supplier. The utility company — Rochester Gas & Electric, in Brighton's case — continues to provide transmission and distribution services.
As part of the settlement, ICON has paid Brighton almost $1 million. That money is being distributed to former CCA program participants. The roughly 7,700 customers who were participants throughout the program's full duration will receive $40 plus an additional amount based on their actual electricity usage — the news release said for most customers, that will be between $70 and $200.
Customers who left before the program ended will receive $40, according to the release.
ICON is also paying Brighton's attorney fees as part of the settlement.
Details on the settlement are available at brightoniconsettlement.com.
