I wouldn’t give up on Bumble BFF. Like dating, it’s a numbers game. When we moved to PVD my wife used it to go on a lot of what she called “lady dates”. It was kinda exhausting but she made three friends that we’re still close with ~ 7 years later.

Find a hobby and then find people with similar interest

Thanks! I have no plans to zap myself lol. My father used to do electrical on military planes so I’ll have him dust off his tools and come help.

Anytime I've made friends it has been as a secondary effect of having regular, repeated interactions someplace I'm at anyway. In my case school, work, bars.

Anytime I've grown apart from friends, it's been because there hasn't been regular, repeated interactions because I'm not at those places anymore. Out of sight, out of mind.

Intention isn't nearly as effective as repetition, that's how you get the "oh hey we should totally hang out soon!" that never happens because life keeps getting in the way. This is why post-school is such a hard time for friendships for so many people.

Which is to say, your best bet for finding and forming friendships is to be somewhere regularly and repeatedly. School, work, bars, gyms, religious groups, book clubs, charity groups, etc. Doesn't really matter where, so long as you are likely to run into people you jibe with. Show up, keep showing up, talk to people. Friendships should follow organically.

And don't listen to folks who say this is a New England problem. It's a post-school problem anywhere, and likely a consequence of work taking up so much of our free time and energy.

Good luck!

I am not sure what legally binding stuff there is, but the advertised promise was that I will never pay more than RIE charges.

I don't think there's any real way for it to cost more...even if the solar farm output is 0 kWh, then I'm just getting supplied with the default RIE generation mix at the RIE rates.

Which might be something I should clarify...Arcadia is not actually my energy supplier. They are an intermediary that manages community solar projects that buys cheaper solar power from farms, sells it to RIE at market rates, and passes a portion of that savings to the consumer. On paper, my supplier is still RIE.

They are distinct from alternative suppliers like you'd find on this list: https://www.ri.gov/app/dpuc/empowerri/rate_card

edit: it looks like the "smart energy" supplier fits your earlier description...slightly lower advertised rate right now, but a 6 month commitment that will extend into next quarter's RIE rate update which will almost certainly be lower than current...so if you signed up with them, you'd have a slightly-lower rate for now, then be stuck with a higher rate later.

Sunnova (trinity)

My only thought, is what happens if they have a low production year. and don't generate enough KwH to give out to their subscribers? I'm going to assume they have some sort of language in their contract to cover their ass.

Still, it does seem like a good deal!

> The Data nerd and skeptic in me would love to see this tracked for a full year to make sure it actually is a savings, but it seems great!

The math is always the total RIE charges minus 10%. They don't really have their own separate rate, it's always 10% less than whatever supply+delivery I'd pay RIE.

There are other community solar projects in the state, run by other intermediary companies like Arcadia. I am not sure if any other companies offer a better deal than capturing only 10% savings. I really should look into it more.

This is the official RI OER page for community solar: https://risolarmarketplace.com/

And this is the .gov site with general info and FAQs on the program: https://energy.ri.gov/renewable-energy/solar/community-solar

RESNE. Took care of everything for me, super responsive and the workmanship is top notch. No conduit running along my roof. I would also suggest using energysage for the quoting process.

Not illegal, perfectly safe if you know what your doing. Off grid is the easiest setup you can still use the grid when needed with a transfer switch.

Im a 22F who is moving to the Prov area from MA in the next three or four months! feel free to message me, im definitely looking to make new friends in that area and im only about 20 mins away now!

Interesting! This is definitely a different program than what they had before, unless I'm confusing them with another "alternative energy provider" but if I remember last I looked a few years go, they only had wind energy, and it was a locked in rate for the year.

My math at your rate for this month shows you paying 0.2998 cents per KwH factoring in all fees. Using my latest bill, I'm paying about 0.3031 per KwH. So it does seem to be cheaper.

The Data nerd and skeptic in me would love to see this tracked for a full year to make sure it actually is a savings, but it seems great!

New England Clean Energy. I’ve referred a few other now-happy customers. They are excellent and no-pressure.

SunRun. Ask a lot of questions and ask for documentation, regardless of who you talk to. A lot of these companies have inexperienced sales reps scrolling through a presentation on an iPad.

My gas and electric bills combined were $1000 this month. My house is huge and poorly insulated, but we keep it in the low 60s here and have NG stove, hot water and heat. It was way less last year and I recall it being a more harsh winter then. The pumps on my radiators are electric, and I’ve been running a basement dehumidifier a lot, which I think are some of the primary users

At least we aren’t in Europe?

That looks really cool, thanks!

I’m a slow rider (5-10 mph) so I am kind of a pain to ride with.

Just an old guy who would rather bicycle than walk.

The cycling club I ride with has gravel rides occasionally.

It’s Just a Hill

THIS is why lobbying sucks....

I will totally try out Constantino's for dinner now after seeing this and how well they responded to this jerk. Seems like they care about their diners enjoying their meals.

Gas too! My gas cost was $66 but service fees are $121, it ended up being a $191 in the end … I’m so disgusted by it all.

This is a misnomer. They don’t lose money by having you switch to solar. Their cost to obtain additional energy is greater than the loss to you producing your own.

The amount they’ll permit is 90% of projected usage. The 10% justifies service to the property. It’s really a pretty sensible arrangement when one thinks about it.

Here's the statement I get from Arcadia: https://imgur.com/a/psrQEtt

And here's what it looks like from RIE: https://imgur.com/a/HTTdJvJ

Those credits on the account belong to Arcadia, and have been building up since peak solar production over the summer, like if you had solar on your house and were producing more than you consumed. But because it's a community solar project, those credits belong to the solar farm (via Arcadia). So for this month, my $112 payment on a $124 bill went straight to Arcadia and the solar farm, because I/they/we don't owe RIE anything. In other months, my payment would get split between paying a "real" bill with RIE, and going to the solar farm.

That is a lot. My house is a split level ranch with 3 levels. Oil heat, electric dryer, propane range. 3 TV's, several computers running 24x7. My current bill is $113.

Over the summer, the USFWS at Kettle Pond in Charlestown hosted free archery days and provided all equipment. I don't happen to know the plans for 2023; just putting it on your radar.

Thank you!