In November 2022, I arrived at my restaurant, Little Sister, to find a large stack of bills from Rhode Island Energy — 22 of them, to be exact. I learned that my monthly electricity invoices since we opened — all RI Energy–generated estimates that I had dutifully paid — were now being restated after the utility finally performed its first meter reading in 22 months. The balance owed was close to $19,000.
With the help of the Attorney General’s office, I discovered a regulatory gap. On the gas side, RI Energy is capped at six months of estimated billing. On the electric side, no such cap exists. It’s astonishing that the utility could neglect to read meters for nearly two years and then bill me retroactively once it got around to it. But they can, and they did, because no regulation or law expressly prohibits it.
I requested a hearing with the Department of Public Utilities and Carriers (DPUC) in December 2022. I assumed that the officer tasked with consumer affairs would advocate for ratepayers but, instead of encouraging a formal appeal, she urged me to work out a payment plan directly with RI Energy, which sent shut-off notices shortly after the bills arrived.
The shut-off was temporarily paused and my appeal proceeded in two sessions in spring 2023. My goal was straightforward: for the DPUC to acknowledge the regulatory gap, hold the utility accountable for its own faulty billing practices through forfeiture, and close the loophole. Instead, I was repeatedly pressured to negotiate directly with RI Energy’s attorneys behind closed doors, away from the hearing officer and off the public record. I eventually understood that the only outcome available to me was a private settlement. RI Energy agreed to write off $9,500; I was held responsible for the rest.
None of this behavior from RI Energy is surprising; it operates exactly as a capitalistic monopoly is expected to. Through its lobbyist, former State Commissioner for Energy Nicholas Ucci (who exemplifies the revolving door between government oversight and utility advocacy) the company routinely opposes legislation requiring greater transparency and alignment with the state’s climate goals. Its president recently wrote commentary in the Globe advocating for deregulation and relaxing clean-energy requirements to reduce consumer costs. We are told the rollout of smart meters will improve billing accuracy, but they also open the door to surge pricing during peak demand, much like Uber’s increased pricing during rush hour. RI Energy is not a benevolent public service provider; it is a profit-maximizing corporation.
The DPUC’s modus operandi is far more concerning. The taxpayer-funded agency is supposed to act as a watchdog, correcting the power imbalance between ratepayers and a state-sanctioned monopoly. Instead, it routinely approves capital improvement projects that increase RI Energy’s revenue base (like the smart meters) while taking a hands-off approach to resolving billing disputes and submitting legislative testimony that aligns with RI Energy’s interests in matters of billing transparency and rate-setting.
This deference stands in stark contrast to neighboring states. In Massachusetts, a similar complaint raised in 2023 resulted in regulators issuing a “knock it off” letter to National Grid and forcing forfeiture of retroactively billed balances. Connecticut requires meter readings at least quarterly. Rhode Island stands alone in allowing unlimited estimated electric billing with no guardrails.
The loophole that nearly killed my business remains open three years later, despite legislative efforts in 2023 by Representative Patricia Serpa and again in 2025 by Representative Rebecca Kislak. DPUC Chair Linda George joined RI Energy in opposing those efforts, promising to address the issue by copying existing gas regulations. A formal inquiry opened by Senator Sam Zurier last August revealed no regulatory action has been taken.
I later learned that consumers, small businesses, and even churches experienced the same issue as me and were forced into private settlements. RI Energy’s negligent billing practices nearly led to the closure of my restaurant, the loss of my employees’ jobs, and the disappearance of one of the few gathering spaces for the Puerto Rican diaspora in Rhode Island. The DPUC’s apathy and disengagement are inexcusable.
This legislative session, Representative David Morales has filed bill H7886 to summon the DPUC officials to tighten regulations. The bill would require utilities to submit clear formulas for estimated billing subject to DPUC’s approval, codify the monthly billing cadence, and mandate quarterly meter readings with forfeitures to protect consumers.
In business, if you don’t bill it, you lose it. The DPUC must draw stronger boundaries with RI Energy, act in the public’s interest and move to end known predatory billing practices. Governor Dan McKee and the General Assembly must hold the commission accountable to its stated mission of “implementing and upholding standards of conduct.” Three years of delay is not regulatory restraint — it is abdication of their public duties.
Milena Pagán is the chef and owner of Little Sister, a Puerto Rican restaurant on the East Side of Providence. Representative David Morales represents Providence’s District 7 in the Rhode Island House.
