Program News & Info

Garden State Community Energy Cooperative

Lead Agency: Borough of Lincoln Park · Supplied by Direct Energy Services, LLC · Utilities: JCP&L & PSE&G · 19-Month Term Beginning March 2026

Program Rates Beginning March 2026

Current Program Term

Electricity supply rates · March 2026 – September 2027

Standard· default
$0.14460/kWh
Meets NJ renewable energy minimums.
100% Green
$0.14610/kWh
Renewable electricity matches 100% of your usage.
JCP&L BGS · price to compare
$0.15603/kWh
Default JCP&L supply rate if you opt out.
PSE&G BGS · price to compare
$0.19859/kWh
Default PSE&G supply rate if you opt out.

Rates apply to the GSCEC contract term beginning with March 2026 meter reads. Program options and eligibility may vary by account.

Town Center

Welcome to the residential Government Energy Aggregation (GEA) webpage for the Garden State Community Energy Cooperative (GSCEC). The cooperative was formed in 2023 to pool purchasing and negotiating power for better electricity pricing for residential customers. Participating members include the Borough of Lincoln Park (Lead Agency), Jefferson Township, Mount Olive Township, and the City of Summit.

During the most recent auction on October 3, 2025, bids received were lower than the JCP&L and PSE&G Basic Generation Service (BGS) price-to-compare, and an award was made to Direct Energy Services, LLC. The program begins with eligible customers' March 2026 meter reads and ends with September 2027 meter reads.

Eligible customers are residents of a participating town whose electricity supply is not already under contract with a third-party supplier, who do not have a net meter for solar, who do not have a time-of-day meter, and who did not permanently opt-out under a prior contract term.

Program Options & Pricing

Current Program Term — electricity supply rates effective with March 2026 meter reads through September 2027. Supplied by Direct Energy Services, LLC; JCP&L or PSE&G remains your utility.

Standard
14.46¢/kWh
Default · No action required

Meets NJ renewable energy minimums.

100% Green
14.61¢/kWh
Opt-in required

Renewable electricity matches 100% of your usage.

Utility BGS (price to compare)
JCP&L 15.6033¢ · PSE&G 19.8591¢
At time of auction

Default utility supply rate if you opt out.

Questions? Call the GSCEC program's energy consultants at 866-688-5197.

See your personal savings

Participating residents have access to an online savings tool showing monthly usage, comparison vs. the utility BGS price, and usage trends. Beginning January 2, 2026 residents can opt-in/opt-out and switch between Standard and Green options online.

Important Dates

Outreach — Jefferson Township
Mon, Jan 12, 2026 · 5–6 PM
Jefferson Township Building, 1033 Weldon Rd, Lake Hopatcong, NJ
Outreach — Zoom Public Info
Tue, Jan 13, 2026 · 12–1 PM
Zoom session
Join session
Outreach — Mount Olive Township
Tue, Jan 13, 2026 · 5:45–6:45 PM
Mount Olive Township Building, 204 Flanders-Drakestown Rd, Budd Lake, NJ
Outreach — Summit Community Center
Wed, Jan 14, 2026 · 1–2 PM
Summit Community Center – Senior Card Room, 100 Morris Ave, Summit, NJ
Outreach — Zoom Public Info
Thu, Jan 15, 2026 · 6–7 PM
Zoom session
Join session
Outreach — Summit City Hall
Tue, Jan 20, 2026 · 5:30–6:30 PM
Summit City Hall, Whitman Community Room, 2nd Floor, 512 Springfield Ave, Summit, NJ
Initial 30-day opt-out period
Jan 2 – Jan 31, 2026
Program rate begins
March 2026 meter reads
Program rate expires
September 2027 meter reads

Communications & Documents

Program Details

What is energy aggregation?

Government Energy Aggregation (GEA) is a program created by the NJ Government Energy Aggregation Act of 2003. It lets municipalities and counties pool residential energy usage to conduct a bulk bid for the lowest possible electricity supply price.

How does the program work?

Only the supply portion of your electric bill changes. Delivery and distribution continue through your regulated utility (JCP&L or PSE&G), which still handles outages and account service. All eligible residents are automatically included unless they have a third-party supplier or choose to opt out.

How Can We Help?

Please check back for additional information, or reach out to a program representative.

866-688-5197