Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0Living in Exeter, RI: what to set up and who to call
Elections in Exeter are run by Exeter itself; register with the Exeter Board of Canvassers. The closest public drop-off to Exeter is West Greenwich Transfer Station, 4 miles out; the town decides whether residents may use it.
I’m new in town
What to set up in Exeter, and who provides it. Tap an answer for the details and where they come from.
Power, water and internet
Who to call to start service at a new address in Exeter.
Power comes from Rhode Island Energy
Rhode Island Energy (The Narragansett Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility, serves all of Exeter. Its homes paid an average of 29.4¢ per kWh in 2025, about $166 a month (its average across Rhode Island, for customers on its standard service). Rhode Island lets you buy power from another supplier; 26% of Rhode Island Energy’s home customers do, and Rhode Island Energy still delivers it.
Start or move service: www1.nationalgridus.com · (401) 784-7000
Service territory: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map dated Aug 2023). Prices and customers: EIA-861, 2025.
Water comes from Shadow Woods at Deer Brook water system
The Shadow Woods at Deer Brook water system supplies Exeter: about 5% of residents live in its service area. About 92% of homes are outside any mapped community water system, most likely on private wells, which EPA doesn’t regulate. It draws ground water and serves 300 people in all.
No health-based violations reported to EPA in the five years to October 2026, like 77% of the 15,074 systems serving 101–500 people.
The latest lead result on file, the 90th percentile of homes sampled in Jan 2020–Dec 2022, was 0.0 ppb, below the 15 ppb action level that applied. Results below detection are reported as 0, so 0 doesn’t mean no lead at any tap.
The system’s full record: EPA ECHO report
EPA SDWIS via Envirofacts (violations pulled Oct 9, 2026) and ECHO (lead samples, 2026Q3); service area: EPA Community Water System Service Area Boundaries v3.0 (EPA’s estimate). Violations are counted by the start of their compliance period. RI2980426.
4 home internet providers serve Exeter
97% of 2,554 addresses can get 100/20 Mbps; 91% can get fiber.
| Provider | Technology | Addresses | Fastest (Mbps) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verizon | Fiber, Fixed wireless | 92% | 980/880 |
| Cox Communications | Cable, Fiber | 87% | 2,000/35 |
| T-Mobile | Fixed wireless | 52% | 100/20 |
| AT&T | Fixed wireless | 20% | 25/3 |
FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025. Availability as providers report it, not speeds people get.
The nearest public drop-off is 4 miles away
Pickup rules, the dump and recycling in Exeter.
West Greenwich Transfer Station
This isn’t Exeter’s own facility. Whether Exeter residents may use it is the town’s rule: check town.exeter.ri.us.
OpenStreetMap, as of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Where your child goes to school
Public school districts and the school path by grade.
Exeter is in Exeter-West Greenwich Region School District.
A−School gradeSee Schools →U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25. Enrollment rules and registration are the district’s.
Town hall and registering to vote
Who to call, and how to register.
Election office: FVAP local election office directory, updated Jul 2023; jurisdictions: EAC EAVS 2024. Registration rules and links: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026.
Exeter spans 3 ZIP codes
ZIP codes where Exeter residents live, with the share of the town in each.
| ZIP | Post office name | Share of Exeter | ZIP’s residents in Exeter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02822 | Exeter, RI | 92% | 100% |
| 02892 | West Kingston, RI | 4% | 5% |
| 02874 | Saunderstown, RI | 3% | 3% |
Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, by census block; post office names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). ZIPs created since 2020 are missing.
Getting around, the ER and the library
One line each; the subject pages have the rest.
ER: CMS hospital data. Library: IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FY2024.
Questions about living in Exeter
Who supplies Exeter’s drinking water, and has it had violations?
The Shadow Woods at Deer Brook water system (EPA ID RI2980426). It reported no health-based violations to EPA in the five years to October 2026; 77% of systems its size had none. Its latest lead 90th percentile was 0.0 ppb (Jan 2020–Dec 2022), against a 15 ppb action level.
Who provides electricity in Exeter?
Rhode Island Energy (The Narragansett Electric Co.), an investor-owned utility. Its homes paid about 29.4¢ per kWh in 2025 (EIA).
What internet providers serve Exeter?
Verizon, Cox Communications, T-Mobile, AT&T (FCC, as of December 2025).
What ZIP codes are in Exeter?
02822 (92%), 02892 (4%), 02874 (3%), by share of residents. Census 2020 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas.
What school district is Exeter in?
Exeter-West Greenwich Region School District.
How do I register to vote in Exeter?
In Rhode Island you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before). Elections here are run by the Exeter Board of Canvassers. Check your registration at vote.sos.ri.gov.
Sources & dates
Every answer above names its source. Here they are with their dates.
- Water: EPA SDWIS (Envirofacts, pulled Oct 9, 2026), ECHO SDWA 2026Q3, EPA CWS Service Area Boundaries v3.0.
- Power: HIFLD Electric Retail Service Territories (map Aug 2023); EIA-861 final 2025.
- Trash: OpenStreetMap, Geofabrik extract of Oct 9, 2026. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
- ZIP codes: Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files; GeoNames postal codes (CC BY 4.0).
- Schools: NCES Common Core of Data, 2024–25.
- Registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 30, 2026 (read Oct 10, 2026). Official sites and area codes: Wikidata.
- Election office: FVAP local election office directory (fetched Oct 10, 2026; each record dated), EAC EAVS 2024 jurisdictions; registration and lookup links from vote.gov’s state data, checked Oct 10, 2026.
- Internet: FCC National Broadband Map, as of December 2025.