Eversource summer rates would trim monthly costs an average of $42
Jim Kinney, masslive.com
SPRINGFIELD — Eversource customers in Western Massachusetts could see a roughly $58-a-month drop in electricity bills under proposed summer rates it hopes take effect July 1. Customers on the utility’s basic service rate could see that decline in monthly bills, Eversource said Monday. Eversource said that if approved by the state Department of Public Utilities, the new rate for residential customers would change from 21.99 cents per kilowatt-hour to 14.85 cents. Last summer, the rate was 15.4 cents per kilowatt hour. Last year at this time, the rate rose from 13.73 cents per kilowatt-hour to 15.4 cents per kilowatt-hour. Utility prices hit historic highs in New England over the winter due to natural gas supply constraints related to the continued war in Ukraine and to global demand. In addition to the basic service rate decrease, Eversource said it is adjusting the delivery side of the bill to support grid modernization and energy efficiency, also expected to take effect July 1. All told, if each adjustment is approved by the state’s Department of Public Utilities, Eversource customers getting basic service and using an average of 600 kilowatt hours per month will see an overall decrease of approximately $42, or 18% on their total bill, in Western Massachusetts. Competitor National Grid reduced its rates starting May 1 by about 39%. Westfield Gas & Electric announced last month an 80% reduction in the natural gas supply charge, starting next month. ‘Exhorbitant’ costs Also on Monday, the nonprofit Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Co. demanded information concerning a fuel security agreement it says cost ratepayers $436 million over the last 10 months for fuel. The organization said the fuel was purchased high and later sold at a loss, when it was unneeded. In 2018, the region’s grid operator, ISO New England, signed a two-year agreement – beginning June 1, 2022 and ending May 31, 2024 – requiring the continued operation of Mystic Units 8 & 9, which are owned by Constellation Mystic Power. Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company, leading a group of public power entities throughout New England, has filed a motion at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission asking that it force the disclosure of information concerning “exorbitant” costs for fuel. ©2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit masslive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.