Press Release
The Town of Acushnet, will continue its electricity aggregation program under a new three-year supply contract set to start in January 2018.
The Town of Acushnet is part of a buying group of 23 communities stretching from the South Coast to northern Middlesex County that originally launched their Community Electricity Aggregation (CEA) programs in January 2016. By purchasing together, these communities have collectively saved over $8 million for their residents to date and have now renewed their supply contracts for another three years.
In addition to savings, in an environment of continuing rate volatility, these aggregation programs have successfully provided safe-harbor for ratepayers with one fixed rate while maintaining the freedom to leave the program at any time without penalty. The goals of the program are to provide ratepayers with reduced electric rates, price stability and a responsible alternative to utility rates.
The new electric rate is fixed at $0.10122 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) from January 2018 to January 2021. This compares favorably with the Basic Service rate for Eversource from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2018, which will be $0.13157 per kWh.
The electricity supply will be provided by Public Power, LLC. Public Power won a highly competitive bid conducted by consultant Good Energy in April 2017, beating out two of the nation’s largest power companies. The supplier name will change from Constellation to Public Power and this will be reflected along with the new rate of $0.10122 per kilowatt hour on your January 2018 bill which you will receive in February 2018.
While the aggregation rate compares favorably with the winter rate of Eversource, there is no guarantee of future savings under the aggregation program. The Eversource Basic Service supply rate changes every six months.
If you are currently in the program, no action is required to continue participation.
If you opted out of the original program, you will not be sent an opt-out letter and you will not be enrolled in the new contract. However, you may still join the program by contacting Public Power, LLC at 800-830-2944, or by email at customercare@ppandu.com.
If you are on the Basic Service with Eversource and have not previously opted out, you will be sent an opt-out letter which details the program.
Residents who wish to opt into the program, including residents who previously opted out or who are currently with a third-party supplier, may still join the program by contacting Public Power, LLC at 800-830-2944, or by email at customercare@ppandu.com. Please note that residents currently on with a third-party supplier should check for any early termination fees associated with their existing supply contract prior to joining the new program.
Municipal officials emphasize that no one affiliated with the program will call, email or knock on residents’ doors asking them to enroll or re-enroll. As before, there is no penalty or termination fee for leaving the program at any time.
Comprising nearly two dozen diverse cities and towns (Acushnet, Attleboro, Carver, Dartmouth, Dedham, Dighton, Douglas, Dracut, Fairhaven, Fall River, Freetown, Marion, Mattapoisett, New Bedford, Northbridge, Norton, Plainville, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea, Westford, and Westport), this Community Electricity Aggregation buying group is the largest in Massachusetts and the third largest of its kind in the country.
Community Electricity Aggregation demonstrates the growing demand for the benefits of regional collaboration among communities on energy issues — a value the International City/County Management Association acknowledged recently in October when it recognized the program with a 2017 Local Government Excellence Award.
Selectmen Chairman Kevin A. Gaspar, Sr. noted the importance to all of the residents of Acushnet, more especially our Seniors and those living on a fixed income.
As communities across the country have sought to take more control over their energy costs and usage, Community Electricity Aggregation has become increasingly popular. In Massachusetts, CEA is also known as “municipal aggregation” and was made possible by utility deregulation in the late 1990s. CEA is a process whereby a municipality or, in this case, multiple municipalities, aggregate the electrical load of residents and businesses within their jurisdictional boundaries to purchase electricity in bulk in the competitive market.
The CEA program does not affect the delivery of electric service. Any problems with electric service, including outages, should continue to be reported to Eversource at 800-592-2000.
For questions or concerns about the CEA program, or if you would like to opt out of or leave the program, please contact Public Power, LLC at (800) 830-2944, or email them at customercare@ppandu.com.
Visit www.masscea.com for additional information about the Community Electricity Aggregation program.
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