Community supply programs could help some avoid skyrocketing electric bills

MEDFORD - The city of Medford announced on Thursday that it renewed its contract for Community Electricity Aggregation, a program by which the city negotiates bulk, cheaper electric supply for residents.

The Medford program will cost residents 15.348 cents per kilowatt hour, compared to the proposed National Grid price hike of 33.891 cents per kilowatt hour. This rate stays fixed for a price of two years. This price is for the "supply" column of your electric bill, or the actual price for the electricity you use. The "delivery" column will still be maintained by your electric provider.

"It's a huge savings to residents especially at a time of inflation or at a time when energy costs are just skyrocketing," Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn told WBZ-TV.

Aggregation programs have been around for a while, but with the significant price hike coming for utility companies, the aggregation programs could be more valuable for residents.

Marie Daly of Waltham has participated in her city's program since it launched in spring 2021. 

"[My rate] has stayed at the 11 cents per kilowatt hour," she explained. 

Daly is a meticulous record keeper: keeping files of all past bills and a spreadsheet to track her electricity usage. She says she needs to be thorough, because she's on a fixed income in her retirement and has no choice but to use a fair amount of electricity. 

"Being 75 years old I'm also on various meds for blood pressure, and the heat really affects me. And so I need to have the air conditioning in order to not collapse and faint in the heat," she said.

What if Daly's rates for electric went up drastically? 

"We would have to change our lifestyle tremendously and that would affect my health and I'm not sure that that would be good," she explained.

Many community choice aggregation programs are "opt-out" only, meaning that your city or town may have already opted you in. Just check your latest electric bill in the "supply" column to see who your service provider is. If you have questions, check with your city or town to see if there is an option to opt-in to their program.