Eversource says electric customers should expect lower rates this summer

HADLEY, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - A big announcement was made by Eversource on Monday that could positively impact how much customers pay for electricity per month.

After Eversource customers on a basic service rate have been hit with higher electric bills for more than a year, a change could be coming in a matter of weeks.

“This is good news. The cost of energy is coming down,” said Eversource spokesperson Priscilla Ress.

Ress told Western Mass News that the company filed what they call “significantly reduced electric supply rates with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities” after energy prices hit historic highs in the New England region in 2022, mainly because of global demand and the impact from the war in Ukraine. She told Western Mass News that this is a great time for a rate cut considering the price of energy is trending downward.

“Every six months, the basic service rate (the amount that is charged for the use of electricity) changes, so July 1, we will see this significant drop in the cost of electricity,” Ress noted.

How significant of a drop will it be? Right now, the more than 200,000 western Massachusetts customers pay 21.99 cents per kilowatt hour, but this summer, that would decrease to 14.85 cents per kilowatt hour. That means those on the basic service rate who use 600 kilowatt hours per month will see an overall decrease of $42 on their monthly bill, an 18 percent difference. Ress called that potential move a sigh of relief.

“We’ve all felt the impact. This isn’t isolated just to western Mass. This has been across the board with all sorts of other economic pressures that are on folks, so we’re very glad to see the cost of electricity trending down,” Ress explained.

With higher temperatures expected during the summer, Ress said now is a good time to review programs and advice Eversource is offering for you to be more energy efficient.

“We have that Yankee ingenuity, which means if it means you have to draw the blinds when the sun is at its highest, when you cool your house down at night, possibly using a whole house fan, using ceiling fans, whatever it’s going to be to use your energy as wisely as possible,” Ress added.

If approved by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, these changes would be in effect from July 1 until December 31.

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