Eversource has just announced its new Basic Service rates for January 1 through June 30, and they have gone up. The residential rate for that period is 15.7 cents/kWh. Compare that with the City’s default residential electricity purchasing program, Newton Power Choice (NPC):
- 14.4 cents/kwh (100% Green)
- 13.5 cents/kwh (80% Renewable)
- 10.6 cents/kwh (20 % Basic)
That means that on the NPC program for January through June, if you use 550 kWh of electricity per month (i.e., the median non-low-income Newton use), you save relative to the Eversource Basic Service:
- $7.15/month at the NPC 100% Green
- $12.10/month at the NPC default 80% Renewable
- $28.05/month at the NPC Basic
With most Newton residents on the default 80% Renewable option, residents participating in NPS as a whole will save slightly more than $2 million over the next six months.
During the summer, the Eversource Basic Service rate was lower than the NPC rate at the default 80% Renewable and 100% Green levels (but not lower than NPC Basic). During that period, the average NPC customer at the median level of consumption paid $14.83/month more than the Eversource Basic Service customer using the same amount of electricity.
Eversource rates change every six months, so it’s hard to tell how NPC will compare with Eversource rates after June. However, if you have been considering taking more action to stop climate change, this is a great time to opt up to NPC 100% Green program if you have not yet done so.
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