So i'm up in Malden and my supply costs on basic are triple everybody else. Right now basic supply is 33.891 ¢/kWh See:https://energyswitchma.gov/#/compare/1/1/02148//

Does anyone know why nationalgrid is charging so much, or have experience switching to other providers and not getting hosed? If I can save 20 cents a kwh off my bill it's a no brainer.

my overall bill is around 48¢/kWh (so including supply + delivery) which is unheard of anywhere else in the continental 48 that I can find.

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

rainmcfae t1_jdjrml3 wrote on March 24, 2023 at 10:05 PM

Simplified answer that probably won't make you feel better, but hopefully at least makes it make more sense: the supply rate is the price of the electricity that National Grid buys and delivers to you. NG isn't allowed to profit from this charge, so it essentially reflects how expensive it is to generate electricity. About half of the power generation in New England is from natural gas, and because we're natural gas pipeline constrained, we're more dependent on liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports than basically anywhere else in the country. This makes our electricity rates really sensitive to the global LNG market - very bad when there's a war in Ukraine and the rest of Europe is looking for natural gas from non-Russian sources and there's suddenly a lot more demand for a more limited LNG supply. Then in the winter, you add the fact that we're using natural gas for heating too, so both domestic and international demand are higher than in summer or fall, further driving up prices.

TL;DR high LNG demand -> high LNG prices -> high fuel cost for natural gas power generators -> high price to make electricity -> high electricity supply rates. There's more complicated nuances about like rate changes every 6 months and bids and contracts and energy futures but that's the gist of it. It's thankfully going down now in the spring/summer because natural gas prices are down, partly because there's less demand for it for heating.

As for whether you can switch to a different electricity supplier - you can, but I'm not sure which of the non-city suppliers, if any, are good/nonpredatory (I basically only ever see people warning against them).

Barstomanid t1_jdlrc7h wrote on March 25, 2023 at 9:54 AM

This is correct. We usually get tankers full of LNG from Rotterdam that fill up the tanks up on the Mystic. Early in the winter when it was looking grim for Europe they actually filled a few tankers here and shipped the LNG back across the Atlantic to top off the tanks there.

TLDR power supply wise you basically live in Germany.

RickyDontLoseThat t1_jdjepra wrote on March 24, 2023 at 8:37 PM

Good news is it's supposed to be going down.

just_change_it OP t1_jdjgshg wrote on March 24, 2023 at 8:51 PM

The approved rate is 0.14¢/kWh per your link and happy cake day!

That's still ~20% higher than what Boston pays. Malden does have a community collective bargaining program in the works but no ETA on rolling it out. https://maldencommunityelectricity.com/

Wish I paid attention to this sooner but I don't usually worry about electricity costs in the winter with gas heat.

kjmass1 t1_jdlwnb0 wrote on March 25, 2023 at 11:08 AM

Assuming Eversource will do the same?

Stronkowski t1_jdkp2or wrote on March 25, 2023 at 2:20 AM

My two solutions: we just went solar for half of our duplex, and we're eager to switch to the Malden city collective rate once that is available ...

rainniier2 t1_jdnnie2 wrote on March 25, 2023 at 7:27 PM

It looks like a community electricity program in Malden is still in development. Many communities have them so check where you live. It’s quick and easy to move to them - just make sure you’re signing up for the right type of program. There are many look alike that are more expensive in the long run.

masspromo t1_jdnx736 wrote on March 25, 2023 at 8:38 PM

https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/11/18/healey-study-natural-gas-pipelines-sees-pros-and-cons/gPaGdvJyH8PWGnkUddgSfN/story.html

just_change_it OP t1_jdob475 wrote on March 25, 2023 at 10:23 PM

Every time I see more pushes for consumable electricity and not sustainable options like solar, wind and energy storage on things like flywheels and pumped hydro I truly question the rationale.

In 2015 solar and wind was very feasible and far more sustainable long term without just dumping a ton of money into whoever owns mining rights.

jujubee516 t1_jdrbzub wrote on March 26, 2023 at 4:10 PM

I've been thinking about moving and now I truly appreciate the community program my city has. One more thing to consider when renting