SPRINGFIELD — With residents across the state concerned about rising utility costs, local legislators in Western Massachusetts, and throughout the state, are ordering the Department of Public Utilities to review recent energy rate increases by investor-owned utility companies like National Grid and Eversource.
On Feb. 14, senators and representatives from across the commonwealth sent a letter to DPU Chair Jamie Van Nostrand that demands the DPU to reassess rate adjustments made by these companies and to hold “Eversource accountable.”
Many local legislators in Reminder Publishing’s coverage area signed the letter in support of this review.
“As temperatures drop, residents across Massachusetts are facing unprecedented spikes in their energy bills, creating an unsustainable financial burden on households and small businesses alike,” the letter read.
According to the legislators who signed the letter, constituents across the district have shared “alarming reports” of “skyrocketing energy costs with bills doubling.” One resident, according to the letter, saw their January Eversource bill climb to $449 — nearly $300 of which was attributed to supply costs.
The state legislators also noted that recent rate hikes have negatively impacted seniors, retirees and those living on fixed income in affordable housing complexes.
“Many are now facing an astonishing 27% increase for the coming heating season,” the letter reads.
In a statement to Reminder Publishing, Eversource spokesperson Priscilla Ress said that customers have seen an increase in their natural gas rates between last month and the previous months because of an increase in usage of natural gas due to the cold weather.
According to Ress, the typical residential Eversource Gas Company of Massachusetts customer has increased its natural gas usage to 168 therms in January 2025, compared to 56 therms in November 2024.
Ress also stated that January 2025 was 15% colder than December 2024 and 10% colder than January 2024.
“This much colder weather driving increased usage, coupled with the rate adjustments that took effect in November 2024, are the primary factors impacting customers’ current bills. How much energy a customer uses ultimately impacts both the supply and delivery portions of the bill,” Ress said. “It’s important to note that even if customers do not raise their thermostats, more energy is used to maintain the same temperature setting in colder weather.”
Ress noted that the natural gas supply rate is adjusted in May and November based on market costs of buying gas for customers “with no profit to Eversource.” However, Ress added that Eversource is required to adjust the gas supply rate between these months if supply costs increase or decrease by more than 5%.
“The cost of gas that Eversource purchases from the market significantly increased in January, driven primarily by the extreme cold temperatures in the supply regions as well as the increased usage,” Ress said. “This is exacerbated by the natural gas supply constraints we regularly face in the Northeast with our location at the end of pipelines, reliance on the fuel for both heating and electric generation, and the need to bring in Liquified Natural Gas to meet regional demand during the winter months — triggering the 5% requirement.”
Despite these comments from Eversource, legislators and residents locally and across the state are continuing to urge a review of Eversource’s practices.
In their letter, the legislators said that although Eversource blames the increases on colder temperatures, increased usage, and rate adjustments that occurred in November 2024, there are many customers still seeing spikes in their bills even though they are not changing their usage.
“Many customers who have kept their thermostats at consistent levels are still seeing drastic hikes, raising serious concerns about the fairness and necessity of these increases,” the letter reads.
In a separate press release sent to Reminder Publishing, state Rep. Orlando Ramos (D-Springfield) also demanded an investigation to Eversource’s rate increases after he personally received several complaints from residents about their bills.
Ramos, who has been critical of Eversource’s actions in the past, said that in his communications with DPU he was told that Eversource was recently approved for an additional 12% increase to the “supply” portion of the bills.
In a statement, Ramos claims that this rate spike is unauthorized. He said that gas companies purchase natural gas on behalf of their customers and pay the market-based price, and under state law, those companies cannot profit from the sale of gas purchased.
Ramos also said he reviewed several documents provided by DPU, including a merger agreement from 2020 that prohibits Eversource from seeking a change from its base gas distribution until Nov. 1, 2028. He added that Eversource Electric has not received approval for a rate increase since November 2022.
“I believe that the increase people are seeing may be a result of an unauthorized rate increase,” said Ramos. “How else can Eversource explain charging their customers more this year for using the same amount of energy they used last year? I’m asking both the DPU and the Attorney General’s office to investigate the legitimacy of this increase.”
The issue of these rate spikes has percolated beyond state representatives and senators. Gov. Maura Healey sent her own letter to Van Nostrand demanding that the DPU “act immediately to provide rate relief to customers in this heating season.”
“I recognize that energy costs in Massachusetts are closely tied to global oil and gas markets and driven in part by increasing demand and higher usage due to the cold weather,” Healey said in the letter. “While the DPU cannot control all the drivers, you and the gas utilities have an obligation to do all you can to help consumers reduce bills and avoid future large, unanticipated price spikes like this.”
Meanwhile, a citizen’s petition to halt and reverse Eversource rate and delivery hikes is currently circulating around the state. As of press time, the petition, which was sent to multiple Massachusetts offices — including the DPU and governor’s office — had over 9,300 signatures and over 2,000 comments.
The residents have a list of demands, including an emergency injunction to halt the rate and delivery charge increases that occurred on Nov. 1 and a full judicial review of Eversource’s past increases and the DPU’s approval process.
“The unchecked increase in both rate and delivery charges is forcing thousands of families toward financial ruin,” the petition reads. “The legal basis for these increases must be challenged, and all improperly imposed fees and surcharges must be removed.”
In its statement, Eversource said it understands the high cost of energy is challenging for customers and encouraged customers to take advantage of their available assistance programs.
Editor’s Note: On Feb. 20, the DPU ordered the state’s six gas utilities — including Eversource — to reduce delivery fees to an amount that would cut the average homeowner’s bill by 5% for the months of March and April. The DPU said utilities will be able to recover those fees in warmer months when gas usage is lower.
