Electricity service provider National Grid is reminding, and urging, its local customers to take advantage of various solutions it says can help lower bills this winter.
With news the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has approved a 37 percent rate increase for supply services, from Nov. 1 to April 30, the company points out energy saving and payment options, including assistance programs such as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, are available through local Community Action agencies. Those agencies include Community Action, Inc. of Haverhill, and Greater Lawrence Community Action Council of Lawrence.
“Energy supply prices are set by the commodity market, not National Grid. When we purchase energy on your behalf, we pass on those costs directly without a markup,” the company said.
Under the rate increase, a household using 500 kilowatt hours of electric would see a $33 hike in its monthly bill this winter. The national average shows a typical home uses 908 kWh a month of electricity.