Haverhill Residents to Save 30% on Energy Supply Costs Starting in Dec.

Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini during a recent Open Mike Show.

Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini during a recent Open Mike Show.

Haverhill residents will save up to 30 percent on the supply portion of their bills beginning as soon as next month as a result of an agreement signed today by Mayor James J. Fiorentini.

Fiorentini said this morning he signed a Community Choice Power Supply Program agreement with Northampton, Mass.-based Hampshire Power to provide electricity supply for Haverhill residents, businesses and industrial customers, who receive basic service from National Grid.

“The timing of this agreement could not have been better, with the winter months upon us, as electricity usage increases during this season, residents will have the opportunity to save money and make their own choice on the purchase of power supply,” the mayor said.

The rate offered through Community Choice Power of $.099 cents per kilowatt hour takes effect with the December meter read. The rate compares with National Grid’s basic supply rate of $0.13.1 cents through April, 2016. The lower rate is locked in for 12 months.

Earlier this year, the city won approval from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) to pool all residents into a bulk rate package—or aggregation agreement—to secure a lower rate from suppliers.

National Grid will still issue bills regardless of program participation and will still be responsible for any and all matters related to grid maintenance and service to the meter. Individuals who do not want to participate in the program have the ability to opt out by returning a postcard that will be included with the December electric bills, the mayor’s office said.

Fiorentini, representing the city, along with James Avery, Esquire, of Pierce Atwood LLP, Boston, on behalf of the city’s energy broker Colonial Power Group Inc., appeared before DPU Aug. 17. Comments were also received from utility provider National Grid, Attorney General Maura Healey and a member of the public.

The city filed the petition June 30 to establish the Community Choice Power Supply Program, “in which the city will aggregate the load of electric customers located within city borders in order to procure competitive electric supply for program participants.”

According to a summary, “The mayor, with input from the Haverhill City Council, will be responsible for all program decisions, including the selection of the competitive supplier, execution of contracts and termination of the program. The city, through a competitive solicitation, hired Colonial Power Group Inc. as the city’s initial consultant to assist in the design, implementation, and management of the program. The city and the consultant developed the Plan in consultation with the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and the local distribution company, National Grid.”

2 thoughts on “Haverhill Residents to Save 30% on Energy Supply Costs Starting in Dec.

  1. Leave it to mayor taxman to inflate the savings citizens will be receiving under this program. By the mayor’s own numbers the savings will be just over 24% on the “SUPPLY” portion of the bill. But it doesn’t end there….In typical fashion leave it to mayor Taxman to deceive citizens that he’s providing a great service for taxpayers.

    The “Supply” portion on an electric bill is only one of several costs. There is a basic service charge, a delivery charge and several others. The “Supply” portion represents only about 17% of the total bill. Which means on the total overall cost of a bill, if customers will be saving 24% on just the “Supply” portion, then they will only be saving 4% off of their total bill. If you spend $75.00/month on electricity you’ll be saving less than $3.00/month, and less than $40.00 a year.

    Now compare that to the average Haverhill taxpayer who pays $3,500.00 in property taxes. When mayor Taxman raises your taxes again next year by 2.5% you’ll be paying an extra $88.00/year, just like you did last year, and the year before that, and….. In just the last 8 years because mayor Taxman has raised property taxes by 2.5% every year, factoring for compounding interest, taxes in Haverhill are up over 25%. Which means this same average taxpayer is paying almost $900.00 more in taxes EVERY year to fund this incompetent administration. $900 EVERY year and he’s bragging he’s saving citizens $40!!

    He’s running unopposed, so Haverhill citizens are stuck with this lying, deceiving, incompetent hack. It doesn’t mean the message can’t be sent that we want better. Don’t vote for him. Don’t check his name just because he’s the only one on the ballot. Send a message enough is enough.

    • I love the passion Jack, but just one correction. The 2.5% increase is in totality, not just property taxes. Also, which is actually worse than you describe, is the 2.5% maximum increase is compounding, which means even without an increase, the set rate of taxation increases automatically (wishing we could post graphs to show this).

      Bottom line, and any math teachers reading this know some of us can actually do math, and pass that knowledge unto our kids, this is a scam of the worst order.

      Were it not for the theft by Representative Brian Dempsey (as Chair of House Ways & Means), and Beacon Hill as whole allowing DEFICIT SPENDING (deficit spending bond buying), Haverhill is a BANKRUPT city. As hard as that is to comprehend for people, that is a mathematical fact, only enabled by a mathematical inept Legislature through financial engineering.

      Unfortunately, our Beacon Hill “Representation” like Linda Dean Campbell, State Senator O’Connor-Ives, and of course Dempsey, don’t care about math. They care about votes, and who believes their rhetorical BS. DEFICIT SPENDING is a fraud upon The People, an unforeseen tax upon future earnings/GDP which will never be made up. Mayor Jim may have been a decent attorney, but his math sucks. Anyone can always find a financier to tell them all is well as long as you pay them (see AAA bond ratings before the 2008 crash). This is Haverhill, and The People do indeed deserve the government (as few as those who vote), deserve.