Eversource home-heating gas customers in Massachusetts can expect to pay about 13 percent more this winter compared to the same period last year, based on the utility’s filing with the state Department of Public Utilities Thursday.
If approved by the DPU, Eversource will begin charging the higher rate Nov. 1, when its peak season rates go into effect.
Eversource says the average monthly use by its customers is 126 therms, a unit of the quantity of heat in gas. Compared to last year, customers using this amount of heat will see a total bill increase of $41.24, or approximately 13 percent, Eversource said in a press release.
Eversource attributed most of the increase to expenses for “maintenance and infrastructure investment.” Eversource has approximately 640,000 gas customers in Massachusetts.
Maintenance and infrastructure investment include “equipment, materials, and vehicles, as well as the workers who maintain, repair, and upgrade the system, especially during the cold peak days when customers need it most,” Eversource said.
Other components of the rate Eversource charges are supply, referring solely to the cost of natural gas, and “public benefits.”
Public benefits include the costs of Mass Save, the state-mandated energy efficiency program, and payment assistance for those struggling to pay their bills.
“The programs help reduce energy usage and enable customers to better manage their monthly bills,” Eversource said.
Of the 13 percent increase, 11 percent is attributed to maintenance and infrastructure investment; 2 percent to supply; and less than 1 percent to public benefits.
“We work diligently to keep the maintenance and infrastructure costs we can control as low as possible, but the cost of this work is not optional — because heating our homes during a New England winter isn’t a choice,” said Kevin Kelley, Eversource’s president of gas distribution, in a statement. “Last winter was the coldest we’ve seen in recent years, driving significantly increased gas usage that … led to higher-than-normal bills.”
Last winter’s colder temperatures hiked the average amount of heat used by Eversource’s customers to 143 therms, a 13 percent increase over the average, according to Eversource. High heating bills across the state prompted an outcry from consumers and elected officials about energy affordability.
Last year, Eversource upped its gas rate by a lot more than it did this year — 23 percent in 2024, compared to this year’s requested 13 percent.
The utility’s rate increase request is pending at the DPU.
Eversource increased its rates for electricity customers by 4.8 percent, for the six-month period that began Aug. 1.
Asked about its winter gas rates, National Grid, the state’s other large utility, said in an email that it is asking for DPU approval for a 3.8 percent hike. National Grid has about 950,000 gas customers in Massachusetts.
National Grid increased its rate for residential electricity by about 5.4 percent, as of Aug. 1.
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