Community Choice Power Supply Program (Aggregation Plan)

Under Massachusetts law (M.G.L. c. 164, § 134), municipal aggregation allows local governments to combine the purchasing power of their community to secure competitive electricity supply options on behalf of participants.

Through this program, the Town of Palmer can pursue energy goals that matter most to the community, such as cost savings, price stability, and renewable energy options. Instead of being limited to the utility’s Basic Service rates, consumers have access to an alternative supply option designed with local priorities in mind.

The program only impacts the supply portion of your monthly electric bill. National Grid will continue to deliver your electricity, maintain the power lines, and respond to outages. The Town of Palmer, through a competitive bidding process, has selected the electricity supplier for the program.

The Town of Palmer is pleased to announce that [Supplier to be Named], based in [location], has been selected as the supplier for its Program.

You will not notice any change in your electricity service.
The only difference you will see is that [Supplier to be Named] will be printed under the “Supply Services” section of your monthly bill. You will continue to receive one bill from National Grid. You will continue to send your payments to National Grid for processing. National Grid will continue to respond to emergencies, read meters, and maintain the distribution and transmission lines. Reliability and quality of service will remain the same. Furthermore, you will continue to have all existing consumer rights and protections.

If you have received a notification letter
You do not need to take any action to participate in the Program. All Basic Service consumers that have received the notification letter (for automatic enrollment) and have not opted-out will be enrolled in the Program.

If you have received an informational postcard
Your account is listed as being contracted with a third-party supplier and was not eligible at the time of the mailing so you will NOT be automatically enrolled. However, you may opt-in at any time by calling [Supplier to be Named] at [Phone number].

If you have not received a notification letter OR an informational postcard

National Grid may have had an incorrect mailing address and the letter was returned undeliverable OR your account may have been listed as having a supplier block at the time of the mailing. In either case, you will NOT be automatically enrolled. However, you may opt-in at any time by calling [Supplier to be Named] at [Phone number].

(If you have a “Supplier Block” on your account, you must call National Grid and have it removed before submitting the form.)

ENROLLMENT CAN TAKE UP TO TWO BILLING CYCLES BEFORE TAKING EFFECT.

Anyone switching from a contract with a third-party supplier may be subject to penalties or early termination fees charged by that supplier. You should verify terms before switching.

Periodically, the Program will send out a notification letter and opt-out card to any consumer who is new to or has recently returned to National Grid’s Basic Service.

If you have received both a notification letter AND an informational postcard
This typically means that you have multiple accounts and/or meters (i.e. an account(s) on Basic Service and an account(s) on third-party supply).

There is a lag between the date the utility provides the account data and the date the notification letters/informational postcards are mailed so there may be some accounts that are categorized incorrectly at the time of mailing.

If you have a budget plan or eligible low-income delivery rate
You will continue to receive those benefits.

If you have solar panels
You will continue to receive your net metering credits.

If you have already chosen a competitive supplier on your own
If you have received a notification letter and have already chosen a competitive supplier on your own, you must opt-out of this Program. This will ensure you continue to get your electricity from that Competitive Supplier. If you wish to leave that Competitive Supplier to be part of the Program, before opting-in, we suggest that you verify with that Competitive Supplier that they will not charge you any penalties for leaving their supply service.

If you have already chosen a green power supply option on your own
If you have received a notification letter and have already chosen a green power supply option, your participation in the Program will not affect your participation with that green power supply option.

If you are a tax exempt small business consumer

You must send or fax a copy of your Small Business Energy Exemption (“Form SBE”) directly to [Supplier to be Named] at [Email] to maintain your tax exempt status.

If you are a large industrial consumer (100 kW or 500,000 kWh/yr)
You may request to be enrolled in the Program and the supplier may offer the then-current market rate for the product selected rather than the Program rate.

If you do not wish to participate in this program
You may:
1) Opt-out and continue paying National Grid’s Basic Service rate; or
2) Opt-out and choose your own Competitive Supplier (if one is available to you).

How to OPT-OUT
Within 30 days of receipt of the notification letter, fill out, sign, and return the enclosed card in the postage paid envelope.

Any time after enrollment
You can still opt-out with NO CHARGE. It may take a couple of billing cycles before you are back on National Grid’s Basic Service. You may call [Supplier to be Named] at [Phone Number and ask to be placed on National Grid’s Basic Service.

Savings not guaranteed
Basic Service rates change twice a year or more, depending on rate class. As a result, the aggregation rate may not always be lower than the Basic Service rate. The goal of the aggregation is to deliver savings over the life of the Program against Basic Service. However, such savings and future savings cannot be guaranteed.

No fees
There are no enrollment, early termination, or cancellation fees attached to the Program. However, anyone switching from a contract with a third-party supplier may be subject to penalties or early termination fees charged by that supplier. Ratepayers should verify terms before switching.

If you fail to pay your bill in a timely manner
Consistent with the requirements of Massachusetts law, you may be switched back to the National Grid’s Basic Service.