Berkshire Gas Requests 'Energy Efficiency' Budget Increases

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
12:42PM / Wednesday, December 20, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Gas has requested an increase in its energy-efficiency budgets in the residential, income-eligible, and commercial industrial sectors that will raise the average residential heating bill by about $4 a month.

On Friday, the state Department of Public Utilities hosted a hearing for the gas company's petition for modifications to its 2022 to 2024 Three-Year Energy Efficiency Plan that provides energy-efficiency programs for customers in these sectors. It was filed in late August and written comments were due on Monday.

No members of the public spoke at the virtual hearing.

The four proposed budget increases amount to $7.6 million.

In the residential sector, the BGC proposes a $2.66 million, or 32 percent, increase to the Residential Existing Building program and by $140,000, or 28 percent, to the Residential Hard-to-Measure program

The company said the proposed increase to the Residential Existing Building program is driven by higher-than-expected demand for heat pumps and that it will use the increase to offer participant incentives for electrification measures within its Residential Retail Core Initiative.

The proposed increase in the Hard-to-Measure program is said to be necessary due to unanticipated increases in spending for education, evaluation and market research, sponsorship, and assessments.

In the income-eligible sector, BGC proposes a $450,000, or 10 percent, increase to the Income-Eligible Existing Buildings program, stating that the additional funds are necessary to ensure that at least 20 percent of expenditures for gas efficiency programs to the sector are allocated.

In the C&I sector, BGC proposes a 139 percent increase of $4.35 million to the C&I Existing Buildings program. The increase is attributed to higher-than-anticipated demand and the company says it will be used for participant incentives in the C&I New and Replacement Core Initiative and the Existing Building Retrofit Core Initiative.

If the DPU approves the items, the average residential heating customers using 136 therms of gas per month in the winter will see a monthly bill increase of $4.07, or 1.52 percent. The average residential low-income heating customers using 123 therms of gas per month will see a monthly increase of $2.76 and the impacts for C&I customers will vary.

The Low-Income Weatherization and Fuel Assistance Program Network, the Low-Income Energy Affordability Network (LEAN,) and the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources were granted petitions to intervene and on Dec. 12, the company filed a proposed settlement agreement with the attorney general, LEAN and DOER.

Written comments on the settlement proposal can be submitted to the DPU in pdf format by email attachment to dpu.efiling@mass.gov and elyssa.klein@mass.gov by Dec. 29. It is asked that comments also be sent to the company's attorney Joseph Dorfler at jdorfler@richmaylaw.com.

The text of the email must specify the docket number of the proceeding (DPU 23-93,) the name of the person or company submitting the filing, and a brief descriptive title of the document.

Tags: berkshire gas, public utility,

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Pittsfield Council Revisiting DEI Office Restructure

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
04:11PM / Tuesday, October 13, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The conversation about the DEI office renaming that was halted by a charter objection will resume on Tuesday.

The City Council will discuss a request from Mayor Peter Marchetti to restructure the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

It proposes to rename the DEI office to the Office of Equity, Access, and Opportunity and merge the Human Rights Commission and Affirmative Action Committee into an Equity, Access and Opportunity Commission.

The Ordinance and Rules Subcommittee supported the changes in August, and in September, Ward 2 Councilor Cameron Cunningham delayed the vote with a charter objection.

Pittsfield's City Code prohibits charter states that "if a single member present objects to the taking of the vote, the vote shall be postponed until the next meeting of the city council." It also stipulates that at least four members must object if it is an emergency measure.

Cunningham also submitted a petition, which was referred to O&R under Rule 27, to replace the DEI Office and the Human Rights Commission with an equity, access, and opportunity coordinator in the Department of Community Development, with formal complaints and Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action functions assigned to Human Resources.

At the last meeting, he spent more than an hour querying the mayor and chief diversity officer about functions and effectiveness of the department, wanting more quantitative data. Cunningham proposed an ordinance that he says keeps Pittsfield's commitment to equity, access, and opportunity, "refocuses it on measurable results for our residents, and delivers it at a fraction of the current cost."

Under this petition, the equity, access, and opportunity coordinator would be a $60,000 to $80,000 per year position.

The DEI Office's fiscal year 2027 budget was about $200,000 after cuts during budget season; $106,700 for the chief diversity officer and $58,000 for the administrative assistant. The coordinator would be appointed by the director of community development and the mayor.

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