DPU-Approved Municipal Aggregation Plans Save Electric Customers Money

07:43AM / Sunday, February 01, 2026Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has made headway in approving Municipal Aggregation Plans (Plans), leading to millions of savings for enrolled customers.

Since the DPU issued guidelines in July 2024, the agency has approved 47 Plans, 35 of which have entered into contracts with suppliers. This incredible effort demonstrates the ways in which the DPU has streamlined its processes and improved regulatory efficiency to provide real-time savings for customers.

"Municipal aggregation is a critical energy affordability tool," said Chair Jeremy McDiarmid. "Our experience to date shows that customers who participate in their city or town's Plan can save money on their electric bills while taking advantage of the environmental benefits produced by each Plan's clean energy supply. I am proud of the tremendous work the Department has done to expedite the approval process and unlock greater savings."

Participants enrolled in one of the 35 Municipal Aggregation Plans will see $2.36 to $18.60 in monthly savings through July 2026. Residential electric customers enrolled in these Plans will have saved roughly $25 million from December 2024 to July 2026, compared to the basic service rates offered by the investor-owned electric utilities. July 2026 is the latest month for which basic service prices are known; electric utilities procure their supply in six-month periods. Accordingly, whether customers continue to experience savings after July 2026 will not be known until basic service prices are approved for the period of August 2026 through January 2027.

The DPU's streamlined approach has not only lowered enrolled customers' bills but has equipped more homes and businesses with a higher percentage of clean, renewable energy, by purchasing clean energy. Many of the 35 executed Plans require the purchase of clean energy in amounts that exceed the state's Clean and Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards.

The DPU's current approach has improved regulatory efficiency and includes a commitment to a four-month period to review the Plans and issue an order, with many decisions occurring in less than four months. This approach allows municipalities to stand up their Municipal Aggregation Programs quickly, taking advantage of the energy market to optimize savings for their residents and local businesses.

To date, the DPU has approved 245 Municipal Aggregation Plans since the approval of the first plan in August 2000: close to 70 percent of the state's municipalities can offer their residents and businesses clean and affordable electricity.

All municipalities with approved Municipal Aggregation Programs and customers who choose to switch electricity suppliers are advised to be aware of recent scams and stay informed by visiting the DPU's page.

Background on Municipal Aggregation

Municipal aggregation was first established in 1997 following the passage of the Electric Industry Restructuring Act. Municipal aggregation, also known as community choice aggregation, allows a municipality to solicit bids for and purchase electricity supply on behalf of its residents and businesses. Massachusetts state law requires municipalities to submit municipal aggregation plans to the DPU for review and approval.

According to data from the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources as of June 2025, 52 percent of residential customers, 37 percent of low-income customers, and 42 percent of small commercial and industrial customers are supplied from municipal aggregation programs.

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Fenton: Governor's Council Must Deliver for the Berkshires

Community submissionGuest Column
10:22AM / Friday, August 28, 2026

I am a Springfield lawyer running for Governor's Council and I am asking for Berkshire County residents to support me over an incumbent from North Adams.

Here's why: Last year I learned about staffing issues in our regional courts that I could not ignore. In 2025, it was reported that four of Western Massachusetts' 11 Superior Court judgeships were vacant, all at the same time. A few weeks later, that grew to five vacancies. This meant there were only six Superior Court judges serving all of Western Mass at a time when Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden counties had more than 100 pending homicide cases.

Those numbers were alarming to me, so I started to engage with leaders in the community who work most closely with the court system and I came to learn that these vacancies were only the tip of the iceberg here in Berkshire County.

I learned that no Superior Court or District Court judge had been appointed from the Berkshires since the current incumbent took office. As a result, there is not a single Superior Court judge who lives in the Berkshires today, and several of the District Court judges drive in from other counties to support Berkshire courts in Pittsfield, Great Barrington, and North Adams. Court staff also informed me about severe staffing shortages at the Berkshire Clerk of Courts office resulting in other counties needing to loan staff to the Berkshires just so hardworking employees can take a brief and planned summer vacation. This is not normal. These issues are a reflection of genuine problems with the Berkshire County court system and show a lack of proactive attention from our Governor's Councilor.

Instead of focusing on regional equity, I watched as the current incumbent celebrated that she has voted against the governor's nominees more than any other councilor, without much explanation as to why. Most recently, she voted against two extremely qualified former prosecutors for the Parole Board. This was despite an in-person plea from the governor and a letter of support from all the three of the district attorney's from Western Mass. Those votes do not show independence or standing up for principles, they demonstrate naivete, and an unwillingness to work with the key stakeholders.

I had seen and heard enough. I decided to jump in the race and challenge the incumbent to address these problems head-on.

I am a partner of a regional law firm. I understand our courts and the importance of having qualified, fair and hardworking judges. And I know how important it is to have judges from the Berkshires serving the Berkshires. To achieve that, you need strong relationships with the legal community and local stakeholders. You need to know how to use the power of the Governor's Council to fight forcefully for our region. And you need to be laser focused on identifying vacancies before they occur so that they can be filled quickly with local candidates.

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