CCE

Boston Rolls Out Community Choice Electricity with More Renewables, Lower Cost

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The City of Boston has released the long-awaited details of its Community Choice Electricity program (CCE). BCAN is thrilled to confirm that CCE offers all Boston electricity customers a painless but meaningful way to take action against climate change. The prices are competitive with Eversource’s: in fact, you can buy greener electricity and still save money. The customer notification and enrollment process has begun, and the program itself starts in February. Read on to find out more.

How Green is CCE? How Much Will It Cost?

CCE will offer a choice of three products (electricity plans). Standard, the default option, will have 10 percentage points more renewable content than the minimum percentage required by Massachusetts law. This minimum, called the Class I RPS, goes up two percentage points per year and will be 18% in 2021, so Standard will start at 28% green. Optional Green 100 will be 100% renewably sourced. Optional Basic will contain the state-required minimum–as does Eversource’s Basic Service product. 

Prices for the respective plans will be as follows:

ProductPercentage Points Class I Renewables Above RPSTotal Percentage Class I Renewables (2021)Price (cents/kWh)Effective Time Period (2021)
CCE Standard (default)102811.409Feb.-Nov. 
CCE Optional Green 100
(opt-up)		N/A10014.764Feb.-Nov.
CCE Optional Basic
(opt-down)		01810.959Feb.-Nov.
Eversource Basic Service01811.882Jan.-June
Note: These prices are for the supplier portion of your bill–the price for the electricity itself, not for transmitting it to you. All Massachusetts customers pay additional delivery charges, and this will not change under CCE.

Here is what you would pay for electricity supply if your usage is a typical 600 kWh per month: 

ProductPercentage Points Class I Renewables Above RPSTotal Percentage Class I Renewables (2021)Monthly Supplier ChargesMore or (Less) than Eversource Basic
per Month
 
CCE Standard1028$68.45 ($2.84)
CCE Optional Green 100N/A100$88.58 $17.29 
CCE Optional Basic018$65.75 ($5.54)
Eversource Basic Service018$71.29 

So . . . with CCE Standard, you get electricity that is substantially greener than Eversource’s, for $2.84 less per month! If you can afford $17.29 more per month than you would have paid Eversource, you can opt up to 100% green and help fight climate change even more. Or, if every penny counts in your household, you can opt down to CCE Optional Basic and save $5.54 a month compared to Eversource, while still supporting a program that cuts carbon emissions citywide. We hope that you will choose the greenest CCE product that fits your budget. 

For full disclosure, we must explain that these prices are only for the time periods shown in the first table, and that prices for future periods cannot be guaranteed. During the life of the program, there may be times when Eversource’s rates are lower than CCE’s. The City, which makes no profit from CCE, aims to offer electricity that is as green as possible while keeping rates favorable over the long run. According to the Energy News Network, similar programs founded over the past few years in other Massachusetts cities and towns are saving their customers lots of money.

What Do I Have to Do?

If you are a Boston electricity customer and Eversource is your supplier, you will be receiving a detailed mailing from the City. Read it carefully. 

Meanwhile, here are the basics:

  • If Eversource is your supplier, you will automatically be enrolled in CCE. (You may opt out if you wish — though we’re not sure why you would.) Our previous blog post explains how to determine who your current supplier is. 
  • If you already have a supplier other than Eversource, you are not eligible for CCE while that contract is active. If you want to switch to CCE, go to the City’s “Protect Your Electric Account” page and scroll down to “How Can You Switch Your Electric Supplier?” to learn how to change without financial penalties.
  • New CCE enrollees are automatically signed up for the Standard product. To choose Optional Green 100 or Optional Basic instead, use this online form, or call the CCE supplier, Constellation, at (833) 930-3161.
  • If you join CCE, Eversource will still be your electric utility. They will still bill you and maintain the power lines, so customer service and system reliability will stay the same.

More Questions?

The City is hosting explanatory webinars starting December 14, with time for Q&A. Register here.

Correction, December 4, 2020. An earlier version of this post incorrectly cited typical electricity usage as 600 kWh per year, instead of per month. Comparisons of monthly supplier charges for CCE products vs. Eversource Basic Service have been recalculated accordingly.

News Roundup: November

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Campaign Update – City Signs CCE Electricity Contract!

The City of Boston has selected Constellation NewEnergy, Inc., as the electricity supplier for the Community Choice Electricity program (CCE). It has also announced that CCE will offer three “products” or electricity plans: Standard (the default, which customers will get unless they request otherwise), Optional Green 100, and Optional Basic. Under the contract signed with Constellation in late October, the price for each product will be constant for the first nine months of the program, February through November, 2021.

Optional Green 100 will offer 100% renewables. Optional Basic will contain Massachusetts’ legal minimum percentage of energy to come from renewable sources—18% in 2021. The content for Standard will be set near the end of this month. At that time, Eversource will have published its winter rates, allowing the City to calculate how much “green power” they can offer in the Standard option and still keep the price attractive. Stay tuned after Thanksgiving!

Climate News – The People Voted; Climate is the Priority

Both locally and nationally, voters have expressed climate change as one of the most important issues to them. In an NBC Exit Poll surveying early and Election Day voters nationwide, 68% of voters said they believe climate change to be a serious problem. And here in Massachusetts, our voters echoed this stance on prioritizing climate change. A ballot initiative appearing on ballots in Boston and other select towns asked voters if they believe our representatives should push forward legislation propelling Massachusetts to 100% renewable energy use within two decades. 88% of voters in Boston voted yes, and in all other towns with this ballot initiative, no less than 70% of voters selected yes.

It is clear that more and more people recognize the serious threat climate change poses. BCAN is encouraged to continue fighting for climate justice with the growing support and consensus around climate action!

What Can You Do?

Many City of Boston residents recently received a letter from Mayor Walsh’s Environment Department about competitive electricity suppliers. The letter’s purpose: “to make sure you know who is supplying your electricity, how to identify predatory electric companies, and how the City of Boston’s new Community Choice Electricity program can benefit you.”

We echo the importance of checking your bill to confirm whether or not your current supplier is listed as “Eversource Basic Service.” If you have Eversource Basic Service, it should look like this:

Your bill will always be from Eversource, but the supplier may be different.


If you signed up with a supplier other than Eversource Basic Service, you will not be automatically included when Boston begins enrollment for its Community Choice Electricity program next month. To learn how you might switch to Basic Service so you can participate in Community Choice Electricity, read this guide from the City.

Community Choice Energy hearing at the DPU: Aug. 20

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We have been pushing for the last 2 years to increase the renewable electricity coming to all Boston households and businesses through Community Choice Energy (CCE). Now we’ve reached a crucial milestone: a hearing at the Department of Public Utilities (DPU). This state agency has the power to speed up or slow down our progress. Please speak out to ask the DPU to support the prompt implementation of Boston’s plan for Community Choice Energy.

When: Tuesday, August 20th at 2:00 pm 

Where: Dept. of Public Utilities, One South Station, 5th Floor, Boston, MA, 02110

If you can’t attend the hearing, please take advantage of this opportunity to to express your support for CCE by submitting a short comment. Comments must be submitted by 5:00 pm on Aug. 20th.

If you would like to submit a comment to the DPU, please email it to these email addresses:

dpu.efiling@mass.gov and Sarah.Smegal@mass.gov
and CC javery@pierceatwood.com and BostonClimateAction@gmail.com

The text of your email must include:

  • The docket number of the proceeding D.P.U. 19-65
  • Your name and telephone number.
  • Your title if you represent a specific group or agency.
  • It may be useful to identify yourself as a resident of Boston, if you are one.

Please use a clear file name for the attached comment letter that does not exceed 50 characters in length, for instance D.P.U. 19-65 comment (and your name).

We suggest you refer to our CCE website and the City’s CCE website for reasons you might include in your letter to the DPU. It’s fine to include just one reason that’s important to you. Please keep your letter brief.

If you prefer to send a letter via the postal service, note that your letter must be received by Aug. 20 (not postmarked by that date). Mail your comment letter to:

Mark D. Marini
Department of Public Utilities
One South Station, 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02110

Also mail copies of your comment letter to the following two people:

Sarah A. Smegal
Department of Public Utilities
One South Station, 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02110

AND

James M. Avery, Esq.
Pierce Atwood LLP
100 Summer Street
Boston, MA 02110

We Need You! – Help Community Choice Energy Clear its Last Hurdle

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Calling all supporters of CCE!  We need you to show up on August 20th at 2pm, when the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) hears public testimony about Boston’s CCE plan. DPU approval is the last regulatory step before Boston can go ahead and implement CCE, so the hearing is a critical turning point. 

Many of you have already helped CCE reach this point. You’ve made phone calls, buttonholed the Mayor at City events, testified before the City Council, and given out information at gatherings in Boston neighborhoods. But if you are new to the cause, you’re not too late. We need as many Boston residents as possible to tell the DPU that we need CCE and want it to start soon.

The hearing takes place at the Department of Public Utilities. Show up by 1:45p outside South Station. There will be a group of BCAN’ers there, and we will go in together. Bring photo ID, as you may need it to get into the building.

There are lots of reasons why CCE is important for Boston. Here are a few of the key reasons:

  • A way to help fight climate change
  • A way to help meet both Boston’s and Massachusetts’ greenhouse gas reduction goals
  • More green energy for Boston residents at affordable prices 
  • More stable electric rates
  • A trustworthy alternative to predatory for-profit energy suppliers
  • More renewable infrastructure and more green jobs in Massachusetts
  • Less pollution from local power plants, and lower rates of asthma

Still have questions? E-mail Andy@bostoncan.org or call 617-971-8568. We look forward to seeing you at the hearing!

New England waters warming quickly

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A new study finds that New England’s coastal waters have warmed faster than anywhere else in the continental U.S. What does the future hold?

As satellite data show that June 2019 was the hottest June on record, a recent study has found that the coastal waters off New England have warmed more than those anywhere else in the continental United States. An analysis by the nonprofit Climate Central revealed that average sea surface temperatures off New England have risen by 2–3°F since 1901, compared to increases of less than 1.5°F elsewhere on the U.S. Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Warming seas cause many changes to marine ecosystems, including acidification, reduced oxygen concentrations, increased incidence of toxic red tide algal blooms, and migration of marine species to cooler climes. In New England, many fish species are expected to move northeastward by 100 to 600 km over the course of the century, depending on how fast the climate warms. Such changes in marine life can ripple through the ecosystem, as when reduced foodstock may have led to the starvation of some 350 puffins and auklets on St. Paul Island in Alaska in 2016‒2017.

In New England, climate change has already led to the collapse of lobster populations and the lobster-fishing industry to the south, and the explosion of populations and catches farther north. Connecticut’s landings fell by 96% from 1996 through 2014, while Rhode Island’s declined by about 75% from 1999 through 2017. Maine’s landings, by contrast, have increased by more than 200%, and lobsters now bring the state over $450M annually.

What fish will be common in the waters of Massachusetts in 2050 or 2100? And how long will Maine’s lobster luck last? The answers to these questions depend on how quickly we can replace fossil fuels with cleaner sources of energy, staunching the flow of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Speak out in favor of speeding up the transition to renewably generated electricity for all Boston homes. Join BostonCAN as we practice giving testimony for the forthcoming a Department of Public Utilities hearing on Community Choice Energy. The hearing date is TBD, but we will start our practicing this coming Thursday, July 25, at 6:30pm at the  First Baptist Church, side entrance, 633 Centre St., Jamaica Plain. Or email Andy Wells-Bean to find out how you can get involved.

References

Copernicus Climate Change Service, “Record-breaking temperatures for June” (July 2, 2019). <https://climate.copernicus.eu/record-breaking-temperatures-june>

Climate Central, “In Hot Water: How Warming Waters Are Stressing Fish and the Fishing Industry” (June 26, 2019). <https://ccimgs-2019.s3.amazonaws.com/2019Fishing/2019Fishing.pdf>

Arnault Le Bris et al, “Climate vulnerability and resilience in the most valuable North American fishery” (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, February 20, 2018). <https://www.pnas.org/content/115/8/1831>

James W. Morley et al, “Projecting shifts in thermal habitat for 686 species on the North American continental shelf” (PLOS One, May 16, 2018). <https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0196127&type=printable>

Jennifer Walter, “Climate change may have caused mass puffin die-off” (Discover Magazine, May 29, 2019). <http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2019/05/29/climate-change-may-have-caused-mass-puffin-die-off/>

Emily Greenhalgh, “Climate and lobsters” (NOAA Climate.gov, October 6, 2016). <https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-and/climate-lobsters>

Zoeann Murphy and Chris Mooney, “Gone in a generation: Across America, climate change is already disrupting lives” (The Washington Post, January 29, 2019). <https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/national/gone-in-a-generation/fishing-climate-change.html

Progress on CCE program guidelines

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Update: The City of Boston reports that it has submitted its CCE plan to the DPU on June 20!

At the May 30th meeting of the Community Choice Energy (CCE) Working Group, the City of Boston reported that it is still waiting for the state Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to authorize the City to submit its CCE plan to the Department of Public Utilities (DPU). The City anticipated a quick turn-around with DOER, and had not been asked for any additional materials beyond the draft plan it submitted to DOER weeks ago. The City hoped to have its plan approved by DPU in time to make its first foray into the electricity market in January. That timeline now seems doubtful with the delay at DOER and DPU’s expectation that it will need as much as 8 months or more to review Boston’s plan. Eversource is also lobbying for a later start date so that it might have more time to prepare the data transfer to Boston.

Also on May 30th, BostonCAN and other working group participants dove deep into the Values and Principles statement that will guide decision-making as the program details are spelled out and the plan is implemented. In addition to the three values presented for discussion: additionality, preference for local generation, and affordability, the discussion generated 4 additional principles. BostonCAN led the drafting of language codifying a goal of rapid greenhouse gas reduction through CCE’s green power purchases. We also proposed a new principle that residents of Boston’s environmental justice (EJ) neighborhoods should have priority access to those jobs created by CCE. Our Green Justice Coalition allies Youth on Board (YOB) raised the important question of how “affordability” would be defined. YOB also put forward an idea to help make the green electricity even more affordable for low-income residents: a voluntary extra payment option for those who can afford more. We were just beginning to discuss a fourth new principle (meaningful engagement of residents of EJ neighborhoods in the details of the plan design) when the meeting had to end.

Due to the fruitful discussion, City staff announced that they would convene an additional working group session in July to finalize the Principles and Values document. We are excited to have this additional opportunity to work with the City and allies to craft this important document which will guide this program for years to come.

Speak out on Boston’s draft CCE plan!

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The City of Boston wants public comments on its draft plan for Community Choice Energy (CCE). You can submit written comments until 5pm on Friday, May 17.

Please consider taking 15 minutes this week to send a short comment on the plan. Email david.musselman@boston.gov with “City of Boston’s Aggregation Plan” in the subject line.

In particular, we encourage you to comment on this section of the plan, which leaves open the possibility that Boston might look outside of New England for its renewable energy:

“The City will require that the RECs [Renewable Energy Certificates] either be created and recorded in the New England Power Pool [NEPOOL] Generation Information System or be certified by a third party such as Green-e.” (page 16)

Put simply, buying RECs is a way of paying for renewable energy. The “either…or be certified by a third party such as Green-e” in this sentence indicates that Boston is not committed to buying all its green energy from generators within our region (i.e. only those recorded by NEPOOL). We are concerned about this lack of commitment.

We see several advantages to keeping Boston’s electricity dollars within New England as much as possible. By supporting the local renewables industry, we encourage the development of more green generators in our own region. This will create jobs locally. It will also hopefully enable the retirement of some older, carbon-burning generators, which will reduce not only the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change, but also other types of pollution that threaten local public health. Additionally, the City Council’s authorization for CCE specified that the renewable content should come from our region.

Some may argue that the retirement of carbon-fired plants in other states is still a win for us, since greenhouse gases produced anywhere affect climate globally. What complicates this issue is the fact that the environmental effectiveness of green energy purchases vary from state to state. The strength of a state’s energy regulations and other market conditions affects the value – both environmental and financial — of its RECs. If, to save money, Boston were to buy from a state where green energy purchases do not stimulate new development or shutter dirty plants, Boston might claim to be “green” without effecting much change. This is called “greenwashing.”

If local renewables ever become so expensive as to make it impossible to offer any additional renewable content in Boston’s default CCE rate and still keep prices comparable with Eversource’s, only then would we want the City to consider purchases from outside New England. In that event, we would want the City to ensure that any out-of-region RECs we buy would be effective in stimulating further development of green energy generators.

For more details on how RECs work, we recommend this short video from the EPA or this essay from journalist David Roberts. Roberts specifically discusses the difference between Green-e RECs and RECs sourced from generators in our region.

For more about NEPOOL, see nepoolgis.com/about.

For an example of “greenwashing,” consider this short video from Cascade Policy Institute.

bnef-recs-regions

An illustration of the relative higher value of RECs generated in New England, compared to other regions. Image source: https://www.vox.com/2015/11/9/9696820/renewable-energy-certificates.

CCE Working Group Explores Green Energy Sourcing Alternatives

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BostonCAN is a member of the Municipal Aggregation Working Group that the City’s Environment Department has formed to help ensure that Boston’s Community Choice Energy (CCE) program reflects community priorities. (Note: Municipal aggregation is the legal term for CCE.) Working group members represent City departments and other stakeholder organizations. Monthly meetings began last December and have served to educate the group about different aspects of aggregation design. The February 28 meeting addressed alternative ways that a program can acquire green energy. Guest speakers Megan Shaw from the Cambridge Energy Alliance and Ann Berwick from the City of Newton each described the option that her municipality chose.

Newton’s program goes live this month with a 22-month contract. The program gets green energy by purchasing Class I RECs. A REC (Renewable Energy Certificate) is earned by a renewable energy producer (for example, a solar or wind farm) for each 1,000 kilowatt hours that it generates. RECs are sold on an open market. When people (including aggregations) buy RECs, they help to repay up-front costs for existing renewable projects and to encourage investment in new ones. Class I RECs are for energy produced in New England, New York, or parts of Canada, where they help to green our regional grid and to create local jobs. Newton’s default offering is 60% green (46% more than the current state requirement, or RPS, of 14%). Newton customers may also opt up to 100% green or down to the RPS level.

Cambridge’s second CCE contract started last November. The previous 18-month contract relied on RECs, prioritizing new-vintage solar RECs (SRECs) in order to incentivize local solar development. When the incentive fell short of its goal, Cambridge designed its current, 24-month contract with an “operational adder” (customer surcharge) that will be used to finance a new, City-owned solar project. Cambridge’s program has an opt-up to 100%; these customers pay for Class I RECs in addition to the adder. The program is currently collecting more money than it can use, and the City is considering different options, such as adding battery storage.

Because recent market prices for electricity have been low, Newton and Cambridge now offer their customers both greener energy and lower prices compared to Eversource. However, prices fluctuate, and Berwick said that Newton was careful never to promise its customers cost savings. Alternative ways to set prices for an aggregation will be the topic of the next working group meeting.

In later meetings, the working group will set priorities for Boston’s CCE program and discuss what design alternatives support those priorities best. To help members prepare, the City provided the following questions about green energy sourcing alternatives:

  • Do we want to use RECS, direct investment in new renewables, or some combination of both?
  • If RECs, do we want to buy a fixed percentage above RPS or a varying percentage based on energy prices? In either case, what’s our target amount of renewables?
  • What types of RECs and/or renewable projects do we want to prioritize?
  • How might we want to change the aggregation over time and in response to new circumstances?
  • Do we want opt-up or opt-down options, and if so, what should these entail?

What do you think? BostonCAN represents its members at the working group, and we need to hear from you to do a good job. Send us a message at BostonClimateAction@gmail.com or at Facebook.com/BostonCAN with your opinions and questions.

Check out the City’s new CCE website for the latest progress indicators.

progress graphic

 

Giving Thanks: Progress Party for CCE Allies

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Several dozen climate hawks, including three official representatives of the City of Boston, attended a joyous CCE Progress Party on Nov. 12 at Democracy Brewing in downtown Boston. City Councilors Matt O’Malley and Michelle Wu and the city’s Chief of Environment, Energy, and Open Space, Chris Cook, thanked all the groups that helped push the Walsh administration to adopt our plan to make renewable energy more accessible to all Boston residents through Community Choice Energy.

Chief Cook reported that the Environment Department has concluded interviews with potential consultants to manage the planning and implementation of the CCE program, also known as green municipal aggregation. Councilor Wu pointed out the CCE is a counterweight to the doom and gloom of climate science, noting the opportunity within this crisis. “The steps that we have to take to make this transition to a fossil-free future successful are the only chance that we have to, not only think about the planet and green energy, but also to reduce income inequality and empower our communities.”

Many thanks to the groups that sent representatives, including Boston Student Advisory Council, Community Labor United, Eastie Farm, Greening Rozzie, Sierra Club, Mothers Out Front, 350 Boston Node, and the many other allies who attended. As Councilor O’Malley noted, there’s still much to do before we actually have a default electricity service that offers more renewables than is required by law. And Khalida Smalls pointed out, CCE is just one step to the sustainable and equitable society. We are committed to building climate justice every day and every way we can.

Top 5 Things to Know About Community Choice Energy

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The City of Boston has begun the early stages of setting up community choice energy!  As this critical process gets started, there’s never been a better time to understand what this means for you and other Boston residents.

1. What’s in a name?

Community Choice Energy is a tool that’s been used in hundreds of communities across the country and goes by many names: municipal aggregation, municipal electricity aggregation, community choice aggregation, and a few others. The idea is the same: CCE enables the City of Boston to bulk-purchase electricity for City residents.  Buying in bulk comes with a lot of buying power, which allows us to stabilize rates and get more renewables without paying more.  It also means that we can make important energy decisions instead of for-profit utilities and their competitors.

2. Choice is the key word.

Think of CCE like a ‘public option’.  CCE will be the new default, but you can switch to Eversource or a competitive supplier at any time with no penalties. As always, stay informed about competitive suppliers marketing.

3. CCE is for everyone.
CCE allows everyone to be part of the solution to the global climate crisis. While only some people can afford to install solar panels on their roofs, CCE means everyone is able to increase their clean energy.  It makes it a little bit easier to think globally and act locally.

4. CCE is climate-smart.

In 2018, Massachusetts utilities are required to buy at least 12% of their energy from Class I renewables. While this minimum percentage inches up a little each year, climate change impacts are already here and our current goals for renewables are much too slow. With CCE, we can decrease our reliance on fossil fuels and work towards our climate goals

5. CCE means more green, less stress

Monthly energy bills can be a source of financial stress for many Boston families. When it comes to negotiating electricity prices, no one can perfectly predict what the City will be able to get. That said, researchers at Tufts University looked at eight nearby towns that implemented similar CCE programs with 5% additional local renewable energy. In the first half of 2018, these towns averaged 16% lower supply costs than Eversource basic.

 

Here’s more on how it works!