Massachusetts residents are facing high gas bills, with some seeing their prices double over the last two months. Elijah Desousa, a local man, has started a Facebook page called “Citizens Against Eversource” to raise awareness and advocate for change. His goal is to organize a ballot question calling for better regulation.
WBZ-TV investigated the issue by speaking with Eversource and the Department of Public Utilities. The state recently approved a winter price hike for National Grid and Eversource, with Eversource seeing an 11-13% increase in supply costs and a 25-30% spike in delivery charges.
The key to understanding your gas bill lies in its two parts: supply and delivery. Supply refers to the cost of natural gas, which has increased slightly from last year but decreased compared to two years ago. The delivery portion, however, accounts for around 27% more of the average heating bill and costs an average customer $240 per month.
Eversource attributes this increase largely to building and maintaining its infrastructure, including underground gas lines. Additionally, a significant part of the delivery charge goes towards the Mass Save program, which provides incentives for energy-efficient upgrades such as new insulation or heat pumps. Although Eversource has seen a 92% increase in this monthly payment, Gov. Maura Healey believes it is not the main issue.
Healey plans to allocate $5 billion over three years to continue and expand the Mass Save program, aiming to reduce costs while promoting sustainability. According to Eversource’s vice president of rates and regulatory requirements, Doug Horton, around 10% of the average customer bill goes towards profit on infrastructure maintenance.
As the debate continues, Desousa hopes his initiative will lead to better regulation and more affordable gas bills for Massachusetts residents.
Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/massachusetts-gas-bill-delivery-fee