Loading...
HomeMy Public PortalAboutCombined Electricity Choice Media Release and Brochure ANews release — updated July 10, 2019 Watertown Electricity Choice Watertown's electricity aggregation program to launch in September Town of Watertown, MA — The Town of Watertown announced that it has entered into a contract to buy electricity for the Watertown Electricity Choice program, which will launch in September 2019. Watertown Electricity Choice is a municipal electricity aggregation, which is a group buy program for electricity supply. Massachusetts State law allows cities and towns to aggregate electricity customers within their borders and select an electricity supplier on behalf of those customers, rather than having Eversource buy their electricity. Municipal aggregations are heavily regulated by the State and offer many consumer protections not available with private for-profit programs. Watertown Electricity Choice will increase the amount of renewable energy in Watertown's electricity supply, providing an additional 35% renewable electricity over and above the state - required minimum amount. With the increasing State renewable energy requirement Watertown Electricity Choice will provide over50% local renewable energy in its first full year going up to 53% in the last year of the contract. Every 1% increase in renewable energy in Watertown's residential electrical supply will offset the carbon emissions of an average passenger car driving over a million miles! Watertown Electricity Choice will significantly decrease Watertown's carbon footprint leading toward a cleaner, healthier environment. It will drive more renewable energy generation and jobs in our area. Programs of this type provide the potential of modest savings to customers over the program duration, although savings cannot be guaranteed as future Eversource rates are unknown. Another advantage of Watertown Electricity Choice will be price stability for 27 months. Prices will be fixed from September 2019 - December 2021. The long duration of the price makes Watertown Electricity Choice different from Eversource's Basic Service, which offers prices that change every 6 months for residential and small business customers and every 3 months for large business customers. It also makes Watertown Electricity Choice different from many electricity supply offers available in the marketplace, which can offer a low introductory price that rises after the introductory period is over. 1 Watertown Electricity Choice participants will see just two changes on their Eversource electricity bill: 1) The Watertown Electricity Choice price will be used to calculate the supply charges on their bill, and 2) Direct Energy will be listed as their electricity supplier. Otherwise, nothing else will change. Watertown Electricity Choice participants will remain Eversource customers, and Eversource will remain responsible for delivering their electricity and for addressing power outages. Watertown Electricity Choice participants will continue to receive and pay just one electricity bill from Eversource, and this will be the only electricity bill they receive as participants in Watertown Electricity Choice. Watertown Electricity Choice will offer residential and business electricity customers new electricity supply choices with some important advantages. Chief among those advantages is that the Watertown Electricity Choice Standard Offering will provide 35% renewable electricity in addition to the state -required minimum amount of 14% for 2019. In comparison, Eversource provides just the state -required minimum amount of 14%. The Standard Offering is the default program offering and will be available for 11.494 cents/kWh. In addition to the default Standard Offering, Watertown Electricity Choice will also provide two other options: • Those who wish to make a more significant commitment to the environment may choose the 100% Green option, which will provide 100% local renewable electricity for 12.718 cents/kWh. • Those who do not want any additional renewable electricity may choose the Basic option, which will provide only the state -required 14% amount of renewable electricity for 10.654 cents/kWh. Watertown Electricity Choice participants will be automatically enrolled in the Standard Offering unless they opt out of the program entirely, or choose the 100% Green or Basic options. In compliance with Massachusetts state law for municipal electricity aggregations, enrollment in Watertown Electricity Choice will be automatic for Watertown electricity customers on Eversource's Basic Service, which includes any electricity customer who has not signed an agreement with an electricity supplier. Most electricity customers in Watertown will be automatically enrolled. However, participation is not required, and Watertown electricity customers will be able to opt out before being enrolled. If they do participate in the program, they can also opt out at any time, penalty free. Those who are eligible for automatic enrollment will receive a letter in the mail in July with program information and instructions for opting out or opting up. Enrollment will occur with September 2019 meter reads and will be seamless. Participants can expect to see the Watertown Electricity Choice price on their Eversource electricity bill beginning in October 2019. This informational letter and envelope will have the Town logo on it so you can be assured it is from the Town -sponsored program. The return address under the Town logo will be C/O Direct Energy because enrollment options will be handled by Direct Energy, our electricity supplier. 2 Electricity customers who have already signed an agreement with an electricity supplier other than Eversource will not receive a letter and will not be automatically enrolled, but they may obtain more information about joining Watertown Electricity Choice by contacting the Town's program consultants at support@watertownchoice.com or 1-844-278-9864. Electricity customers who are eligible for discounts from Eversource, such as a low-income discount, will continue to receive those same benefits as a participant in Watertown Electricity Choice. Customers with solar panels on their property will continue to receive net metering credits as a participant in Watertown Electricity Choice, and those credits will continue to be calculated based on Eversource's Basic Service price, not on the Watertown Electricity Choice price. Tax-exempt accounts will need to submit tax exemption documentation to the Watertown Electricity Choice electricity supplier, Direct Energy, to retain tax-exempt status. Public information sessions to provide an opportunity for the community to ask questions about the program will be held on: • July 24th, 2:30-6:30pm at the Watertown Farmers Market (Saltonstall Park) — booth for questions • July 27th, noon at the Watertown Free Public Library —formal presentation / Q&A • August 1St, 7:OOpm at the Watertown Free Public Library — formal presentation / Q&A • August 6th, 10:OOam at the Watertown Senior Center —formal presentation / Q&A For more information about any aspect of Watertown Electricity Choice, visit website WatertownChoice.com or contact the Town's program consultants at 1-844-278-9864 or support@watertownchoice.com. 3 Opt Up to 100% Green! Choose 100% renewable electricity from New England By choosing the 100% Green option, you make a greater contribution to driving the development of new renewable energy projects in New England by increasing demand for electricity generated by those projects. To choose New England Green, call Direct Energy at 1-866-968-8065 Frequently asked questions Will I remain an Eversource customer? Yes. Your primary relationship for electricity will remain with Eversource. Eversource will still be responsible for addressing power outages and billing you. What will change as a result of participating in Watertown Electricity Choice? You will see two changes on your Eversource electricity bill: • The price used to calculate the supply charge portion of your bill will change to the Watertown Electricity Choice price • Direct Energy will be listed as your electricity supplier If I participate, can I change my mind later and leave the program? Yes. You may opt out, or leave, the program at any time with no fee or penalty. If I leave the program, can I join again later? If you opt out of the program, you can join it again later, but you are not guaranteed the program price when you re -enroll. If I want to finish my current electricity supply contract, can I join later? Yes. You may join Watertown Electricity Choice after your current contract ends. You will receive the program price at the time you join. Are savings guaranteed? No. Savings cannot be guaranteed. Watertown Electricity Choice prices are fixed until December 2021, but Eversource's prices change every 6 months for residential and small business customers and every 3 months for large business customers, so the difference between Watertown Electricity Choice prices and Eversource prices will change over time. Will I receive a lower quality of service from Eversource if I participate in Watertown Electricity Choice? No. Eversource makes money from the delivery charges on your electricity bill. They do not profit from the supply charges, so they have no preference as to whether they are your electricity supplier or you use a different supplier. I am currently on Eversource's budget billing. Will that change? Yes. Budget billing will continue to apply to the delivery charge portion of your bill, but it will no longer apply to the supply charge portion. If it is important to maintain budget billing across your entire bill, you may wish to opt out of Watertown Electricity Choice. I am eligible for a low-income discount. Will I continue to receive it? Yes. If you are eligible for a low-income discount from Eversource, you will continue to receive it. I have solar panels. Will I continue to receive net metering credits? Yes. Your net metering credits will continue to appear on your Eversource electricity bill, and they will continue to be calculated based on Eversource's Basic Service price, not on the Watertown Electricity Choice price. Learn more at WatertownChoice.com Watertown Electricity Choice An electricity program provided by the Town of Watertown for its residents and businesses WatertownChoice.com 1-844-278-9864 What kind of program is Watertown Electricity Choice? Watertown Electricity Choice increases the amount of renewable energy in Watertown's electricity supply. The program is a form of group electricity purchasing known as electricity aggregation. Under this program, Watertown will use the bulk buying power of the community to: Select an electricity supplier for the community Buy more renewable electricity than the state law requires Provide electricity customers with electricity choices Obtain a stable price for electricity Secure customer protections Provide the potential for savings, though savings cannot be guaranteed Watertown Electricity Choice provides Town -vetted alternatives to Eversource's Basic Service and to other electricity supply offers in the marketplace. As a program participant, you will automatically be enrolled in the Standard Offering and receive 49% renewable electricity - 11.494 cents/kWh for all electricity customers. As a program participant, you will automatically receive 35% additional renewable electricity above the 14% minimum amount required by state law for 2019 — for a total of 49% renewable electricity. The total amount of renewable electricity in the Standard Offering will increase to 51% in 2020 and 53% in 2021 as the minimum amount of renewable electricity required by Massachusetts law increases each year. You may also choose one of two other options: Opt up to 100% Green and receive 100% renewable electricity — 12.718 cents/kWh for all electricity customers Opt down to Basic for no additional renewable electricity above the minimum state law requirement — 10.654 cents/kWh for all electricity customers Program prices will be used to calculate the supply charge portion of your Eversource electricity bill. Eversource's delivery charges will not be affected by participation in Watertown Electricity Choice. Program prices are fixed from September 2019 - December 2021. To choose the 100% Green option or the Basic option, call Direct Energy at 1-866-968-8065 or visit WatertownChoice.com. Participating in the program All Eversource Basic Service electricity customers will be automatically enrolled with their September 2019 meter read, and program prices will first appear on October 2019 Eversource electricity bills. This automatic enrollment model is the state law. If you have not signed an agreement with an electricity supplier on your own, you are an Eversource Basic Service customer. Most Watertown residents are Eversource Basic Service customers. If you already have a contract with an electricity supplier at program launch, you will not be automatically enrolled, but you may join the program. To enroll, please call Direct Energy at 1-866-968-8065. Participation is not required. You may opt out of the program before being enrolled or any time after enrollment with no penalty. If you opt out, the supply charges on your Eversource electricity bill will be calculated using Eversource's Basic Service price. You have three ways to opt out before being automatically enrolled: 1) Sign and return the reply card that you receive in the mail. 2) Call Direct Energy at 1-866-968-8065, 3) Opt out online at WatertownChoice.com. If you choose to participate, you may opt out any time after you are enrolled by calling Direct Energy at 1-866-968-8065 or online at WatertownChoice.com. Program summary Program Prices: September 2019 - December 2021 Standard offering (default): 11.494 cents/kWh 100% Green: 12.718 cents/kWh Basic: 10.654 cents/kWh To compare to Eversource's current Basic Service prices, visit WatertownChoice.com and click "Options & Prices." To join the program, opt up to 100% Green, opt down to Basic, or opt out: Call Direct Energy at 1-866-968-8065. Power outages, service issues, and billing: Call Eversource if your power is out, or for service issues, at 1-800-592-2000. Send your electricity bill payment to Eversource or pay online at www.eversource.com. Watertown Electricity Choice Learn more at WatertownChoice.com