Marshfield Community Electricity Program: Launching March 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Marshfield Community Electricity Program: Launching March 2023 with Rate of 16.710 ¢ per kWh

Marshfield, MA - (January 10, 2023) - The Town of Marshfield announces that it will launch its electricity aggregation program, Marshfield Community Electricity (MCE), in March 2023. The Program is designed to provide new, competitively priced electricity supply options and more renewable energy for residents and businesses in Marshfield. The Program was approved by Town Meeting in Article 18 of the April 22, 2019 ATM.

Town Administrator Michael Maresco said that “this is an exciting time for Marshfield. We have been working hard for the last two years to get the Marshfield Community Electricity program up and running. Special thanks to Jeanne Ryer and Carol Robinson for their successful efforts to get this petition article on the 2019 Annual Town Meeting warrant. With the cost of electricity going up, having choices for electricity supply available now is perfect timing. This also works with Marshfield’s larger Energy Resilience Plan to incorporate more renewable energy into our Town to meet the state’s goal to be 100% renewable energy by 2035.”

The Program will offer a standard product rate that has 10% more renewable energy certificates (RECs) than required by state law (known as MA Class I RECs). Even with these extra renewable energy certificates, the standard product rate will be nearly 35% lower than the current Eversource Residential Basic Service electricity rate of 25.649 ¢ per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for the 21-month period, March 2023 through December 2024. Future savings under the Marshfield Community Electricity Program compared to Eversource Residential Basic Service are not guaranteed because utility basic service rates change every six months for residential and small business accounts, and every three months for large business accounts.

The Program will also offer two optional rates - a 100% renewable energy rate that includes renewable energy certificates equal to 100% of a customer's metered consumption, and a rate with only the minimum amount of renewable energy certificates required by state law. The electricity rates will be fixed over the 21-month term of the electric supply agreement, from March 2023 through December 2024.

Marshfield Community Electricity rates are as follows:
SEE ATTACHED DOCUMENT BELOW

Disclaimer: Savings cannot be guaranteed as compared to Basic Service rates which change every six months for residential and commercial accounts, and every three months for industrial accounts.
Marshfield has initiated, and will continue a broad-based education and outreach effort to make residents and businesses aware of the Program. The best place to find the most updated information is the aggregation website electricity.marshfield-ma.gov.
In mid-January 2023, eligible residents and businesses will receive a letter on behalf of the Town from the winning electricity supplier for the Program, Direct Energy. The letter will provide detailed program information and instructions on how to choose an optional Marshfield Community Electricity rate, or how to opt out of Marshfield Community Electricity. No action is necessary if you would like to participate in Marshfield Community Electricity's default electricity rate, Marshfield Standard. All Marshfield residential and business accounts on Eversource Basic Service that are eligible to participate in Marshfield Community Electricity will be automatically enrolled in Marshfield Standard as of their March 2023 meter read date. Anyone that does not want to participate in Marshfield Community Electricity may opt out of Marshfield Community Electricity without penalty, either before the Program begins, or at any time during the Program.
Electricity customers who are currently enrolled with a third-party supplier will not receive the opt-out letter and will not be automatically enrolled. These customers can voluntarily join the Program, but may be subject to penalties or early termination fees from the third-party supplier if they switch to the electricity aggregation program during the term of their contract.
For more information about the Program, go to https://electricity.marshfield-ma.gov/, call the program telephone number at (781) 226-1282, or call the program supplier, Direct Energy, at (866) 968-8065.