Eversource and Cambridge City Council to Hold Public Meeting About Energy Rates

The Cambridge City Council plans to hold a public meeting with the city’s energy provider, Eversource, to allow residents to hear from company representatives about high energy costs this winter.

At Monday’s regular council meeting, Mayor E. Denise Simmons announced the plan to organize the event, where Cambridge residents can listen to company representatives explain the costs, ask questions, and discuss potential relief measures.

The meeting is not currently scheduled.

The plans for a public hearing come after widespread calls — including public letters from legislators and Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 — to lower gas bills after Eversource and National Grid raised rates in the fall.

On Friday, the Department of Public Utilities ordered a reduction of the total three-year budget for the MassSave energy efficiency program by $500 million to reduce gas bills. Though the DPU also recently announced its approval of gas companies’ proposals to reduce customers’ bills for March and April, Councilors agreed that more long-term solutions needed to be implemented to address residents’ concerns.

Simmons said she and City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05 met with representatives from Eversource on Monday to view a presentation explaining this year’s energy rates, particularly addressing questions about sharp increases in delivery costs.

“It was a good first conversation, but it’s clear that our community members are really hurting,” Simmons said.

At the Monday meeting, Councilor Patty M. Nolan ’80 voiced concerns about the recent MassSave cuts meant to provide further relief with energy bills.

MassSave is a state-mandated program, funded by energy efficiency charges added to gas and electric bills, to incentivize residents to switch to electric heating and cut back on energy use.

“It’s the old cutting your nose to spite your face,” Nolan said. “MassSave actually helps you save money — when they come in and do the audit — and they help you in the longer term,” she added.

“The state should find a way to ensure that ratepayers aren’t paying for that, but it should be reinstated so that we don’t back off on those commitments to being able to give people a way to lower their energy costs long-term,” Nolan said.

An increase in contributions to the MassSave sustainability program was behind 60 percent of the delivery cost hike announced in October. This came after Healey’s administration approved a 25 percent budget increase for MassSave to $5 billion dollars last fall.

But some Councilors expressed doubt about MassSave’s ability to lower energy costs for residents because not everyone is eligible to receive benefits.

“I’m not really sure how MassSave is really helping and supporting folks in our communities for saving on their bills,” Councilor Ayesha M. Wilson said.

Wilson added that representatives from the MassSave program should be at the table for future conversations with utility companies over the cost of bills.

Simmons and some Councilors also expressed concern at the way rate hikes disproportionately affect lower income residents and seniors.

“The financial strains these increases have placed on households, especially those on fixed and limited incomes, is deeply concerning, and especially at a time when people are feeling the squeeze from all directions,” Simmons said.

Nolan described the hikes as a “regressive tax” and highlighted that residents should make use of the existing fuel assistance program to help reduce their energy costs.

Further discussion is anticipated on the impact of price hikes, as well as implications of other projects like the Greater Cambridge Energy Program, at future Transportation and Public Utilities Committee meetings.

—Staff writer Stephanie Dragoi can be reached at stephanie.dragoi@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Thamini Vijeyasingam can be reached at thamini.vijeyasingam@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @vijeyasingam.