Canton Electricity Choice is a municipal electricity aggregation, which is a form of group electricity purchasing.

Typically, your electric utility, Eversource, provides two sets of services to you:

1. They deliver your electricity. Delivery services appear on your bill as your Delivery charge.
2. They also supply your electricity, which means they buy electricity for you and pass the cost along to you. The cost of the electricity they buy for you appears on your bill as your Supply charge.

In Massachusetts, there are actually three ways to purchase your electricity:

• Your utility can do it for you, as just described. This is called Basic Service, and this is how most people buy their electricity.
• You can sign a contract with an electricity supplier yourself. You may have received offers in the mail or over the phone.
• Your municipal government can sign a contract with an electricity supplier that you can benefit from. This third option is municipal electricity aggregation, and this is what Canton Electricity Choice is.

Learn more about how aggregation works.

Municipal electricity aggregation was enabled by the Massachusetts Restructuring Act of 1997 (Chapter 164, Section 134), which allows local municipal governments to aggregate the electricity supply loads of the electricity consumers within their geographic boundaries in order to negotiate more favorable terms with an electricity supplier.

Municipal aggregations are subject to oversight by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, and Canton’s Aggregation Plan was subject to a regulatory review and approval process before the Town was authorized to implement the program. (Learn more about Canton’s implementation process.)

Approximately 200 other Masschusetts cities and towns also have municipal electricity aggregation programs.

Through Canton Electricity Choice, the Town aims to provide residents and businesses with several key benefits:

1. Cleaner electricity. Canton Electricity Choice participants automatically receive more renewable electricity than is required by state law. You can also choose to receive 100% of your electricity from renewable sources for a small premium.
2. Access to electricity supply prices that are more stable than Eversource’s prices. Canton Electricity Choice prices will be stable until June 2026 and will not change seasonally, unlike Eversource’s Basic Service prices which change every 6 months or less.
3. The potential to save compared with Eversource’s electricity supply prices. Specifically, the goal is to provide some savings when compared with the average of Eversource’s changing prices. According to a report by UMass Amherst, the majority of communities with programs like Canton Electricity Choice do see some savings on average when compared to their utility’s Basic Service prices. However, while Canton’s prices are fixed, we don’t know what Eversource’s future prices will be. As a result, savings compared with Eversource can never be guaranteed.
4. Consumer protections. Canton Electricity Choice provides a trustworthy, municipal alternative to other electricity supply offers in the marketplace. The program includes consumer protections, such as no hidden fees and the ability to opt out of the program at any time with no penalty.

No. Municipal electricity aggregation has been building momentum across Massachusetts. Canton is one of more than 200 Massachusetts communities that already have approved aggregations. Further, communities are increasingly implementing “green” aggregations like Canton Electricity Choice, which increase the amount of renewable electricity in the community’s electricity supply beyond the minimum amount required by state law.

The Town of Canton has signed a contract with Constellation New Energy to supply electricity to Canton Electricity Choice participants until June 2026. The Town intends to sign a new electricity supply contract at that point, which would extend the program for the duration of that contract. However, if the Town decides the program is not beneficial to the community, it is free to cancel the program at the end of the supply contract and return all participants to Eversource’s Basic Service. In either scenario, the Town will provide advance notice.

Call Eversource if your power goes out, as always. Eversource will continue to deliver your electricity and maintain the poles and wires, and remains responsible for addressing power outages.

Yes. If you are participating in community solar or have solar panels on your property you will continue to receive net metering credits, receive incentive payments, or make solar power purchase payments as a participant in Canton Electricity Choice.

Further, there will be no change in how those credits and payments are calculated. Their calculation is not connected to your electricity supply price.

However, you could see a benefit. If your electricity Supply charge is lower because the Canton Electricity Choice price is lower than Eversource’s Basic Service price, the credits or incentive payments could go further in offsetting that charge.

Please note, however, that because Eversource’s Basic Service prices change and their future prices are not known, savings compared with Eversource can never be guaranteed.

Tax-exempt accounts that wish to maintain their tax-exempt status in Canton Electricity Choice must submit tax-exemption documentation to the program’s electricity supplier.

This means that tax-exemption documentation must be submitted each time the program’s electricity supplier changes.

The program’s electricity supplier is required by the State of Massachusetts to have valid tax-exemption documentation on hand for all tax-exempt accounts.

You may have submitted tax-exemption documentation to Eversource already, but Eversource does not share this documentation with the program’s electricity supplier. It is the customer’s responsibility to submit this documentation.

Learn where to submit your tax-exemption documentation.

Participation in Canton Electricity Choice is open to all metered electricity customers in Canton. Most electricity customers were enrolled when the program launched in June 2024.

• If your account was not automatically enrolled when the program launched, or you opted out at that time and now wish to enroll, you are free to request enrollment by completing the online form.
• If you are a new electricity customer in Canton and you do not sign your own contract with an electricity supplier, your account will be eligible for automatic enrollment within a few months of opening, unless you chose to opt out. If you wish to be enrolled sooner than the automatic enrollment process allows, you are free to request enrollment by completing the online form.
• If you sign your own contract with an electricity supplier after opening your electricity account, your account will not be eligible for automatic enrollment, but you are free to request enrollment by completing the online form.

Important note: For any customer who previously opted out of, or left, the program and wishes to re-enroll, the program’s electricity supplier is entitled to charge a market price instead of the program price for the remainder of the current electricity supply contract. If the program’s electricity supplier decides to charge market pricing, you will be notified before enrollment and can decide then whether to continue with enrollment or not.

All metered electricity customers within the geographic boundaries of Canton are eligible to participate. Canton electricity customers with Eversource’s Basic Service (meaning those who have not signed a private contract with an electricity supplier) are eligible for automatic enrollment. The automatic enrollment model is state law.

Yes, however if you opt out of the program and want to re-enroll, there’s a possibility that you will be charged a market price instead of the program price. You’ll just want to ask at the time you re-enroll.

Small commercial accounts that have never opted out of, or left, the program are eligible for program pricing.

Large commercial accounts may not be eligible for program pricing and may instead receive higher market pricing. If you are interested in enrolling your large commercial account, please do not submit your enrollment request via the online form. Instead, please contact customer support.

To choose the Canton Plus Green or Canton Basic, complete the online form or call customer support at 1-844-202-6101.

Program prices are available on the Program Options and Prices page.

Yes. If you are an Eversource Basic Service customer and eligible for automatic enrollment in Canton Electricity Choice, you will receive a notice in the mail with program information, including pricing, before you are enrolled.

Having a stable price for the Supply portion of your electricity bill can protect you from the seasonal price increases that occur when you have Eversource’s Basic Service pricing. When you have Eversource’s Basic Service, the price that is used to calculate the Supply portion of your electricity bill changes every 6 months for residential and small business accounts and every 3 months for large business accounts, often rising in the winter. Those seasonal changes will not occur with Canton’s long-term fixed prices.

Having a stable price for the Supply portion of your electricity bill can also provide a predictable alternative to the variable prices of some electricity supply offers in the marketplace. Some electricity supply offers will provide a stable price for a few months, but then the price will vary monthly and will rise significantly. Canton Electricity Choice prices will not change until June 2026.

No. Eversource will continue to bill you for your electricity. This is the only electric bill you will receive as a participant in Canton Electricity Choice. The program will be integrated into your existing electric bill. See where the program will appear on your Eversource bill.

Yes. When you participate in Canton Electricity Choice, Eversource’s budget billing will apply only to the Delivery charge portion of your bill. It will no longer apply to the Supply charge portion of your bill.

If it is important to have Budget Billing apply to your whole bill, you should opt out of Canton Electricity Choice.

No. If you are eligible for any discount from Eversource or fuel assistance, you will continue to receive that benefit with no change as a participant in Canton Electricity Choice.

If you have signed an electricity supply contract with another supplier, you are welcome to participate in Canton Electricity Choice, but you will not be automatically enrolled.

You may request enrollment online or by calling customer support with Canton’s program consultants at 1-844-202-6101.

We recommend that you carefully check the terms and conditions of your supplier agreement. Your ability to terminate your agreement with your supplier may be restricted.

Important note: For any customer who previously opted out of or left the program and wishes to re-enroll, the program’s electricity supplier is entitled to charge a market price instead of the program price for the remainder of the current electricity supply contract. If the program’s electricity supplier decides to charge market pricing, you will be notified before enrollment and can decide then whether to continue with enrollment or not.

In Massachusetts, an electric utility like Eversource is fundamentally an electricity delivery company. Eversource does not generate electricity for you. They are responsible for delivering electricity to you, for maintaining the poles and wires, and for addressing power outages. They charge you for these services on the Delivery portion of your electricity bill.

An electricity supplier is a company that buys electricity for you.

• For most electricity customers, their utility is also their electricity supplier. When you first open your electricity account, this is the case. When Eversource is also your electricity supplier, you have what is known as Eversource’s Basic Service.
• You may also choose your own electricity supplier. If you do, the name of that company will appear on your Eversource bill as your electricity supplier, and Eversource will use the price you secured from that electricity supplier to calculate the Supply charge on your bill.
• With Canton Electricity Choice, the Town chooses an electricity supplier. If you participate, the name of the company selected by the Town appears on your Eversource bill as your electricity supplier, and Eversource will use a Canton Electricity Choice price to calculate the Supply charge on your bill.

Electricity service has two parts: supply and delivery. Supply refers to the electricity itself. Delivery is the process of bringing that electricity to you over the wires.

With Basic Service, your electric utility (Eversource) is your electricity supplier and also delivers the electricity to you.

With Canton Electricity Choice, Eversource continues to deliver your electricity, but Canton chooses own electricity supplier.

A competitive electricity supplier is not your electric utility. Electricity suppliers do not deliver your electricity. They buy it for you, and your electric utility delivers it.

A competitive electricity supplier is a company licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to purchase electricity and related services from the wholesale electricity markets for resale to retail electricity customers.

If you sign a private contract with an electricity supplier or you participate in a municipal program like Canton Electricity Choice, your electric utility (Eversource in Canton) will use your electricity supplier’s price to calculate the Supply charge on your electricity bill instead of their own Basic Service price.

No. Eversource remains the electric utility for Canton and will continue to deliver your electricity, and your primary relationship for electricity will remain with Eversource.

Canton Electricity Choice changes the price that Eversource uses to calculate the Supply charge portion of your electric bill, and it changes your electricity supplier to Constellation – CantonElectricityCh.

No. Eversource’s quality of service to you will be unaffected by your participation in Canton Electricity Choice. Eversource does not profit from the Supply charge on your electric bill. They make their profit from Delivery charges. As a result, they have no preference whether they choose your supplier or Canton does.

No. If you are eligible for any discount from Eversource, such as a low-income discount or fuel assistance, you will continue to receive that benefit with no change as a participant in Canton Electricity Choice.

Using electricity energy generated from renewable sources is an important step you can take to fight climate change and increase your independence from fossil fuels like gas, coal, and oil.

Electricity generated from renewable sources does not cause air pollution and does not emit the gases that cause climate change.