Beverly Community Electric is a municipal electricity aggregation, which is a form of group electricity purchasing.

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

1. They deliver your electricity. Delivery services appear on your bill as Delivery Services charges.
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 Services charge.

But 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 on your behalf. This third option is municipal electricity aggregation, and this is what Beverly Community Electric 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 Beverly’s Aggregation Plan was subject to a regulatory review and approval process before the City was authorized to implement the program. Learn more about Beverly’s implementation process.

Nearly 200 Massachusetts communities have electricity aggregations.

The goals of Beverly Community Electric are to provide more clean, renewable electricity, electricity price stability, and consumer protections to Beverly residents and businesses at a price that is competitive with National Grid’s Basic Service price and other offers in the marketplace.

Beverly Community Electric is a City alternative to National Grid’s Basic Service. It is also a transparent alternative to other electricity offers, but without the high pressure or fees of those other offers.

Please note that, while Beverly Community Electric offers the potential for savings when compared with National Grid’s Basic Service price, Beverly Community Electric cannot guarantee savings because National Grid’s prices change and their future prices are not known. Further, it is normal for aggregation programs like Beverly Community Electric to have a price that is lower than National Grid’s price at some times but higher at other times. The goal is to provide some savings when compared with the average of National Grid’s changing prices.

With Beverly Community Electric, the City uses the bulk buying power of the community to provide you with electricity choices that give you greater control over your electricity supply.

• Cleaner electricity – Beverly Community Electric participants automatically receive an additional 10% of their electricity from renewable sources. You can also choose to receive 100% of your electricity from renewable sources for a small premium.
• Price stability – The program provides a fixed price for electricity supply until January 2026 that will not spike in winter. This makes the program different from National Grid’s Basic Service, where the price changes every six months or less and can rise seasonally.
• Consumer protections – Beverly Community Electric provides a trustworthy, City-vetted 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.

In addition, Beverly Community Electric offers the potential for savings when compared with National Grid’s Basic Service price. However, Beverly Community Electric cannot guarantee savings in the future because National Grid’s prices will change, and their future prices are not known.

The goal of Beverly Community Electric is to provide some savings when compared with the average of National Grid’s changing prices, not to provide savings each season, and it is normal for aggregation programs like Beverly Community Electric to have a price that is lower than National Grid’s price at some times but higher at other times.

No. Municipal electricity aggregation has been building momentum across Massachusetts. Beverly is joining nearly 200 other Massachusetts communities that already have approved aggregation programs. Further, communities are increasingly implementing “green” aggregations like Beverly Community Electric, which increase the amount of renewable electricity in the community’s electricity supply beyond the minimum amount required by state law.

All communications about Beverly Community Electric will include the Beverly City Seal. If you do not see the City Seal, the communication is not from the City of Beverly and is likely from an independent company.

Please note: National Grid, the City of Beverly, and Beverly Community Electric do not make sales calls or visits to your home. If you receive a call or a visit, the person does NOT represent the City of Beverly, Beverly Community Electric, or National Grid. 

If you want to confirm whether you have received a legitimate City communication, you can contact customer support with Beverly’s program consultants.

If you receive a call or a visit from someone who wants to discuss your electricity, keep these two things in mind:

• You should treat your National Grid electricity account number like you treat your credit card information. Do not give it out unless you want to purchase your electricity from someone else.
• You do have the right to select an electricity supplier of your choice. If you choose to explore this option, please check the terms of the agreement carefully. Things to check for include, but are not limited to: minimum bill amounts, contract length requirements, early termination fees, low introductory rates that change after the introductory period ends, and rates that vary.

If you feel a salesperson has fraudulently identified themself as working for National Grid or the City, please report it to the Department of Public Utilities Consumer Division 617-737-2836, or DPUConsumer.Complaints@mass.gov.

Visit the Participating page for more information.

While the program has an automatic enrollment model in accordance with state law, participation is never required. There is no penalty or fee to opt out, and you may do so at any time.

• If you receive a notice in the mail that your account will be automatically enrolled, you may opt out of the program before being automatically enrolled.
• You may also try the program and opt out at any time in the future.

If you opt out, the Supply Services portion of your National Grid electric bill will remain on National Grid’s Basic Service price.

Yes, however if you opt out of the program and want to re-enroll, you are not guaranteed the program price when you re-enroll. There’s a possibility that you will be charged a higher market price instead of the program price. You’ll just want to ask at the time you re-enroll.

The City of Beverly has signed a contract with First Point Power to supply electricity to Beverly Community Electric participants until January 2026. The City 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 City decides the program is not beneficial to the community, it is free to cancel the program at the end of the current supply contract and return all participants to National Grid’s Basic Service. In either scenario, program participants will receive advance notification from the City.

Industrial accounts may be eligible for higher market pricing instead of program pricing when they request initial enrollment in the program. If you are interested in submitting an enrollment request for your industrial account, please contact customer support.

If you have signed an electricity supply contract with another supplier, you are welcome to participate in Beverly Community Electric, but you will not be eligible for automatic enrollment.

You may request enrollment online or by calling customer support with Beverly’s program consultants at 1-833-350-1631.

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.

To choose Beverly Basic or Beverly 100% Clean, complete the online form or call customer support at 1-833-350-1631.

You will see two changes on your electric bill as a result of participating in Beverly Community Electric:

1. National Grid will use a Beverly Community Electric price to calculate the Supply Services charge on your bill.
2. Your bill will show Beverly Community Electric-First Point Power as your electricity supplier.

Additionally, the amount of electricity you receive from renewable sources will increase if you participate in either the Beverly Standard or Beverly 100% Clean options.

Otherwise, everything else will remain the same. You will continue to receive your electric bill from National Grid, you will continue to pay National Grid, and you will continue to call National Grid if your power goes out.

If you are eligible for any discounts from National Grid, such as a low-income discount, those discounts will be unaffected by your participation in Beverly Community Electric.

No change. Call National Grid if your power goes out, as always. National Grid will continue to deliver your electricity and maintain the poles and wires, and will remain responsible for addressing power outages.

No change. If you are participating in community solar with Blue Wave or with any other company, or if you are receiving net metering credits or incentive payments for electricity produced by solar panels on your property, you will continue to receive your credits or incentive payments as a participant in Beverly Community Electric.

Further, there will be no change in how they 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 Beverly Community Electric price is lower than National Grid’s Basic Service price, the credits or incentive payments could go further in offsetting that charge.

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

See an example National Grid bill.

No change to your billing. National Grid will continue to send your electric bill, and this is the only electric bill you will receive as a participant in Beverly Community Electric.

No change. National Grid’s Budget Plan will continue to apply to your entire bill.

And if you are eligible for any discounts, including a low-income discount or fuel assistance, you will continue to receive that discount with no change.

No. National Grid remains the electric utility for Beverly and will continue to deliver your electricity, and your primary relationship for electricity will remain with National Grid.

Beverly Community Electric changes the price that National Grid uses to calculate the Supply Services portion of your electric bill, and it changes your electricity supplier to Beverly Community Electric-First Point Power.

No. National Grid’s quality of service to you will be unaffected by your participation in Beverly Community Electric. National Grid does not profit from the Supply Services charge on your electric bill. They make their profit from the Delivery Services charge. They have no preference whether they are your electricity supplier or you choose another supplier.

No. National Grid remains responsible for ensuring the uninterrupted delivery of your electricity as a participant in Beverly Community Electric.

In addition, participating in Beverly Community Electric does not change the quality of the electricity that is coming into your home or office. If you participate in Beverly Standard or Beverly 100% Clean, more of the electricity that is put on the grid on your behalf will come from renewable sources, but this does not change the overall reliability of the electricity on the grid.

Tax-exempt accounts that wish to maintain their tax-exempt status in Beverly Community Electric 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 National Grid already, but National Grid does not share this documentation with the program’s electricity supplier. It is the customer’s responsibility to submit this documentation.

Learn how to submit your tax-exemption documentation.

Program prices are available on the Prices page.

The Beverly Community Electric price is a long-term, fixed price, while National Grid’s Basic Service prices change every 6 months or less. It is normal in programs like Beverly Community Electric to have a price that is lower than National Grid’s price at some times but higher at other times. Beverly Community Electric cannot guarantee that it will beat National Grid’s Basic Service price at all times. The program aims to match or beat the average of the changing National Grid prices, although there is no guarantee that it will do so.

Remember that you are free to leave the program at any time and return to National Grid’s Basic Service with no penalty or fee.

Maybe! According to a report by UMass Amherst, the majority of communities with aggregation programs do see some savings compared with National Grid’s Basic Service prices. Right now, the prices for all Beverly Community Electric options are lower than National Grid’s residential Basic Service price.

However, Beverly Community Electric offers long-term fixed prices, while National Grid’s prices change every 6 months or less. As a result, savings compared with National Grid can never be guaranteed.

If you are not happy with the program, you are always free to leave the program at any time with no fee or penalty.