Frequently Asked Questions

National Grid is responsible for electricity delivery in Foxborough. In addition, National Grid typically chooses your electricity supplier and passes the cost of the electricity itself, known as electricity supply, along to you. This is called Basic Service.

The Foxborough Power Foward program is an alternative to Basic Service called electricity aggregation. Electricity aggregation is a form of group purchasing in which a town selects an electricity supplier on behalf of its residents and businesses. The goal is to negotiate the best price possible for everyone for the electricity supply portion of their electric bill.

Foxborough currently has a contract with Direct Energy as the Town’s electricity supplier. That contract will end in October 2020. For program participants, National Grid delivers electricity, but the Town’s electricity supplier supplies it, and their company name will appear on National Grid bills.

The program offers two options:

• Power Forward Standard is 11.79 ¢/kWh for all customers/rate classes. This option meets state renewable energy requirements. New program participants are automatically enrolled in Power Forward Standard.
• Power Forward Green is 12.13 ¢/kWh for all customers/rate classes. This option provides 100% green energy, including 20% renewable energy from new New England renewable energy projects (new means they came into operation after 1997) in addition to the minimum required by Massachusetts law. To switch to Power Forward Green, contact Direct Energy at 1-866-968-8065 or submit your request online.

While the the program offers the potential for savings, savings cannot be predicted or guaranteed. This is because the program price is fixed until October 2020 meter reads, while National Grid electricity supply prices change every few months. The program price may not always be below National Grid. The program goal is to deliver savings when compared with the average of National Grid’s changing rates.

Any savings achieved will depend on how much electricity you use, and will apply only to the supply portion of your National Grid bill. National Grid’s delivery charges will be unaffected.

Foxborough has signed a 24-month contract with Direct Energy which locks in the program price from October 2018 meter reads through October 2020 meter reads.

At the end of the current contract, Foxborough has a choice: The Town can then establish a new electricity supply contract or end the program. If the Town establishes a new electricity supply contract, all current program participants will be automatically enrolled into the new contract. If the town ends the program, all participants will be seamlessly returned to National Grid Basic Service.

You will see two changes beginning with your first National Grid electric bill after program enrollment:

• Your electricity supply price will change to the program price.
• You will see the Town’s current electricity supplier listed instead of Basic Service on the Supplier Services portion of your bill.

Everything else will remain the same. You will continue to receive your bill from National Grid, pay National Grid, and call National Grid when your power goes out.

All metered electricity customers within the geographic boundaries of Foxborough are eligible to participate. New National Grid Basic Service account holders will receive a letter about the program and will be automatically enrolled if they do not choose to opt out.

No. If you have already signed a contract with an electricity supplier, you will not automatically be enrolled in Foxborough Power Forward, but you are welcome to participate.

If you would like to participate, we recommend that you first check the terms of your existing electricity supply contract. Many include minimum enrollment periods and early termination fees.

To enroll, call the program’s current electricity supplier directly and have your National Grid bill available when you call. Visit the customer support page for enrollment information.

No. You may choose not to participate. This is called opting out. There is no penalty for opting out. You may do so at any time. If you opt out, you will continue with National Grid Basic Service.

You may opt out online at any time.

Call National Grid if your power goes out, as always. National Grid will continue to deliver your electricity and maintain the poles and wires.

No. National Grid will continue to bill you for your electricity. This is the only electricity bill you will receive as a participant in Foxborough Power Forward.

No. National Grid’s quality of service to you will be unaffected by your participation in Foxborough Power Forward. The reason is because National Grid does not profit from the supply charges on your electric bill. They pass the electricity supply charges along to you with no markup. They make their profit from the distribution charges. As a result, they have no preference whether they choose your supplier or Foxborough does.

The program price is fixed until October 2020 meter reads. National Grid Basic Service prices change every six months or less, depending on what kind of customer you are. As a result, it is likely that for some months, the Basic Service price will fall below the program price. The program goal is to beat the average of the changing Basic Service prices.

If the Basic Service price does fall below the program price, you are free to opt out of the program and return to National Grid Basic Service.

If you participate in budget billing or are eligible for any discounts from National Grid, those will be unaffected by your participation in Foxborough Power Forward.

Yes. Net metering will work the same way if you participate in the program. Your net metering credits from your solar panels will continue to appear on your National Grid bill and will continue to be calculated based on National Grid’s Basic Service price.

No. Municipal electricity aggregation has been building momentum across Massachusetts. More than 125 other Massachusetts communities also have active aggregations.