The program is a municipal electricity aggregation, which is a form of group purchasing in which a city or town arranges electricity supply on behalf of its citizens. Aggregation is allowed by Massachusetts law and is growing in popularity.
The term aggregation is used because all of Westborough’s electrical load is combined, or aggregated, and given to the same electricity supplier. This allows Westborough to get the best price possible from that electricity supplier.
Westborough has chosen Direct Energy as the electricity supplier for the community. The Town used a competitive bidding process to select Direct Energy and make sure that you get the best price possible for your electricity supply.
If you receive a personal call or visit about your electricity, that person does not represent the Town of Westborough, National Grid, or the Westborough Power Choice program. Neither National Grid nor the Town is knocking on doors or making individual sales phone calls. Westborough mails a single notice with detailed program information to residents and businesses eligible for automatic enrollment. That notice includes the Town Seal in the header and Town Manager Kristi Williams’ name at the end.
If you receive a call or a visit from someone who wants to discuss your electricity, here are three things to keep in mind:
If you feel a salesperson has fraudulently identified themself as working for National Grid or the Town of Westborough, please report it to the Department of Public Utilities Consumer Division 617-737-2836, or DPUConsumer.Complaints@mass.gov.
You benefit in three ways:
Potential savings: The program price has the potential to be lower than National Grid’s Basic Service price. However, savings cannot be guaranteed. The program price is fixed for a long period of time, but National Grid’s Basic Service prices change, and future prices are not known. There will likely be months when the program price is higher than the National Grid price.
Choice: The program gives you three alternatives to National Grid’s Basic Service.
Predictability: Your electricity supply price will not change until November 2025. Additionally, all program terms are public, and there are no hidden costs.
When Westborough’s contract with Direct Energy ends in 2025, the Town can establish a new electricity supply contract or end the program.
In either case, Westborough will make an announcement, and the transition will be seamless for program participants.
Call National Grid if your power goes out, as always.
National Grid will continue to read meters, maintain distribution and transmission lines, and provide customer service.
National Grid’s customer service number is 1-800-465-1212.
Yes. You will continue to receive solar credits and/or solar incentive payments, and participating in Westborough Power Choice will not change how they are calculated.
Tax-exempt accounts that wish to maintain their tax-exempt status in Westborough Power 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.
Information about how to submit this documentation is available on the tax-exempt accounts page.
No. It means that, of the electricity that is on the grid, you are purchasing more from the portion that is generated by renewable sources and less from the portion that is generated by other sources. However, your choice does not change the electricity that is flowing to your home or business.
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 National Grid Basic Service, National Grid chooses your electricity supplier and delivers the electricity to you. With the Westborough Power Choice program, National Grid will continue to deliver your electricity, but Westborough chooses its own supplier.
Direct Energy is the electricity supplier for Westborough Power Choice through November 2025.
A competitive supplier is NOT your utility. A competitive supplier is a company licensed by the Department of Public Utilities to purchase electricity and related services from the wholesale electricity markets for resale to retail customers. Typically, a residential customer who buys electricity from a competitive supplier will see the charge as a line item on their electric bill.
Current program prices are available on the Your Options page.
No. National Grid’s Basic Service prices change, and future prices are not known. As a result, savings cannot be guaranteed.
The program will impact only the Supply Services portion of your National Grid electric bill. The Delivery Services portion of your National Grid bill will not be impacted by this program.
You will see two changes on your National Grid electric bill beginning with the month after your enrollment in the program:
See an example National Grid bill.
Otherwise:
If you are on a budget plan or are eligible for a low-income delivery rate or fuel assistance, you will continue to receive those benefits as a participant in Westborough Power Choice.
No. National Grid will continue to bill you for your electricity, and this is the only electric bill you will receive as a participant in Westborough Power Choice.
No. You will continue to receive those benefits as a participant in Westborough Power Choice.
All electricity customers within the geographic boundaries of Westborough are eligible to join the program. New electricity customers in Westborough will be automatically enrolled. You will receive a notice about the program by mail from the Town prior to being automatically enrolled and a few months after opening your electricity account. The notice will include information about the program, options in the program, and prices, as well as information about how to opt out of the program if you do not wish to participate.
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.
If you are a new resident in Westborough or have opened a new National Grid electricity account, you will receive a notice about the program by mail. If you wish to participate, you need to do nothing. You will be automatically enrolled if you do not opt out.
If you have signed an electricity supply contract with another electricity supplier, you will not be automatically enrolled. However, you are welcome to join the program. To join, request enrollment online or contact customer support at 1-844-483-5004. 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.
If you have signed an electricity supply contract with another supplier, you are welcome to join the program.
To enroll, you may request enrollment online or contact customer support at 1-844-483-5004 and ask to join.
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 the 100% Green plan or the Budget plan, complete the online form or call customer support at 1-844-483-5004.
You may choose not to participate. This is called opting out. You may opt out at any time. There is no penalty for opting out. If you choose to opt out, you will be returned to National Grid’s Basic Service.
You have three ways to opt out of the program:
1. Sign and return the reply card that you received in the mail, if you received a program notice from the Town. You must postmark your response within 30 days of the date on the letter in order to be opted out of the program before being enrolled.
2. Call customer support at 1-844-483-5004 and tell them you want to opt out of the Westborough Power Choice program. You may do this at any time after receiving the program notice and/or at any time after participating in the program.
3. Opt out online. You may do this at any time after receiving the program notice and/or at any time after participating in the program.
Yes, however, 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.
Large commercial 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 large commercial account, please contact customer support.
No. National Grid’s quality of service will not be affected by your participation in the program. National Grid does not profit from the supply charges on your electric bill. They make their profit from delivery charges. As a result, they have no preference whether they are your supplier or Westborough chooses a different supplier for you.
No. Westborough Power Choice does not replace National Grid. National Grid will still be your electricity utility, and your primary relationship for electricity will continue to be with National Grid:
The minimum amount increases every year. For 2024, Massachusetts state law requires that renewable electricity must be purchased from new renewable resources in the New England region to match 24% of your electricity use.
In addition, state law requires the purchase of a minimum amount of renewable energy from older renewable energy projects in the New England region, as well as from some other energy sources that are considered highly efficient but not renewable.
For more information, visit the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources page on compliance information for the Renewable Portfolio Standard.
Westborough Power Choice 100% Green is different from most other renewable electricity offers.
With Westborough Power Choice 100% Green, you will buy renewable electricity to match 100% of your electricity use, and it will all be from new renewable resources in the New England region (MA Class I RECs).
By choosing 100% Green and buying renewable electricity to match all of your electricity use, you will make an important contribution to:
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