National Grid bills carry winter jolt

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2015/09/national_grid_bills_carry_winter_jolt



National Grid bills carry winter jolt
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
Owen Boss

National Grid’s nearly 1.3 million customers in Massachusetts can expect to see their electric bills soar by more than 20 percent again this winter under a proposed 41-percent hike in supply rates that one analyst is blaming on the state’s “mixed-up” energy market.

Typical National Grid electric customers will see a 21-percent increase in their bill from November to April if the rates filed yesterday with the state’s Department of Public Utilities are approved. That means paying an average of $110.18 a month compared to a current bill of $90.82.

“It stinks, it’s a 41-percent increase, but it’s really not National Grid’s fault,” said Marc Brown, president of the New England Ratepayers Association, referring to what the utility pays for the electricity it provides customers.

“It’s just a byproduct of the mixed-up electricity market that we have. It’s not like they’re gouging us,” Brown said. “It’s just ... being over-reliant on natural gas and having a market structure that doesn’t incentivize natural gas generators to subscribe to firm capacity.”

The proposed rate for the coming winter is a 19-percent decrease from last winter’s price and will mean customers will pay 9 percent less on their bills than they were during the previous cold weather months, when the average customer was shelling out $121.20 per month.

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A special 'thanks' to Deval Patrick for quashing Cape Wind.

Enjoy your time at Bain Capital Mr. Patrick.