BOSTON –– The Retail Energy Advancement League (REAL) has issued the following statement in response to the Energy Affordability Agenda announced today by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey. The following statement, attributed to Chris Ercoli, president and CEO of the Retail Energy Advancement League, addresses the importance of further educating customers on their energy choices to help save on their electric bills.
Missing from today’s press conference on energy affordability was the most important resource that is already available for Massachusetts residents looking for cost-savings: the ability for customers to shop. There are fixed-rate offers listed on the state shopping website (EnergySwitchMA.gov) below the utility price to compare rates in every service territory.
Nearly 400,000 people shop for electricity in Massachusetts. If all utility enrolled ratepayers shopped for the lowest offers from competitive electric suppliers in 2024, more than $750 million could have collectively been saved.
Governor Healey’s Energy Affordability Agenda can benefit from further expanding customer knowledge on how to shop for competitive electric suppliers. Competition has not only spurred innovation to the benefit of Massachusetts energy users, it has created a market where energy suppliers are competing for the business of customers, resulting in lower energy prices.
The Retail Energy Advancement League (REAL) strongly encourages a renewed commitment to educate more residents on how they can save money by shopping for their electricity. We also urge Governor Healey to support Senate Bill 1519 and House Bill 659, legislation that will improve customer protection and enhance the competitive market.
In February, residential energy users statewide could have saved an average of 10 percent on their electric bill if they shopped for the lowest retail energy offer. Families that are shopping for their electricity are voicing their relief in having the ability to shop for a supplier that best supports their budget.
Nearly 1.5 million residential customers receive their electricity from a retail energy supplier. One-third of them (almost 13 percent of all electric customers) shopped for a supplier that offered the best product for their household and budget. The other two-thirds are served by competitive energy suppliers through their municipal aggregation program. Nearly 50 percent of the state’s entire electric load is supplied by competitive electric suppliers.
Pennsylvania is a state Massachusetts can look to as a model on how to be successful at educating consumers on monthly energy bill savings.
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