Acton Power Choice is a municipal electricity aggregation, a form of group electricity purchasing.
Typically, your electric utility provides two sets of services to you:
But in Massachusetts, there are actually three ways to purchase your electricity:
In an aggregation, the Town uses the bulk purchasing power of the entire community to select an electricity supplier and to negotiate both the amount of renewable energy that is purchased on behalf of the community as well as the price.
If you participate in Acton Power Choice, Eversource will continue to deliver your electricity, but the Acton Power Choice electricity supplier will appear on your Eversource bill as your electricity supplier. Also, Eversource will use an Acton Power Choice price to calculate the Supply charge on your electric bill instead of their own Basic Service price.
Acton Power Choice provides an alternative both to Eversource’s Basic Service pricing and to other electricity supply offers in the marketplace.
A municipal electricity aggregation, such as Acton Power Choice, is a group purchasing program for electricity.
In an aggregation, the Town uses the bulk purchasing power of the entire community to select an electricity supplier and to negotiate both the amount of renewable energy in the electricity and the price.
If you participate in the program, Eversource will continue to deliver your electricity, but:
Acton Power Choice provides Acton electricity customers with choices, a stable electricity price, and consumer protections.
Choices: In addition to the default Acton Power Choice Standard offering, the program also provides two additional program options:
Stable prices: Current Acton Power Choice prices are fixed until December 2026.
Consumer protections: Acton Power Choice protects consumer information and gives consumers the right to leave the program at any time with no penalty or fees.
No. If you participate in Acton Power Choice, Eversource will remain your electric utility. They will continue to deliver your electricity, and your primary relationship for electricity will remain with them.
Acton Power Choice changes the supplier on your Eversource bill, and it will change the price that Eversource uses to calculate the Supply charge on your electric bill. But your bill will continue to come from Eversource as it does now.
You will see two changes as a result of participating in Acton Power Choice:
Additionally, the amount of renewable energy purchased on your behalf may change, depending on which program option you choose.
Otherwise, everything else will remain the same. You will continue to receive your bill from Eversource, you will continue to pay Eversource, and you will continue to call Eversource if your power goes out.
If you are eligible for any discounts from Eversource, those will continue as a participant in Acton Power Choice.
No. If you receive a personal call or visit about your electric bill, that person does NOT represent the Town of Acton or Eversource, even if they mention the name Eversource. Neither the Town nor Eversource will knock on doors or make individual sales phone calls. Any communication about your bill will be done by mail and will bear the Town Seal or the Eversource logo.
If you receive a call or a visit from someone who wants to discuss your electric bill, here are two things to keep in mind:
If you feel a salesperson has fraudulently identified themself as working for Eversource or the Town of Acton, please report it to the Department of Public Utilities Consumer Division 617-737-2836 or [email protected].
The Town has signed a contract with First Point Power that runs through December 2026.
As the contract with First Point Power comes to an end, the Town will go out to bid for a new contract. If the Town accepts a bid and signs a new contract, all customers that are actively enrolled in the program will be automatically enrolled in the new contract in the same program option. The Town will provide notice of the new contract and prices before they take effect.
If the Town does not accept a bid or sign a new electricity supply contract, all customers that are actively enrolled in the program at the end of the contract will be automatically returned to Eversource’s Basic Service.
Whatever happens, the transition will be seamless for active program participants, and no action is required.
Call Eversource if your power goes out, as always. When you participate in Acton Power Choice, Eversource will continue to be your electric utility, and they will continue to deliver your electricity, maintain the poles and wires, and address power outages.
If your account has tax-exempt status and you wish to retain that status in Acton Power Choice, you must submit tax-exemption documentation to the program’s electricity supplier, and you must resubmit that documentation each time the electricity supplier changes. Eversource will not provide this information to Acton’s electricity supplier.
Visit the Tax-exempt accounts page for information on where to send your tax-exemption documentation.
No. More than 200 Massachusetts cities and towns have aggregations like Acton Power Choice.
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.
When you have Eversource’s Basic Service, Eversource is providing you with two services. They are delivering and also supplying (buying) the electricity for you.
With Acton Power Choice, Eversource continues to deliver your electricity, but Acton chooses its own supplier.
An electricity supplier is not your electric utility. Electricity suppliers do not deliver your electricity. They buy it for you, and your electric utility delivers it.
An electricity supplier is a company licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to purchase electricity and related services from the wholesale electricity markets for resale to retail electricity customers.
If you sign a private contract with an electricity supplier or you participate in a municipal program like Acton Power Choice, your electric utility (Eversource) uses the price provided by that electricity supplier to calculate the Supply charge on your electric bill instead of their own Basic Service price.
The current electricity supplier for Acton Power Choice First Point Power through December 2026. You will see First Point Power Acton PowerChoice listed on your Eversource electric bill as your electricity supplier.
Having a stable price for the supply portion of your Eversource electric bill can protect you from the seasonal price increases that occur when you have Eversource’s Basic Service. When Eversource is your electricity supplier, the price that is used to calculate the Supply charge on your Eversource bill changes seasonally.
Having a stable price for the supply portion of your Eversource electric bill can also provide a predictable alternative to the variable prices offered by some commercial electricity supply offers. Some commercial electricity supply offers will provide a stable price for a few months, but then the price will vary monthly.
Acton Power Choice offers three alternatives to Eversource’s Basic Service:
While the program offers the potential for savings compared with Eversource’s Basic Service prices, savings cannot be predicted or guaranteed.
This is because the program price is fixed for the long term, while Eversource’s Basic Service prices change seasonally. Future Eversource prices are not known. As a result, the program price may not always be below the Eversource Basic Service price, and savings in one price period do not guarantee savings in future price periods.
If you do achieve savings, the specific amount you save will depend on two things:
No. Eversource will continue to bill you for your electricity, and this is the only electric bill you will receive as a participant in Acton Power Choice. View an example Eversource bill for details on how the program appears on your Eversource bill.
It’s your choice. A few things to keep in mind:
The Acton Power Choice prices are long-term, fixed price, but Eversource’s prices change seasonally. As a result, it is likely that for some months, Eversource’s price will fall below Acton Power Choice prices. But at other times, Eversource’s price will likely be higher.
To compare prices accurately, you want to compare Acton’s prices with the average of Eversource’s changing prices. The calculator allows you to compare program prices with the most recent 12-month average price from Eversource.
If you wish to change to a different program option or opt out of (leave) the program, you are free to do either at any time with no fee or penalty.
No. If you are eligible for a low-income discount from Eversource, it will continue with your participation in Acton Power Choice.
No change. If you have set up Budget Billing with Eversource, it will continue to apply to your total bill if you participate in Acton Power Choice.
Yes. You will continue to receive solar credits and/or solar incentive payments, and participating in Acton Power Choice will not change how they are calculated.
Acton Power Choice appears on your Eversource electric bill in two ways:
Learn more about how Acton Power Choice appears on an Eversource bill.
All new electricity customers in Acton are eligible for automatic enrollment in Acton Power Choice, in the Acton Power Choice Standard offering, unless they choose another option or opt out. Automatic enrollment occurs on a periodic basis. You will receive a notice in the mail from the Town with program information before being enrolled, and you will have the option to opt out before being enrolled.
If you sign a contract with an electricity supplier immediately after opening your electricity account, you will not be eligible for automatic enrollment in Acton Power Choice. However, you are free to request enrollment.
Before you terminate an existing contract with an electricity supplier, we recommend that you check the terms of your contract. Many include minimum enrollment periods and early termination fees.
Please note that accounts that have previously opted out and wish to re-enroll, as well as large commercial accounts, may not be eligible for a program price and may instead be charged a market price. If your account is deemed eligible for market pricing, you will be notified of the market price before being enrolled, and you will have an opportunity to accept or reject enrollment at that price.
To enroll, you may submit an enrollment form online or by contacting customer support with Acton’s program consultants at 1-844-379-9933.
If you are enrolled in Acton Power Choice, your electricity supplier will be listed First Point Power Acton PowerChoice on the first page of your Eversource electric bill.
To check which program option you are enrolled in, look on the second page of your Eversource bill at the price that is used to calculate your generation service charge. Compare it to the Acton Power Choice prices.
(Remember that your bill presents prices in dollars per kWh, while most other informational resources present the prices in cents per kWh. You will likely need to move the decimal two places to the left or the right to match the prices).
All metered electricity customers within the geographic boundaries of Acton are eligible to participate.
However, accounts that have previously opted out and wish to re-enroll, as well as large commercial accounts, may not be eligible for a program price at the time of enrollment and may instead be charged a market price. If your account is deemed eligible for market pricing, you will be notified of the market price before being enrolled, and you will have an opportunity to accept or reject enrollment at that price.
If you are being served by a competitive electricity supplier, you will not be eligible for automatic enrollment in Acton Power Choice. But you are invited to participate. If you are a residential or small commercial customer (e.g., rate G-1), please use the online form or call us at 1-844-379-9933. If you are a medium or large commercial customer (e.g., rates G-2, G-3, T-1), please contact customer support.
Before requesting enrollment in the program, we recommend that you first check the terms of your existing electricity supply contract. Many include minimum enrollment periods and early termination fees.
Important note: Medium and large commercial customers (e.g., rates G-2, G-3, T-1) who are currently being served, or have been served, by a competitive electricity supplier may be offered a market price instead of the program price.
No. Participation is not required, and you are free to leave, or opt out of, the program. There is no penalty for opting out. You may do so at any time. If you opt out, the supply portion of your bill will remain on Eversource’s Basic Service.
No. If you have added your name to Eversource’s Do Not Call list, your account will not receive any mailings about the program, and your account will not be automatically enrolled. But you may enroll if you wish.
There is no penalty for leaving, or opting out of, Acton Power Choice. You may do so at any time.
If you opt out, you will be placed on Eversource’s Basic Service pricing.
You may opt out at any time online or by contacting customer support.
You may use the online form to change from one program option to another or cotact customer support. You may change program options at any time.
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.
You may re-enroll in the program, but please note that you may not receive the program price. The program’s electricity supplier is entitled to charge you a market price for the remainder of the current electricity supply contract, but you would receive the Acton Power Choice price for any future electricity supply contracts. If the program’s electricity supplier decides to charge a market price, you will be notified before enrollment and can decide then whether to continue with enrollment or not.
No. Eversource’s quality of service to you will be unaffected by your participation in Acton Power Choice. Eversource does not profit from the Supply charges on your electric bill. They make their profit from Delivery charges. They have no preference whether they are your electricity supplier or you choose a different electricity supplier.
Eversource is Acton’s electric utility. They are your electricity delivery company. That means Eversource is responsible for delivering electricity to you, for maintaining the poles and wires, and for addressing power outages. Eversource charges you for these services on the delivery portion of your electric bill. Eversource does not generate electricity.
An electricity supplier is a company that buys electricity for you from electricity generators.
Renewable energy is from sources that we won’t run out of (that can be renewed) like the sun and the wind. In comparison, there are a limited amount of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas on the planet. Once we use them, they are gone.
Under Massachusetts state law, a variety of resources qualify as renewable. The main sources of renewable energy are solar, wind, and small hydroelectric projects.
The minimum amount increases every year. For 2026, Massachusetts state law requires that:
For more information, visit the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources page on compliance information for the Renewable Portfolio Standard.
In the past: Acton Power Choice previously supported renewable energy by purchasing more electricity from renewable sources than is required by Massachusetts state law for two program options, Acton Power Choice Standard and Acton Power Choice Green. The goal of purchasing the extra renewable energy was to build demand for more renewable energy on our local grid so that renewable energy developers would see that demand and would build new renewable energy projects to meet it.
From the program’s launch in September 2017 through December 2024, participants in the Acton Power Choice Standard and Acton Power Choice Green options together helped the community to avoid 28,070 metric tons of CO2 by purchasing more electricity from renewable sources than is required by law. For the additional year of January 2025 – December 2025, participants in the Acton Power Choice Green option avoided an additional 1,028 metric tons of CO2, meaning program participants together have avoided a total of 29,098 metric tons of CO2. This is equivalent to the emissions associated with driving more than 74 million miles in an average gasoline-powered passenger vehicle. It’s something we can all feel good about.
Now: The federal government has substantially slowed the addition of new renewable energy projects by sunsetting tax credits, ending funding programs, slowing new permits, and seeking to revoke existing permits. It has become very difficult to build new renewable energy projects. As a result, for now, buying more renewable energy than is required by law will not result in the development of new renewable energy projects.
The new Acton Power Choice structure: For that reason, beginning in January 2025, Acton Power Choice will no longer purchase additional electricity from renewable sources on behalf of participants in the default program option, Acton Power Choice Standard. To put it simply, Acton Power Choice Standard no longer includes the purchase of additional electricity from renewable sources above the state requirement because, at this time, the extra cost associated with buying additional electricity from renewable sources does not facilitate the development of new renewable energy projects.
With this change, the amount of additional electricity purchased from renewable sources over the term of the current 3-year electricity supply contract (December 2023 – December 2026) for participants in the Acton Power Choice Standard option is an average of 15% per year:
The Town of Acton remains committed to supporting renewable energy. We anticipate adding renewable energy back into Acton Power Choice Standard in the future, as the renewable energy landscape continues to evolve.
The Acton Power Choice Green option gives you 100% renewable electricity, all from new renewable energy projects in the New England region.
Choosing this option means making the most significant contribution possible in the program to the New England economy.
Every time you pay your electric bill, you will make a strong investment in supporting local businesses and local jobs by buying electricity from New England-based projects.
