How aggregation works

Municipal electricity aggregation is a form of group electricity purchasing. Electricity aggregation replaces your electricity supplier, and it changes the price that Eversource uses to calculate the Supply portion of your electric bill. In addition, aggregation can increase the amount of renewable energy in your electricity supply. But electricity aggregation does not replace Eversource as your electric utility.

Here’s how it works:

Without the Natick Electricity Aggregation Program

(Unless you have a contract with an electricity supplier)

Typically, Eversource provides two services to you as an electricity customer, and your electric bill includes charges for both of these services:

Electricity delivery

 Eversource’s primary role is as an electricity delivery company. They deliver electricity to you, maintain the poles and wires, and address power outages. They charge you for these services on the Delivery portion of your Eversource electric bill.

Electricity supply

 For most people, Eversource also provides a second service, which is as an electricity supplier. They purchase electricity on your behalf and charge you on the Supply portion of your Eversource electric bill for the amount you use. When Eversource is your electricity supplier, you have Eversource’s Basic Service.

Eversource’s fixed Basic Service prices change seasonally, every 6 months for residential and small business customers and every 3 months for large business customers, and future prices are not known.

With the Natick Electricity Aggregation Program

In an electricity aggregation like the Natick Electricity Aggregation Program, Eversource continues to deliver your electricity and you continue to call them when the power goes out, but you no longer have Eversource’s Basic Service for the Supply portion of your electric bill. Instead, the Town of Natick uses the group purchasing power of the community to negotiate a contract with an electricity supplier on behalf of residents and businesses and to determine the price of the community’s electricity supply and whether any additional renewable electricity is included. If you participate in the Natick Electricity Aggregation Program, Eversource uses Natick’s price to calculate the Supply portion of your electric bill instead of their own Basic Service price.

The Natick Electricity Aggregation Program price is a fixed, long-term price that does not change seasonally.

What changes with the program

If you participate, you will see two changes on your Eversource electric bill beginning the month after you enroll:

  1. Natick’s electricity supplier, Direct Energy, will be listed on your bill as your electricity supplier.
  2. Eversource will use the Natick Electricity Aggregation Program price to calculate the Supply portion of your electric bill instead of their own Basic Service price.

See an example Eversource bill.

Otherwise, your primary relationship for electricity will remain with Eversource. This means:

  • You will continue to receive one bill from Eversource. This is the only electric bill you will receive as a participant in the Natick Electricity Aggregation Program.
  • You will continue to call Eversource if your power goes out. Eversource will continue to deliver electricity, restore electricity service after a power outage, and maintain the poles and wires.
  • If you have solar panels on your property or participate in a community solar program, you will continue to receive solar credits and/or solar incentive payments, and participating in the Natick Electricity Aggregation Program will not change how they are calculated.
  • If you are eligible for a low-income discount, you will continue to receive that discount.

Participating in the program

All new electricity customers in Natick will be automatically enrolled in the Natick Electricity Aggregation Program. Automatic enrollment is state law.

You will receive a notification in the mail from Natick with information about the program after being enrolled. If you do not wish to participate, you may opt out at any time with no penalty. If you choose to opt out, you will be returned to Eversource’s Basic Service, and Eversource will use their own Basic Service price to calculate the Supply portion of your electric bill.

Learn how to enroll.