Salem PowerChoice is a group electricity buying program for Salem residents and businesses. Using the purchasing power of our community, the program provides:
More than 200 other Massachusetts communities have similar programs.
Salem PowerChoice offers two options for the electricity supply price on your National Grid bill. As a new participant, you will be automatically enrolled in Basic, which is the lowest price in the program. Plus provides 100% of your electricity from renewable sources and is available by request. Make the choice that is right for you!
Learn more about program options and prices. Need help deciding? Contact customer support.
Salem PowerChoice offers long-term prices, while National Grid’s prices change seasonally. Use the price calculator to compare Salem PowerChoice prices with National Grid’s average prices.
Please note: Salem PowerChoice originally offered a Standard option, which provided an additional 20% from regional renewable sources. The Standard option no longer includes additional renewable energy beyond the minimum required by state law and is no longer accepting new enrollments. Learn more about this decision.
Through Salem PowerChoice, the City has selected First Point Power as our electricity supplier (the company that puts electricity on the grid for us) and locked in long-term pricing for the electricity supply price on our bills. But National Grid remains Salem’s electric utility and continues to handle our billing, address power outages, and deliver our electricity with no interruption.
New accounts on National Grid’s Basic Service are eligible for automatic enrollment. (If you did not sign a private electricity supply contract, you have National Grid’s Basic Service.) The automatic enrollment process happens on a roughly quarterly basis throughout the year. All similar programs throughout the state use an automatic enrollment model, but you are free to opt out before being automatically enrolled. You will receive a notice in the mail from the City of Salem in advance. See the most recent notice of automatic enrollment.
If you signed a private electricity supply contract, your account will not be eligible for automatic enrollment, but you can request enrollment online or by contacting customer support with our program consultants. (Restrictions apply for industrial accounts.) 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.
If you are enrolled, Salem PowerChoice will be integrated into your existing National Grid electric bill. Your supplier will appear as Salem PowerChoice – First Point Power. But you will not see any additional charges on your bill or receive any additional electric bills because of participating in the program.
Maybe! According to a report by UMass Amherst, the majority of communities with aggregation programs like Salem PowerChoice do see some savings compared with their utility’s Basic Service prices. But Salem cannot guarantee that program prices will always be lower than National Grid because National Grid’s prices change seasonally, and we do not know their future prices.
National Grid will never knock on your door or call you to talk about your electric bill.
Only provide your National Grid account number if you are ready to change your electricity supplier.
