Welcome!

Valley Green Energy is a regional energy services program known as an electricity aggregation, which is a kind of group electricity buying program for cities and towns with no hidden fees or penalties.

Participating in Valley Green Energy changes the Supply price on your utility electric bill, which is the part of the bill where you are charged for the electricity you use. Through the program, residents and businesses in member communities will have new choices and greater control over the cost and environmental impact of the electricity they use.

Though Valley Green Energy will not be able to guarantee savings compared with Eversource or National Grid Basic Service prices, the communities are committed to working toward competitive and stable prices.

Administration

Valley Green Energy is administered by the Town of Amherst, the City of Northampton, and the Town of Pelham. The purpose of Valley Green Energy is to contract on behalf consumers for a supply of electricity.

In launching Valley Green Energy, Amherst, Northampton, and Pelham will join more than 150 other cities and towns in Massachusetts with similar programs. The communities are targeting 2024 for program launch.

Town of Amherst website

City of Northampton website

Town of Pelham
website

Public comments accepted

Valley Green Energy must receive regulatory approval from the state before the program can launch. To ensure transparency in the program development process, the draft Aggregation Plan for Valley Green Energy will be available for public review and comment from June 1 until 5:00 PM June 30, 2023. Those interested in reviewing the plan can download the documents below:

Draft Aggregation Plan (PDF)
Draft Education and Outreach Plan (PDF)
Exemplar Opt-Out Mailing Materials – Eversource (PDF)
Exemplar Opt-Out Mailing Materials – National Grid (PDF)
Model Electricity Supply Agreement (PDF)

In addition, a hard copy of the draft plan is available from the Amherst Town Clerk’s office, the Northampton City Clerk’s office, and the Pelham Town Clerk’s office. Residents and business owners of all communities are encouraged to review the plan and submit written comments as follows. Please note that comments sent by mail must be received (not postmarked) by the end of the comment period in order to be addressed.:

Town of Amherst

Via email: ciccarellos@amherstma.gov
Via US mail: Stephanie Ciccarello, Director of Sustainability, Amherst Town Hall, 4, Boltwood Avenue, Amherst, MA 01002

City of Northampton:

Via email: cmisch@northamptonma.gov
Via US mail: Office of Planning & Sustainability, 210 Main St, Northampton, MA 01060

Town of Pelham:

Via email: pelhamadministrator@comcast.net
Via US mail: Town of Pelham, Town Clerk, 321 Amherst Road, Pelham, MA 01002

An overview of the plan will be presented at a public information session on June 6, 2023 at 6:30 PM. Information about participating can be found on each community’s municipal calendar web page.

Cleaner electricity

Valley Green Energy participants will automatically receive more electricity from renewable sources (like the sun and the wind) than is required by state law, though the specific amount is still to be determined.

Stable prices

Valley Green Energy will aim to provide stable, long-term electricity supply prices. The program also has the potential to provide savings when compared with the average of Eversource’s or National Grid’s Basic Service prices, but because the utilities’ Basic Service prices change and future prices are not known, savings cannot be guaranteed.

Consumer protections

Valley Green Energy is being designed to protect consumers. The program will include no hidden fees, and you will have the freedom to opt out of the program at any time with no penalty.

Details such as prices, how much renewable electricity will be included, and when the program will launch will be determined after the Valley Green Energy Aggregation Plan receives approval from state regulators. Learn about the implementation process.

How electricity aggregation works

Through Valley Green Energy, member communities will work together to determine the amount of renewable energy their electricity supply and secure an electricity supply price. However, Valley Green Energy will not replace Eversource or National Grid as the communities’ electric utility. If you choose to participate:

Your utility will continue to deliver your electricity with no interruption.
You will continue to call your utility if your power goes out.
Your utility will continue to send your electric bill, and that is the only electric bill you will receive.
Your utility will use a Valley Green Energy price to calculate your Supply charge on your bill.
You will see no change to any discounts or credits that you receive from your utility.

Example Eversource and National Grid bills

Valley Green Energy will be integrated into your existing Eversource or National Grid electric bill, and you will see only minor changes to the way your electric bill appears.

To understand how the program will appear on your bill, view an example bill:

Protect your electricity account number

Eversource and National Grid will never knock on your door or call you to talk about your electric bill.
Only provide your electricity account number if you are ready to change your electricity supplier.