Mass. Governor Orders Gas Rate Review as Winter Bills Soar
Governor Maura Healey told the Department of Public Utilities to take another look at huge natural gas rate hikes and find ways to lower customer bills. Massachusetts residents are now dealing with bills that jumped 25% during the winter months.
“We must act immediately,” Healey told Boston 25 News.
A group of twenty-two state senators supported the governor’s quick move, asking the DPU to review rate changes from last fall. They want Eversource to explain why costs went up so much.
The DPU can’t just change rates whenever they want. They have to follow rules that only allow them to step in when they find real issues with rate requests. The cold winter and higher gas usage drove bills up, according to Eversource.
Changes in how people heat their homes makes the problem bigger. As more people switch to heat pumps, fewer customers share the cost of keeping up gas lines. This leaves remaining gas customers paying more of the bill.
The state’s Mass Save program, which helps pay for better insulation and heat pump installations, gets some blame for higher rates. But officials insist these improvements are key to meeting climate goals.
Eversource has begun contacting customers about assistance programs and payment plans for winter bills. State law prevents utilities from shutting off service in cold weather.
Officials have asked the energy office to see if utility companies are doing enough to show customers how to save money. They want to prevent such big price increases from hitting people’s wallets next winter.
