Needham residents participating in the town’s Power Choice electricity program are paying between 11.5% and 29.4% less for electricity supply than Eversource’s current residential Basic Service price.
All three program options cost less than Eversource’s rate of 17.323 cents per kilowatt-hour, which took effect Aug. 1 and runs through Jan. 31, 2027, according to the program’s published prices.
Needham Basic, the lowest-priced option, charges 12.226 cents per kilowatt-hour, about 29.4% below Eversource. Needham Standard costs 12.880 cents, about 25.6% less. Needham 100% Green costs 15.330 cents, a difference of about 11.5%.
Those percentages apply to the electricity supply portion of the bill. Customers still pay Eversource’s delivery charges.
Prices fixed through March 2027
The town’s contract with Constellation NewEnergy keeps Power Choice prices fixed through March 2027. Eversource’s residential Basic Service price changes every six months.
The Town of Needham’s program updates show Eversource’s residential supply price rising from 14.884 cents per kilowatt-hour in August 2025 to 15.629 cents in February 2026 and 17.323 cents in August.
Future savings are not guaranteed. A lower Eversource rate could narrow or eliminate the current difference.
Standard, the program’s default option, provides renewable electricity from New England sources equal to an additional 15 percentage points above state requirements. Basic meets the state’s minimum renewable requirements, while 100% Green provides entirely renewable electricity.
First-year savings exceeded $1.8 million
Power Choice launched in March 2025 after receiving state regulatory approval in August 2024.
The town posted its Year One Report in June 2026. Covering results through March 2026, the report calculated $1,870,743 in collective savings for participating residents and businesses. It also estimated that the program avoided the equivalent of 7,292 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Then-Select Board Chair Marianne Cooley described municipal aggregation as “an important tool for our community to increase our use of clean energy at a competitive price” in the town’s Dec. 5, 2023, announcement.
How to participate
Eligible Eversource Basic Service accounts are automatically enrolled after receiving advance notice, with an opportunity to opt out. Accounts with a customer-initiated enrollment block are excluded. Customers with private electricity supply contracts can request enrollment.
According to the Power Choice website, Eversource continues to deliver electricity, respond to outages and issue bills. Participation also preserves solar-panel credits, incentive payments and community solar credits.
Residents can enroll, change options or opt out through Needham Power Choice or by calling 1-844-379-2171. Town Sustainability Manager Gabby Queenan is the town’s contact for program questions.
