Needham residents and businesses on the town's Power Choice program are paying up to 29% less for electricity supply than those on Eversource's new Basic Service rate, which jumped to 17.323¢ per kilowatt-hour on Aug. 1.
The town said in a civic alert Friday, Aug. 14, that all three Power Choice options now undercut Eversource's residential rate. The cheapest tier, Needham Basic, charges 12.226¢/kWh. Even the 100% Green option, at 15.330¢/kWh, costs about 11% less than Eversource's standard supply.
The savings add up fast.
For a household using 570 kWh per month (the Massachusetts average, according to federal EIA data), a resident on Needham Standard at 12.880¢/kWh would pay roughly $73 per month in supply charges versus about $99 on Eversource's Basic Service. That's approximately $300 per year in savings on supply charges alone.
The Needham Basic tier saves even more: about $29 per month, or $348 annually. The 100% Green option, which sources electricity entirely from renewable energy, still saves roughly $11 per month compared to Eversource.
Delivery charges, which cover grid maintenance and outage response, are separate and unchanged regardless of which supply option a customer chooses. Eversource continues to deliver power and send bills to all customers.
Locked rates vs. six-month swings
One key difference: Power Choice rates are fixed through March 2027, while Eversource's residential Basic Service rate resets every six months. That means Power Choice participants won't face another rate adjustment when Eversource's next change takes effect around Feb. 1, 2027.
The town cautioned that future savings are not guaranteed, since Eversource rates can shift in either direction at each reset.
How to enroll or switch
Needham Power Choice is the town's municipal electricity aggregation program, managed by Peregrine Energy Group and Bay State Consultants. Residents and businesses can enroll, switch between the three tiers, or opt out at NeedhamPowerChoice.com.
The three current options:
- Needham Basic: 12.226¢/kWh
- Needham Standard: 12.880¢/kWh
- Needham 100% Green: 15.330¢/kWh
Small businesses on Eversource's Basic Service pay 16.761¢/kWh under the new rate, meaning they also stand to save by switching to any Power Choice tier.
Eversource's next residential rate change is expected around Feb. 1, 2027.
