Mass Electric Providers: Your 2026 Comparison Guide

A family in Framingham opened their July bill, saw the supply charge line, and realized they had never once chosen who sold them their electricity. They were on Basic Service, just like most Massachusetts households, and had been for years. A neighbor mentioned she had switched to a competitive supplier and was paying less. That sent them to their first comparison search.

That story plays out across the state every summer. Massachusetts opened its retail electricity market to competition in the late 1990s, so residents are not locked into one supplier. But the default is still Basic Service from whichever utility serves their address, and millions of customers stay there simply because they don't know another option exists.

Every electric bill in Massachusetts has two main cost buckets: delivery and supply. Delivery covers the wires, poles, and infrastructure that carry power to your home. Supply is the cost of the electricity commodity itself.

The utility handles delivery no matter who supplies your power. Eversource serves much of eastern Massachusetts and the western part of the state. National Grid covers a large swath of central and northeastern Massachusetts, and also serves Nantucket. Neither utility competes with the other on territory, and neither one is optional. You cannot shop for a different delivery company.

Supply is where choice enters the picture. You can stay on the utility's default rate (called Basic Service) or choose a competitive supplier licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Either way, the utility still delivers your power and sends your bill. The only thing that changes is who sets your supply price.

Basic Service is the default electricity supply rate set by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. The DPU requires each utility to procure power on behalf of customers who have not chosen a competitive supplier, then pass that cost through without markup or profit. Rates are updated on a fixed schedule, typically every six months for residential customers.

As of August 2026, the rates look like this:

Eversource Basic Service: approximately 17.3 cents/kWh
National Grid Basic Service: approximately 17.2 cents/kWh
National Grid (Nantucket) Basic Service: approximately 17.2 cents/kWh

Basic Service is not a bad deal by default. Because the DPU oversees the procurement process, customers are protected from supplier markups. The downside is that rates move in chunks every six months, so you can get caught with a higher rate locked in for a full season. Competitive suppliers update their offers more frequently, and some offer fixed-rate contracts that let you lock in before a projected price increase.

Competitive suppliers are retail energy companies licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to sell electricity supply directly to residential and commercial customers. They buy power on wholesale markets and resell it, sometimes with fixed-rate contracts, green energy options, or introductory pricing.

As of August 2026, the lowest competitive supplier rate available in the state is approximately 15.1 cents/kWh, though availability varies by utility territory and the rate you qualify for depends on your specific address. That gap between Basic Service (17.2–17.3 cents) and the lowest competitive offer represents real money on a typical Massachusetts household's annual usage.

The full list of licensed suppliers, along with current offers sorted by price, is available through Energy Switch Massachusetts, the state's official comparison tool. You can also browse live rates at our Massachusetts electric rates page to see what's available in your area right now.

Switching is simpler than most people expect. No technician visit, no service interruption, no new meter. Here is how the process works:

1. Pull your bill. You need your utility account number and your current Basic Service rate. The supply section of your bill shows both.

2. Compare offers. Use Energy Switch Massachusetts or ElectricRates.org's Massachusetts page to view licensed suppliers and their current prices side by side. Pay attention to whether an offer is fixed-rate or variable, and check contract length and any early-termination fees.

3. Enroll. Once you choose a supplier, you enroll directly through that company. The switch typically takes effect within one or two billing cycles.

4. Keep watching your bill. Your utility still delivers power and sends the bill. The supply line will show your new supplier's name and rate. If a fixed contract ends and rolls to a variable rate, that number can climb, so set a calendar reminder to review before the contract term expires.

The Massachusetts DPU requires all licensed suppliers to follow clear disclosure rules, so any offer you see through official channels must include the full contract terms upfront.

Fixed-rate contracts lock your supply price for a set term, typically six months to two years. If wholesale electricity prices rise during that period, you're protected. If they fall, you pay more than the market rate until your contract ends.

Variable rates move with market conditions. Some customers prefer the flexibility, especially if they want to switch again quickly. The trade-off is exposure to price spikes, which can happen during extreme weather when demand surges.

Basic Service sits somewhere in between. It's technically a variable rate that resets every six months based on what the utility paid during its most recent procurement. Because that procurement happened months earlier, Basic Service sometimes lags the market in both directions.

The right choice depends on your risk tolerance and how closely you want to monitor your bill. For most households, a short-to-medium fixed-rate contract from a licensed competitive supplier offers the clearest savings path when current competitive rates are noticeably below Basic Service, as they are as of August 2026.

Yes. Several competitive suppliers licensed in Massachusetts offer products tied to renewable energy, including plans that source power from wind, solar, or other eligible resources. Some products use renewable energy certificates to match your usage with clean generation; others involve direct contracts with specific facilities.

Massachusetts also has its own Renewable Portfolio Standard, which requires all suppliers, including the utilities on Basic Service, to include a minimum percentage of renewable energy in what they sell. If you want a higher percentage than the state minimum, a green competitive supplier product is one way to get there.

Green supply plans sometimes cost a small premium over standard competitive rates. Whether that gap is worth it depends on your household's priorities. The Energy Switch Massachusetts tool allows you to filter by green-energy products so you can compare prices alongside environmental attributes.

Massachusetts has several programs that reduce electricity costs for income-qualified households. The most significant is the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federally funded program that helps eligible households pay heating and energy bills. The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development administers the program at the state level.

Both Eversource and National Grid offer discounted rates for income-qualified residential customers through their own low-income rate programs. These programs are separate from competitive supply and deliver savings through the utility's delivery and supply charges directly.

Eligibility rules, income thresholds, and application periods can change. For current details, check with the Massachusetts DPU, LIHEAP's official program information, or contact your utility directly. Switching to a competitive supplier does not automatically disqualify you from low-income utility programs, but it is worth confirming your status before making any changes.

The state's competitive market is well-regulated, but a few patterns catch shoppers off guard.

Teaser rates: Some suppliers offer a low introductory rate for the first month or billing cycle, then move to a higher variable rate. Read the full contract terms, not just the headline price.

Door-to-door enrollment: Licensed suppliers are allowed to sign customers up at the door, but this channel has historically produced more complaints than online or phone enrollment. If someone approaches you this way, ask for written contract terms before signing anything.

Rolling contracts: Some fixed-rate contracts automatically renew at a new rate when the term ends. That new rate may be a variable rate that climbs quickly. Know your end date.

Municipal aggregations: Many Massachusetts towns have enrolled their residents in a community choice aggregation program, sometimes called a municipal aggregation. If your town has one, you may already be on a competitive rate without realizing it. Check your bill's supply section for the supplier name. If it differs from your utility, you are likely in an aggregation.

For the most current list of licensed suppliers and any active DPU notices about market conduct, visit the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities website directly.