National Grid Massachusetts: Worcester Electric Rates Guide

National Grid is one of Massachusetts' two big electric utilities, delivering power to about 1.3 million customers in central and eastern parts of the state^[1]. They're the folks who own the wires and poles you see around Worcester, Lowell, and Salem.

Here's something people get confused about. National Grid is owned by a British company called National Grid plc. But they're not generating your electricity. They're just delivering it. Think of them like the mail carrier who doesn't write your letters but makes sure they arrive. They also run natural gas service in most of the same areas, which is handy if you want one company handling both utilities.

You've got two ways to get electricity supplied in Massachusetts. Basic Service is the default where National Grid handles everything^[2]. Or you can pick a competitive supplier licensed by the state Department of Public Utilities. Either way, National Grid still delivers the actual power through their infrastructure. That part never changes.

National Grid runs two separate territories in Massachusetts, and yes, they have different rates. This trips people up all the time.

The big one is Massachusetts Electric Company. This covers Worcester, which is their central Mass hub. You'll also find them in the Merrimack Valley towns like Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill. The North Shore cities like Salem, Beverly, and Gloucester? National Grid. Parts of the South Shore and MetroWest too. Basically, they stretch from the New Hampshire border all the way down to Rhode Island.

Then there's Nantucket Electric Company, which is exactly what it sounds like. Just Nantucket Island. Nothing else. They're connected to the mainland through undersea cables, which sounds cool but is expensive to maintain. That's why Nantucket's rates tend to run higher than everywhere else.

Both territories let you choose your electricity supplier, though. So at least you've got options.

National Grid Basic Service is what you get automatically if you haven't picked a different electricity supplier. It's not bad. Just the default.

The rates shift every six months. Usually in January and July for residential customers. So don't panic when your bill changes in those months. It's supposed to do that.

What you're paying for with Basic Service is pretty straightforward. The wholesale cost of buying electricity. Transmission charges to get it here. Various regulatory fees the state requires. Here's the interesting part though: National Grid makes zero profit on the supply portion. They're just passing through what they paid for it. Their money comes from delivery charges, which we'll get to.

Rates in the Massachusetts Electric territory typically run between 12 and 16 cents per kWh, depending on what's happening in the wholesale market. Nantucket runs higher because of those undersea cables we mentioned.

One thing to remember: delivery charges show up separately on your bill and never change no matter which supplier you pick. That's always National Grid's cut.

National Grid Basic Service rates bounce around because they're tied to ISO-NE (ISO New England), which runs the regional power grid. National Grid doesn't just make up numbers.

Every six months, they buy electricity at whatever the market price is. Then they pass that exact cost to you. No markup. No control. They're stuck paying whatever power costs that day, and so are you.

So what makes prices jump around? Natural gas is the big one. New England runs mostly on gas-fired power plants, so when gas gets expensive, your electricity does too. Demand matters. Summer air conditioning and winter heating both spike usage. And here's one people don't think about: pipeline constraints. There aren't enough pipelines bringing gas into New England, which creates bottlenecks.

Oh, and state renewable mandates add costs too. Not complaining, just explaining.

Winter can be brutal for rates. Power plants compete with home heaters for the same natural gas, driving prices through the roof. It's why your January bill might make you wince.

This whole setup explains why competitive suppliers can't always beat Basic Service. They're dealing with the same market conditions.

Massachusetts lets National Grid customers buy their electricity from other companies licensed by the DPU. Sounds great in theory. Reality is messier.

This is where ElectricRates.org helps. We compare rates from all the licensed suppliers and only show you plans that might save you money. Because here's what nobody tells you: most people switching to competitive suppliers end up paying more.

You'll see three types of contracts out there. Fixed rates lock in your price for the contract term. Variable rates can change every month based on market conditions. And green energy plans if you want renewable power. Pick what fits your risk tolerance.

But here's my honest take: the Massachusetts Attorney General's data shows most residential customers get burned by competitive suppliers. They pay more than they would've on Basic Service. That's why you need a real comparison tool that does the math for you, not just shows you marketing.

Switching takes about one to two billing cycles if you decide to do it. Your power stays on the whole time.

Here's where things get interesting. A bunch of towns in National Grid territory run municipal aggregation programs. They're called Community Choice Aggregation or CCA if you want the official name.

The idea is simple. Your town negotiates bulk electricity contracts on behalf of everyone. They've got way more bargaining power than you do as an individual, so they usually get better rates. Over 150 Massachusetts towns have these programs now. Many of them throw in more renewable energy than the state requires, which is cool.

In National Grid territory, you'll find these programs in Worcester County towns, Merrimack Valley communities, and North Shore municipalities. They're spreading.

Here's how it works. If your town has a program, you get automatically enrolled. Don't worry, they send you a letter first explaining everything. You can opt out if you want. These programs tend to be the best deals for most people. Better than shopping around yourself, and definitely better than most competitive suppliers.

Check your town website or call your municipal clerk to see if you're in one of these programs.

Your National Grid bill splits everything into supply and delivery charges. They make this pretty clear.

Supply charges are the generation part. That's either your Basic Service rate or whatever your competitive supplier charges. It's measured per kilowatt-hour you use.

Delivery charges cover the infrastructure. The power lines. Substations. Transformers. Your smart meter. Emergency crews when storms knock out power. This is how National Grid makes their money.

Then there's the random stuff. A fixed customer charge every month for account administration. Transition charges left over from when Massachusetts deregulated utilities back in the '90s. Yeah, we're still paying for that. And various adjustments for energy efficiency programs, renewable compliance, storm recovery costs.

If you switch to a competitive supplier, their rate just replaces the Basic Service supply charge. Everything else on your bill stays exactly the same. National Grid still sends you one bill covering everything. You don't get two separate bills or anything confusing like that.

National Grid handles all power outages in their Massachusetts territory. Doesn't matter if you're on Basic Service or some competitive supplier. It's National Grid trucks showing up when the lights go out.

You can report outages three ways. Online at NationalGridUS.com. Through their mobile app. Or call 1-800-322-3223. The app is pretty good. Their outage map shows you where problems are, when they think power will be back, and where crews are working. Beats sitting in the dark wondering what's happening.

They've been investing in grid reliability, which is nice. Trimming trees before they fall on lines. Upgrading old equipment. Hardening infrastructure against storms. They pre-position crews before nor'easters and hurricanes hit, which helps. And they coordinate with other New England utilities for mutual aid when big storms roll through.

What matters: your supplier choice makes zero difference to outage response. National Grid crews don't check who your supplier is before fixing your power. Everyone gets the same service.

One emergency thing. If you see a downed power line, stay way back and call immediately. Don't go near it. Don't assume it's dead. Just call and keep people away.

If you're having trouble paying your National Grid bill, there's help available. Not everyone knows about these programs.

LIHEAP is federal money that helps pay bills. It runs through the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development. Worth applying for if you qualify.

The Discount Rate cuts your delivery charges by 25 to 32 percent if your income is low enough. That's real money every month.

Arrearage Management Program is clever. You make your current payments on time, and they give you monthly credits toward your past-due balance. It's a way to dig yourself out without getting disconnected.

Budget Billing spreads your annual costs into equal monthly payments. Stops those winter bill shocks.

You can set up payment plans too. Call customer service at 1-800-322-3223. They're usually pretty reasonable about working something out.

Winter has special protections. National Grid can't disconnect you from November 15 through March 15 if you can show you can't pay. And if someone in your household has a serious medical condition, you can get a medical certificate that prevents shutoffs. Don't be embarrassed to use these programs. That's what they're there for.

Want to cut your National Grid bill? Shopping for suppliers is one way, but efficiency programs might save you more.

Mass Save at masssave.com is your friend. Free home energy assessments. Rebates on efficient appliances. Weatherization help. This is all state-funded stuff you're already paying for through your bill, so you might as well use it.

Smart thermostats cut heating and cooling costs by 10 to 15 percent. That's real money in New England where we run both systems hard. LED lighting uses 75 percent less energy than old incandescent bulbs. And air sealing makes a huge difference in our older housing stock. Lots of these homes are drafty as hell.

For rate shopping, check if your town has community aggregation first. That's usually your best bet. If not, compare Basic Service against competitive offers when rates change in January and July. Those are your decision points.

Think about whether price stability from a fixed rate is worth paying a bit more. Sometimes the peace of mind beats chasing the lowest variable rate.

Just be careful with competitive suppliers. The Attorney General's data doesn't lie. Most residential customers end up paying more, not less. So do your homework before switching.