Melrose Residents Asked To Weigh In On Community Power Changes

MELROSE, MA — Residents will have an opportunity over the next month to weigh in on proposed changes to the city's electricity supply program.

The city has opened a 30-day public review period for a revised aggregation plan for Melrose Community Power, the city's municipal electricity aggregation program. The review period will remain open through Friday, Oct. 30, with residents able to submit written comments on the proposed changes.

Melrose Community Power has operated since June 2019, after the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approved the city's original aggregation plan in January of that year. The plan outlines how the city's electricity program is structured and operated.

The proposed changes come after the DPU issued new Guidelines for Municipal Aggregators in July 2024. The guidelines expanded local authority for cities and towns concerning the operation of their programs while also increasing requirements surrounding public transparency.

According to the city, the revised Melrose plan is intended to bring the program in line with the new state guidelines. The changes would allow the city to update the program's format without undergoing a lengthy DPU approval process, strengthen annual performance reporting, and provide additional flexibility to introduce new electricity supply options.

Melrose Community Power currently offers three electricity supply options. Melrose Local Green serves as the program's default option and costs 14.723 cents per kilowatt-hour. The program also offers Melrose Basic at 14.310 cents per kilowatt-hour and Melrose Local Green 100% at 15.599 cents per kilowatt-hour. The current prices are fixed through December 2027 meter reads.

Melrose Local Green includes 10 percent more renewable electricity than required under state law, while Melrose Local Green 100% matches 100 percent of a customer's electricity use with renewable energy. Customers can move between the program's supply options or leave Melrose Community Power without a fee.

Residents can review both the current and revised aggregation plans on the Melrose Community Power website. Written comments can also be submitted through a form on the website or by emailing Good Energy, the consultant that manages the program on behalf of the city, with the subject line "Melrose Plan Comments." Comments must be submitted by Friday, Oct. 30.

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