The Energy Consumer's Bulletin- a New England energy news blog

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Your Smart Thermostat Can Help You Make Money—Here’s How

Smart thermostat technology has existed since the early 2000s and is one of the most universally recognized smart technologies on the market. A smart...

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Massachusetts Electricity and the grid Energy efficiency Climate change

Your Smart Thermostat Can Help You Make Money—Here’s How

Smart thermostat technology has existed since the early 2000s and is one of the most universally recognized smart technologies on the market. A smart thermostat is a Wi-Fi-enabled device that allows you to control your home’s central heating and cooling virtually through an app. They use sensors and data to track your usage patterns and learn about your routine and temperature preferences over time, automatically adjusting when heating and air conditioning run. Smart thermostats can help lower your energy bills and avoid unnecessary energy use when you’re asleep or away from home. It also enables you to have complete control over your thermostat, even when you are away from home, giving you peace of mind.

Picture of Ayumi Fong Ayumi Fong
Electricity and the grid Energy efficiency Our programs Climate change

Summer is Coming. Time to Shave the Peak!

As summer approaches, thousands of our followers prepare to “Shave the Peak.”  

Subscribers to our Shave the Peak program will receive text and email alerts about how and when to reduce power use on days when electricity demand is significantly higher than usual. As we begin to see temperatures rise above 90°F this summer,more people will turn on their air conditioners to stay cool. This increased electricity demand leads to the grid operator having to call on more expensive and polluting power sources such as oil- and gas-fired “peaker plants". These fossil-fuel-powered peaker plants contribute only a fraction of our electricity over the course of the year (about 2-7%) but have an enormous impact on energy prices and air pollution.

Picture of Becca Miller Becca Miller 
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Picture of Amanda Barker Amanda Barker
Massachusetts Electricity and the grid Energy efficiency Climate change

How Massachusetts Residents Can Get Paid to Help Lower Peak Energy Demand

This blog refers specifically to the ConnectedSolutions program offered by Massachusetts utilities Eversource and National Grid. Program eligibility, incentives, and participating utilities vary by state and utility territory. Other utilities in New England, including Rhode Island Energy, may offer ConnectedSolutions programs with different requirements and benefits.

Blog Audio: Get Paid to Help Lower Peak Energy Demand
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If you live inEversourceorNational Grid territory, your utility will reward you for helping to shave peak energy demand! When energy consumption is highest—typically during the hottest days of the year— it puts more demand on the electric grid. Hot weather is a major driver of peak demand, as more people turn on their air conditioning to stay cool when temperatures rise.

Picture of Ayumi Fong Ayumi Fong
Renewable energy Energy policy & advocacy Energy efficiency Rhode Island Climate change Phasing out fossil fuels Action Alert

Budget & Benchmarking: Where Rhode Island Stands As Session Nears End

This 2026 Rhode Island legislative session will likely wrap up on June 12th. The House amended budget was released last Friday, and both chambers are working to pass it quickly. We have been tracking two important pieces of legislation all session: The Fiscal Year 2027 Budget and building decarbonization legislation. Both are critical for the state to maintain and potentially hasten our current trajectory of emissions reductions to meet the mandates in the Act on Climate.

Picture of Tina Munter Tina Munter

Let’s Save $1 Billion by Reforming Our Clean Energy Standards

In the recent debate over how to reduce Massachusetts's high electricity prices, one area has been mostly overlooked: reforming the Commonwealth’s less useful energy standards. We think this is unfortunate, because a couple of straightforward reforms could cut people’s bills without increasing the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Picture of Carrie Katan Carrie Katan
Electricity and the grid Energy efficiency Heating Phasing out fossil fuels

Natural Gas-Fired Power Is Not Getting Any Cheaper

Retail electricity prices keep rising everywhere, causing pocketbook anxiety among consumers and political anxiety among elected officials. Some of our public servants suggest cutting back on clean energy commitments to make energy affordable. They are obviously being egged on by disinformation campaigns run by the fossil fuel industry. Nonetheless, it is becoming increasingly clear that New England’s overdependence upon natural gas for heat and electricity is one of the main energy cost drivers (along with overspending on utility infrastructure and their profits).

Picture of Larry Chretien Larry Chretien
Renewable energy Energy policy & advocacy Electricity and the grid Climate change Phasing out fossil fuels

Earth Day Victory: The Courts Side with Clean Energy

On this Earth Day, we’re proud to be celebrating a legal victory that will help secure a clean energy future.

On April 21, Judge Denise Casper of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts granted a preliminary injunction in favor of a national coalition of wind and solar organizations, including Green Energy Consumers Alliance.

Picture of Amanda Barker Amanda Barker
Energy policy & advocacy Massachusetts Electricity and the grid Phasing out fossil fuels

Who Pays For The Everett Marine Liquified Natural Gas Terminal?

Liquified natural gas (LNG) terminals are large pieces of infrastructure that can either turn pipeline natural gas into a liquid to move onto ships or turn liquified natural gas into a gas to put into a pipeline. They have recently made national headlines because the buildout of LNG export terminals has allowed the US to export more natural gas to the rest of the world, which in turn has led to higher domestic natural gas prices.

Uniquely for the mainland United States, New England’s LNG facilities are primarily used to import, not export, natural gas. This is because the region’s position at the end of the national gas pipeline system means that pipeline gas alone cannot meet the region’s demand during cold snaps. That is where the Everett Marine Terminal (EMT) comes in.

Picture of Carrie Katan Carrie Katan