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

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Shave the Peak End-of-Summer Trends

This summer, we collected data every day from ISO-New England, the nonprofit Independent System Operator responsible for ensuring reliable...

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Climate change

Renewable energy Energy policy & advocacy Electricity and the grid Our programs Climate change

Shave the Peak End-of-Summer Trends

This summer, we collected data every day from ISO-New England, the nonprofit Independent System Operator responsible for ensuring reliable electricity delivery across the six New England states. We tracked the forecasted high temperature, the forecasted and actual peak load, the time of said peak, the peak price of electricity and its timing, the CO2 emissions at peak, the output of behind the meter (BTM) solar and its timing, and whether or not we sent out a Shave the Peak notification to our subscribers who receive alerts on when and how to reduce electricity use during times of high stress on the grid. Stay tuned to find out how many Shave the Peak alerts we sent out this summer! 

Picture of Amanda Barker Amanda Barker 
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Picture of Maya Mastro Maya Mastro
Electric vehicles/Transportation Climate change Phasing out fossil fuels

Why We Need Electric Vehicles

To celebrate National Drive Electric Month, we want to remind ourselves of the environmental, public health, and economic benefits of electric vehicles (EVs) and why they are so critical to the clean energy transition. 

As part of our Truth To Power campaign, we dispelled clean energy myths and hosted a webinar on the many benefits of EVs. This blog retells and expands on that webinar.

Picture of Caroline Gracia Caroline Gracia
Renewable energy Energy policy & advocacy Electricity and the grid Climate change

Our Statement On Trump’s All-out Assault On Offshore Wind

On his first day in office, the president issued an executive order halting the future permitting and leasing of all offshore wind projects. That action alone was damaging—and is currently being challenged by 18 state attorneys general. But since then, the administration has escalated to an all-out assault on offshore wind. In just the past few weeks, it has issued an unlawful stop-work order on the fully permitted and 80% constructed Revolution Wind project, slashed funding for critical port infrastructure, and filed court challenges seeking to revoke permits for New England Wind 1 & 2 and SouthCoast Wind. Below is a map created by the Boston Globe showing which projects are being targeted.

Picture of Larry Chretien Larry Chretien 
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Picture of Amanda Barker Amanda Barker
Energy policy & advocacy Massachusetts Climate change

Should Data Centers Receive a Sales Tax Exemption?

Recently, data centers have rapidly become a topic that advocates and policymakers need to reckon with in the clean energy space. Mostly, we’ve seen the data center discussion take place in other parts of the country, where electricity prices are lower and it’s more attractive for data center developers to build. But recently, the discussion arrived in Massachusetts with a discussion of data centers and sales tax exemptions. If you’re a Massachusetts resident, you have an opportunity to make your voice heard until August 25, 2025. 

Picture of Larry Chretien Larry Chretien
Electricity and the grid Heating Climate change Phasing out fossil fuels

Natural Gas Prices Are Rising

This blog is about the rising cost of natural gas. We hope that it reaches those who blamed this past winter’s rising cost of gas on the cost of energy efficiency programs. 

Let’s start with this graph, courtesy of Reuters, showing that the price of natural gas has risen almost 50% nationally in the last few years for residential consumers.

Picture of Larry Chretien Larry Chretien 
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Picture of Amanda Barker Amanda Barker
Massachusetts Electricity and the grid Energy efficiency Heating Climate change Phasing out fossil fuels

Heat Pump Discount Rates Coming This Winter!

We have an exciting update for Massachusetts households since we last wrote about heat pump rates in July: Starting November 1st, all three investor-owned electric utilities (Unitil, National Grid, and Eversource) will launch new, lower winter electricity rates for homes that heat either partially or fully with heat pumps.  

On average, Heat pump users can expect to save around $540 on their heating bills this winter, compared to what they paid in past winters. That’s roughly a 17% discount—a true game changer for clean heating in Massachusetts.

Picture of Amanda Barker Amanda Barker
Energy policy & advocacy Massachusetts Electricity and the grid Energy efficiency Heating Climate change

Lower Electricity Rates for Heat Pumps? Yes, please!

Widespread adoption of heat pumps is essential to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, and the important interim greenhouse gas reduction goals by 2030. However, for many households, high electricity costs remain a barrier to making the switch. To address this, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) has ordered the state’s three investor-owned utilities (IOU’s - Unitil, National Grid, and Eversource) to introduce seasonal heat pump rates, offering discounted electricity for heat pump users during the winter months, a concept Maine has already implemented.

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

Hot Days Ahead! Time To Shave The Peak.

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

Shave the Peak is our program designed to inform people, via text and email alerts, 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, skyrocketing demand on the power grid leads to an increase in fossil fuel consumption and wholesale prices (which ultimately get passed onto retail customers – us).

Picture of Larry Chretien Larry Chretien 
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Picture of Maya Mastro Maya Mastro
Energy policy & advocacy Rhode Island Climate change

Rhode Island Needs the Building Decarbonization Act

Calling all Rhode Islanders! We are nearing the end of our legislative session, and we are still pushing for the Building Decarbonization Act (H5493/S91) to be voted out of committee and passed by the House and Senate. Read on to learn why this bill is critical for Rhode Island, and if you’re interested in supporting the bill, check out this blog post for more directions.

Picture of Tina Munter Tina Munter
Energy policy & advocacy Massachusetts Electric vehicles/Transportation Rhode Island Climate change

Bad News for Electric Cars

For the past several weeks, we’ve been working hard on a campaign to protect key regulations, called Advanced Clean Cars II (ACCII), which would have steadily increased the supply of electric vehicles (EVs) available to drivers in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, such that 100% of new car sales would have to be electric by 2035. These regulations were key to both Massachusetts’ and Rhode Island’s climate plans. Now, they’re off the table. 

Picture of Anna Vanderspek Anna Vanderspek