By Joe Stewart

During the March 5 Wrentham Select Board meeting, Town Administrator Kevin Sweet provided an update on efforts to reduce electricity costs for the town and for residents. Wrentham is contracting with Good Energy (https://goodenergy.com/massachusetts/), a leading energy consultant specializing in community aggregation, to develop a community aggregation plan, much like Franklin and Plainville has done and Norfolk is doing.  

Community aggregation is a method by which a town contracts for electricity supply on behalf of its residents and businesses, typically at lower rates than those offered by our service provider, National Grid.

Good Energy currently has 68 Massachusetts clients representing about 650,000 households including Attleboro, Norton, and Plainville. Sweet explained that Wrentham expects to sign a contract with Good Energy shortly and that the regulatory approval process is expected to take about 12 months, depending upon state agency approval timing.  

Once Wrentham assembles its community aggregation plan, it will be presented to the Department of Energy Resources for review and then presented to the Department of Public Utilities for approval. Once approved, Wrentham would publish a Request for Proposal seeking electricity suppliers.

Sweet went on to explain that community aggregation contracts are typically structured as automatic opt-in, meaning that every National Grid customer in Wrentham would be in the community aggregation plan automatically. Opt-in is automatic, much like reverse-911 (telecommunication customers have to opt-out of reverse-911). Sweet highlighted that a specific effort will be made to inform customers of their right to opt out, including a mailing from the town itself.

There will be no change to the relationship with National Grid, which will remain responsible for maintaining service and the related infrastructure as well as performing billing - custom

ers will continue to receive their bills from National Grid. The key change is to electricity supply and the cost of that supply.  

Select Board Member Chris Gallo asked what will happen with residents who are currently contracted with another electricity supplier such as Constellation Energy. Sweet responded that for those customers not contracted with National Grid for electricity supply, they will be able to join Wrentham’s plan but they will need to do so manually. In contrast, customers contracted with National Grid for electricity supply will be enrolled automatically.

Select Board Member Jim Anderson asked how residents can drop out of Wrentham’s plan in the future, citing the hypothetical that six months after the Wrentham plan goes into effect, Constellation Energy offers a lower price for electricity. Greg Enos, Assistant Town Manager, explained that residents can leave Wrentham’s plan at any time. However, once you leave the plan, you have to wait until the next enrollment period to rejoin the plan, typically at the next contract renewal.

Select Board Member Michelle Rouse noted that customers who have contracted with another supplier will need to be educated on the implications of breaking their existing contract to join Wrentham’s plan. Rouse also highlighted that recent rates offered through community aggregation have been consistently competitive with market rates. Sweet responded with the caveat that there’s no guarantee that community aggregation rates will be lower than rates offered by competitors in the future.