By Mark Minnichelli – member, Energize Franklin

In case you missed the press release issued by Franklin’s Town Administrator at the end of May, we’d like to share that Franklin’s administration has once again negotiated a very positive Community Choice Power Supply Program for Franklin residents! This new agreement with Colonial Power Group will reduce the average Franklin household’s annual electric bill by $84, while continuing Franklin’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions. The new agreement takes the current negotiated generation rate of 15.1 cents per kWh and reduces it to 13.9 cents per kWh from December 2025 through November 2028.

And for those who would like to buy electricity which is 100% renewable and locally generated in the northeast, further reducing local carbon emissions, there is an optional plan priced at 16.6 cents per kWh, which is 1.5 cents per kWh greater than the existing plan rate. By choosing the 100% local renewable plan, Franklin residents will be supporting local solar and wind generation while reducing harmful pollutants and carbon from our local northeast environment. Choose whichever “Community Choice” option seems best for you!

You should also be aware, and beware of, certain third-party electric retailers, some of which lure consumers using predatory practices such as low initial rates which quickly expire. The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office has produced a series of reports (https://www.mass.gov/doc/competitive-electric-supply-report-2024/download ) finding that in the last eight years, individual residential customers who switched to and received their electric supply from “competitive” suppliers paid over $577 million more collectively on their electric bills than they would have paid if they stayed with their utility company’s basic service. As detailed in a report published in 2024, customers accrued significant net losses in seven of the eight years studied. Those are losses were compared to utility Basic Service – the losses compared to municipal aggregation (Community Choice Programs) are much higher, on the order of a nickel per kWh, or about $350 per year for the average Massachusetts consumer.

To summarize, Franklin residents have three basic choices for electric power generation: 

1) buy electricity supply directly from the utility company,

2) join Franklin’s Community Choice Power Supply Program for a negotiated long-term fixed rate renewable option, or 

3) buy electricity supplied by a 3rd party electric retailer (but really do your homework first on this option).

For more information regarding Franklin’s new Community Choice Power Supply Program, go to the www.franklinma.gov website and find “Municipal Aggregation” in the “Administrator” Department.

For more information regarding Municipal Aggregation and predatory practices by competitive electric suppliers in Massachusetts, go to www.greenenergyconsumers.org, choose “Renewable Energy”, then choose “Green Municipal Aggregation”, and open “Full 2023 Report: Green Power at Lower Cost”. 

Learn more about Energize Franklin at www.energizefranklin.org