Massachusetts Winter Rates for Gas Released on 10/31/15: November 2015 – April 2016

November 3, 2015

Both Eversource Gas and Columbia Gas of Massachusetts released their Winter Rates in Massachusetts.  There are effective as of November 1st, 2015 through April 30th, 2016. Eversource Gas is offering residential and small commercial gas customers the opportunity to “lock in” the price per therm for the Supplier Portion of their gas bill.  These customers […]

NYMEX November Natural Gas Falls, Natural Gas at 3-Year Low; Nears $2.00 Mark

October 26, 2015

After falling all last week, November natural gas finds itself at $2.06 per million BTU, nearing the $2.00 mark. The last time natural gas futures prices were this low was back on March 30th, 2012, marking a three year low for the energy commodity. Cold weather fuels demand for natural gas, the primary heating source […]

Supreme Court Examines Demand Response

October 16, 2015

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court held oral arguments regarding federal regulation that could have important influence on the electricity markets and energy efficiency. The regulation in question concerns what is known in the power sector as “demand response.” The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), with the weight of the Obama Administration behind it, hopes […]

Entergy to close Plymouth’s Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station

October 15, 2015

Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station will be closed no later than June 2019, said operators on Tuesday, October 13th. Pilgrim is the last nuclear power plant in Massachusetts and the announcement comes one month after the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission labeled the plant as one of the nation’s three least-safe reactors citing a timeline of mishaps […]

Electric Rate Hike for Winter: National Grid files Basic Service Rates with Mass. DPU

September 21, 2015

Last Tuesday, National Grid filed residential rates with the Massachusetts’ Department of Public Utilities, boosting the average monthly electric bill for the New England region. The rate hike is set to begin in November and it will roughly reflect a 20% increase. The average bill will rise from $90 to $110 per month. Despite this […]

Blockbuster Utility M&A Deal Halted by D.C. Regulator

August 26, 2015

Today, the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia voted unanimously to block the merger between Exelon and Pepco Holdings. Both Exelon and Pepco are utility operators – involved in the sale and distribution of natural gas and electricity, along with other energy services. Washington D.C .’s utilities commission’s unanimous blocked vote upended Exelon’s […]

Problems for Pilgrim in Cape Cod

August 18, 2015

On August 9th, 2015, Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station was forced to reduce power due to the water in Cape Cod Bay being too warm.  The changing climate continues to affect Pilgrim as this is not the first time the nuclear power station has had to power down, having done so on two former occasions. The […]

Project Sunroof: Google’s New Solar Map

Project Sunroof, Google’s new solar mapping service, is now online and operational for the Greater Boston Area. The goal of the application is to simplify the process of figuring out the savings realized from decking one’s roof out with solar panels. Project Sunroof utilizes Google’s already expansive data mapping and computer resources to help calculate […]

EarlyBird Power Partners with Protect Our Winters

August 11, 2015

For the sixth year in a row, EarlyBird Power has arranged and sold carbon emission offsets for Teton Gravity Research’s filming operations. A ski film company, TGR’s carbon emissions mainly come from air travel, helicopter and snowmobile use. Carbon offsets are sold in order to promote clean energy practices where it is feasible, while enabling carbon […]

MA Gov. Charlie Baker Plans to Propose Solar Energy Legislation

August 10, 2015

courtesy of Colin Young, MA State News Services BOSTON – As solar energy advocates rallied on the steps of the State House Thursday, Gov. Charlie Baker said at a different event that his administration will file legislation concerning the solar power net metering cap “probably sometime next week.” Details of the governor’s planned legislation were […]