National Grid looking for rate hike in Mass.
Published: May 17, 2009
BOSTON—National Grid, the largest electric utility in Massachusetts, says it wants to increase rates so it can upgrade its electrical distribution system.
It also wants to use the projected $111 million in added revenues to cover other expenses, including a large amount of unpaid customers’ bills.
In a filing with state regulators, National Grid asked to increase its distribution and other delivery charges by 16 percent, starting Jan. 1.
The increase would add $5 to the typical household’s bill, based on usage of about 600 kilowatts a month.
Attorney General Martha Coakley called it “unfortunate” that National Grid would seek to raise rates during a recession.
National Grid has 1.2 million customers in Massachusetts.
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Reader Reactions
Great, time to penalize those of us who pay our bills. Makes me wonder why we all don’t just stop working hard and live off the government handouts.
What a joke. Raising rates on the paying customers because they don’t want to put the leg work into finding deadbeat customers who won’t pay their bill?
Residents of Mass should rise up and sign a petition to get another elec. company in the state like they did with Unitil after the ice storm fiasco.
These companies have no care for the individual, just their bottom line. They want to upgrade their “distribution system”? Tell us exactly what that will mean for the enduser? Lower rates? Better prices/per kilowatt? It’s bad enough they charge people to contribute to green energy sources already.
It’s a joke.
It will happen in Rhode Island too.
They are raising rates as a result of the recession. Because customers can’t/won’t pay their bill, we that do pay our bills pay are picking up the tab for those that don’t/can’t.
isnt that what they did in RI, then they cut it back again? either way its a bad idea iam sure they make record profits just like exxon-mobil does and claim they arn’t.
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