OPINION: Prices to Compare, in Westwood Community Choice Electricity Program's 2nd Year

By Maria Costantini and John Isberg

Our Westwood Community Choice Electricity program (CCE) is now entering its second contract. For residents unfamiliar with the program, the Westwood (CCE) is a program offered by our Town to provide competitively priced electricity supply options and more renewable energy for Westwood residents and businesses.

The choices are exciting - but they can also be confusing. As two residents with backgrounds in science and energy, we’d like to help clarify some recent changes that may help you with making the right choice for you and your family in our second contract.

What’s new with the CCE?

Recently, the town rebid for a new 3-year contract and was awarded a 36-month rate for the three levels of the program based on the amount of renewable energy desired. Below you can see the products offered. The majority of Westwood residents are enrolled in Westwood Standard which is the default product.

As you can see from the table, the current 6-month rate from Eversource is slightly below our Westwood Basic and about 1.0 cent below our Westwood Standard rate. We have estimated that the difference between Eversource and the CCE Westwood Standard equates to about $7 per month for the typical residential home. This is a snapshot in time of a 6-month price versus a 36-month fixed price that is designed to provide price stability and more renewable energy to our community. Electric energy costs can increase for many reasons and an extremely cold winter like we have experienced is one factor that could raise electricity costs in the near future. Our CCE protects us from any potential price fluctuations over the term of the contract.

Where can you find the supplier’s name and your rate?

On the back page of your Eversource bill. Eversource still delivers your electricity.

Why should you care?

One of the best qualities of our CCE is that it puts the power of choice in the residents' hands. If you wish to save a few dollars now you can opt down to the CCE Basic or opt-out of the program and go back to Eversource. Or you could do nothing; in the long term, the stable CCE rate will likely compensate for the fluctuations in the Eversource rates and you would be using electricity with 10% more renewable content. You also have the option of opting-up to Westwood Plus (100% renewable electricity) which means eliminating your reliance on fossil fuels like coal and natural gas for power generation. To make any changes, go to WestwoodCCE.com.

Maria Costantini is a retired environmental health scientist who lives in Westwood. John Isberg is an energy executive who also lives in Westwood.