Attorney General Maura Healey released a report on Thursday, April 1, that found Massachusetts residents paid electric supply contractors $426 million more than if they stayed with their utility companies.
Healey noted Worcester was hard-hit, paying nearly $400,000 more to September 2019 alone too competitive electric suppliers than the utility company charges. Residents in Fall River, Lowell, Brockton, Lynn, and Lawrence lost more than $180,000 in the individual competitive supply market in the same single month.
Approximately 450,000 individual residential customers in Massachusetts are customers of competitive suppliers. In the most recent two years of data examined in the report, they paid $173 million over utility company charges.
Healey released two previous reports on the competitive electric supply industry in Massachusetts. The first report released three years ago and another in 2019.
In January 2021, AG Healey re-filed legislation that will bar suppliers from signing up new individual customers. The legislation will not affect the commercial and industrial market or Massachusetts’ municipal aggregation programs.
The Attorney General’s office reached agreements with companies to recover over $15 million in restitution to Massachusetts consumers from Station Energy, Just Energy and Veridian Energy.
Residents in Massachusetts have filed more than 1,000 complaints with the AG’s Office about competitive suppliers engaging in aggressive and deceptive tactics.
