MASS. – National Grid has filed with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, the agency that oversees power companies, to raise its electricity rates for the upcoming winter season, starting Nov. 1.
National Grid says a typical residential customer using 600 kilowatt hours will see an increase from $179 in winter 2021-22, to $293 for winter 2022-23, a 64% increase.
The company said it “…worked to keep the delivery portion of the bill essentially flat,” and that it, “…buys electricity on behalf of its customers from the wholesale power market.”
According to data from National Grid in August (.pdf), of the power it provided in 2021, 35.2% was generated from natural gas sources and 21.5% from nuclear sources. Here is its full breakdown of power sources to generate the power delivered by National Grid in Massachusetts.
The price of natural gas has increased significantly since Russian forces moved into Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022. Russia is the second-largest natural gas producing country in the world, behind only the United States. All natural gas produced in the U.S. is sold at prices set by global markets.
According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the price per million btu of natural gas has increased from $4.69 in February to 8.81 in August.
The highest price of natural gas ever in the United States, $13.42 per million btu, occurred in October 2005. Hurricane Katrina reached landfall on the gulf coast of the United States in late August 2015, causing damage to production facilities in the region and sharply reducing domestic production. From September to December 2005, the price remained over $10 per btu.
National Grid offers consumer resources, including energy saving tips and access to payment assistance programs, here. Additional information is available from Mass Save.
