What are the sources of my electricity?
In Massachusetts, over 90% of our electricity is generated from fossil fuel and nuclear power resources, causing significant harm to both the environment and public health. Less than 1% of the electricity in Massachusetts is generated from wind and solar. Your utility is required to send you a quarterly disclosure label which describes in detail the energy sources and emissions resulting from the electricity you use.
How does my electricity get to me?
All New England states share one single network of power, called the electric grid. Generators from all over the region feed power into this grid and energy is drawn out on an as needed basis. Since our electricity is based on a regional mix, the electricity that is actually delivered to your home is determined by which power generators are located closest to you.
The New England electric grid is managed and operated by an Independent System Operator (ISO-NE). ISO-NE is responsible for managing the schedule of which power plants should run when so that there’s always enough power being generated to meet the needs of the region.
What is renewable/green energy?
Energy that is produced from rapidly replenishable or infinite sources such as the sun, wind and water is considered renewable electricity. Electricity generated from renewable sources has a lower impact on public health and the environment than that produced from fossil fuel and nuclear resources for many reasons, including:
1) It emits little or no air emissions;
2) It does not produce harmful radioactive waste;
3) Its fuel sources do not need to be mined or extracted from the earth.
What are "green attributes" or "certificates?"
Green attributes are the environmental characteristics of a renewable energy resource. For every 1 megawatt-hour unit of electricity that is generated in New England, a corresponding "certificate" is produced. Each certificate documents the characteristics of the power source, information such as air emissions, fuel source, and date the facility began operating.
These certificates are tracked through a region-wide accounting system called the Generation Information System (GIS) to ensure that no double counting is allowed. There is a market demand for certificates associated with renewable energy resources because of consumers wishing to support cleaner energy and electric utilities that need to meet renewable energy mandates.
When a consumer chooses renewable electricity it means that their utility or energy supplier has purchased enough renewable energy certificates to match their customer’s electricity consumption. With this method, the certificates have been "bundled" together with the energy commodity itself and are offered to the customer as one program on their monthly electric bill. Mass Energy’s New England GreenStartSM is a bundled renewable electricity program. For more information on New England GreenStartSM click here.
In communities where "bundled" renewable electricity programs are not available, consumers can make payments for renewable energy certificates alone. The consumers can make payments for a specific quantity of certificates, and payments are made separately from the regular utility bill. However the environmental benefits of a renewable certificate program would be the same as a renewable electricity program as long as they are both based on the same mix of renewable energy certificates. Mass Energy’s New England Wind Fund SM is a certificate based program. For more information on New England WindSM click here.
How do I know renewable electricity will be delivered to my home?
Whether you choose renewable electricity or standard electricity, you draw upon the "pool" of power that makes up the New England electric grid. While it is physically impossible to distinguish and deliver individual electrons to specific homes or businesses, by choosing renewable electricity you are ensuring that green electrons are being delivered to the power grid on your behalf, thus creating a cleaner, healthier overall energy mix.
How can I support renewable energy?
For residential consumers in Massachusetts, there are currently three basic ways you can support renewable electricity: 1) If you are a Massachusetts Electric/National Grid customer, you can participate in the GreenUp program by choosing programs like Mass Energy’s New England GreenStartSM; 2) make payments for renewable energy certificates separate from your utility bill (like Mass Energy’s New England WindSM); or 3) Install your own renewable energy system. For businesses, there may also be opportunities to choose electricity from a competitive electricity supplier.
1) Participate in GreenUp if you are a Massachusetts Electric/National Grid customer
In Massachusetts, there are currently no competitive electricity suppliers offering renewable electricity to residential customers. However, if you are a Massachusetts Electric/National Grid customer, you can participate in the GreenUp program which enables you to choose renewable electricity right on your regular monthly utility bill. Mass Energy is working with Massachusetts Electric/National Grid, the state’s largest utility, to offer New England GreenStartSM to residential and small commercial customers through this program. If you are a Massachusetts Electric/National Grid customer and are interested in Mass Energy’s New England GreenStartSM click here.
2) Choose Renewable Energy Certificates
If alternative suppliers or green pricing is not available in your community you can choose a renewable energy certificates-based program such as New England WindSM. Payments for certificates are completely separate from your regular monthly electric bill. Certificate programs are offered through a different company than your utility. Read more about the difference between these options above.
3) Install Your Own Renewable Energy System
One of the most direct ways to support the generation of renewable energy resources is to install a system at your own home or business. There are a number of renewable energy technologies available for these purposes ranging from solar to small scale wind.
What are "new" resources?
Renewable electricity generating facilities that began operation on or after January 1st, 1998 are considered ‘new’ resources for the purposes of Massachusetts environmental mandates.
Why is it important to support new resources?
While it is important to support existing renewable facilities in order to keep them operating, you can make the biggest difference by helping to add more renewable energy resources to the system. Support for new renewable energy resources has the greatest impact on our energy mix by driving demand for new projects that will deliver incremental health and environmental benefits and will help change the way our electricity is made.
Furthermore, Massachusetts has an environmental mandate called the Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS) which requires electric utilities to include a small, but gradually increasing percentage of "new" renewable energy in their supply mix starting in 2003. Since utilities are required to buy new renewables, when consumers buy them first, more new projects will have to come on line in order to help the utilities satisfy the state RPS law.
How do my payments support renewable energy generators?
While many renewable energy resources, especially wind, are becoming increasingly cost competitive with conventional fossil fuels, it is currently still more expensive to generate energy from renewables. Part of this is due to the heavy subsidies traditional fossil fuels receive from our government, as well as the investments already made in our existing power infrastructure. However the more people who choose cleaner energy, the more competitive renewables will become, helping bring down the cost over time. Another reason why renewable energy costs more is that, since our electric utilities do not include as much renewable energy in their supply portfolio as many of us would like, there are additional transaction costs associated with incorporating these resources.
How does New England GreenStartSM work? New England GreenStartSM is part of a new program called GreenUp that is being offered by your local utility, Massachusetts Electric (National Grid). GreenUp allows you to choose cleaner, healthier electricity right on your regular utility bill and is available to all Massachusetts Electric residential and small commercial customers. Massachusetts Electric will continue to serve as your utility, providing all of its normal functions and services, while Mass Energy will be responsible for providing the renewable energy portion of your electricity supply.
What are the sources of New England GreenStartSM? New England GreenStartSM consists of:
5% wind, from the turbine in Hull, Massachusetts,
1% solar, from installations throughout Massachusetts,
19% biomass
75% small hydroelectric
All of the resources in New England GreenStartSM are located in New England.
Are my payments tax deductible?
Yes!1 We are proud to say that a portion of every dollar you spend on New England GreenStartSM is tax deductible! Currently, you cannot get this benefit from any other renewable energy supplier in Massachusetts.
Through a new program called Clean Energy Choice, at least 54% percent of your payments for New England GreenStartSM is recognized as made for the public good on behalf of the citizens of the Commonwealth and as a tax-deductible charitable contribution to the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative ("MTC") for federal income tax purposes. MTC does not retain the contribution, but rather passes it on to Mass Energy for clean energy development in the region.
In addition, MTC will match each dollar you pay for New England GreenStartSM with two dollars in grants, including up to one dollar that goes to your city or town to fund clean energy projects and up to one additional dollar that goes to fund clean energy projects that benefit the state's low-income residents.2 Visit www.cleanenergychoice.org for more information.
1. Only residential customers are eligible for a federal tax deduction. However, nonresidential customers are eligible to earn matching grants from MTC.
2. Cities or towns with a municipal light plant are not eligible for the community match.
How much of New England GreenStartSM is from new resources?
25% of New England GreenStartSM is generated from new renewable energy resources. Of this mix, 6% is from wind and solar and the remainder is from biomass. Mass Energy is committed to increasing the percentage of new renewables in New England GreenStartSM, particularly wind and solar, as more projects come online. New England GreenStartSMhas more new renewables from projects in New England than any other offering in the GreenUp program.
How do I know renewable electricity will de delivered to my home?
Electricity produced by the renewable energy resources in New England GreenStartSM flow into the New England power grid. Whether you choose renewable electricity or standard electricity, you draw upon this "pool" of power, which is a mix of all the resources in the New England. While it is physically impossible to distinguish and deliver individual electrons to specific homes or businesses, by choosing to support renewable electricity, you are ensuring that green electrons are being delivered to this power grid on your behalf, thus creating a cleaner, healthier overall energy mix.
How will my electric bill be affected?
Payments for New England GreenStartSM will be included in your regular monthly utility bill from Massachusetts Electric. Your standing as either a Standard Offer or Default Service customer will not change as a result of participating in this program.
You can chooseNew England GreenStartSM to match either 100% or 50% of your electricity usage - so whether you have a large household or a small apartment, there is a New England GreenStartSM option that is right for you. New England GreenStart 100%SM costs 2.4 cents/kWh and New England GreenStart 50%SMcosts 1.25 cents/kWh. For the average household using 500 kWh a month, your New England GreenStartSMpayments would be $12 for 100% of your usage, or $6.25 for 50% of your usage.
How will my Standard Offer or Default Service standing be affected?
When you enroll in New England GreenStartSM your standing as a Standard Offer or Default Service customer will remain the same. In the event you opt out of New England GreenStartSM service, you will continue to be served as Massachusetts Electric’s customer in that same rate class.
How do I enroll in New England GreenStartSM?
It is easy to enroll in New England GreenStartSM! You can enroll quickly and easily by clicking here for our online enrollment form (be sure to have a copy of your Massachusetts Electric bill available for easy reference to your account information). If you would prefer to receive information in the mail, please call our office at 1-800-287-3950 and one of our customer service representatives will assist you.
What happens if I want to opt out of New England GreenStartSM?
You can opt out of New England GreenStartSM at any time. If you do decide to opt out, you will continue to be served as a regular Massachusetts Electric customer with the same Standard Offer or Default Service standing you currently receive.
