Latest news with #BCCE
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
In defense of Boston-area municipal clean energy programs
Advertisement These programs support renewable energy investments and jobs, let renters choose clean energy, and maintain competitive prices. Since its start, Somerville's basic rate has been below Eversource's basic rate for 16 out of 17 rate cycles, and Somerville's default rate has been below Eversource's basic rate for 15 out of 17 rate cycles. A true accounting of Somerville's program shows we have saved 29,000 annual participants a total of $26 million since July 2017 compared with Eversource. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up That's why Katjana Ballantyne Mayor of Somerville Consider the full impact of Boston Community Choice program Your recent article on the Boston Community Choice Electricity program presents a misleading picture of the program's costs and uses inflated assumptions about the electricity usage of Boston residents to estimate savings. Advertisement The article's first chart implies that BCCE charges residents more than Eversource for electricity. This is deeply misleading. Data filed with the Department of Public Utilities indicate that since the launch of BCCE in 2021, the average customer on the standard, or default, plan has saved approximately $800 compared with Eversource basic service. Further, the article inflates how much residents can save by switching from the standard to the basic plan. It assumes a monthly usage of 900 kilowatt-hours, while the city's data show the average BCCE customer uses less than 420 kWh per month — more than doubling the estimated bills and savings of the average resident. Within Greater Boston, aggregation programs have been a resounding success. Of the 81 municipalities served by Eversource and National Grid, 61 have aggregation programs, with eight more launching this year or awaiting approval. While there are opportunities to improve communications about program options and to see that low-income customers are automatically enrolled into the most affordable tier, aggregation programs are a proven way for municipalities to both save residents money and promote greater usage of renewable electricity. Jeremy Koo Assistant director of clean energy Metropolitan Area Planning Council Boston
Boston Globe
02-07-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
Bostonians have a say in how much they pay for electricity, but few seem to know it
Advertisement Edgar Dworsky, of Somerville, who edits the website 'Use of 'negative option' plans, where a customer is presented with an offer that will go into effect unless the customer affirmatively rejects it, are generally considered to be unfair or deceptive,' Dworsky said. Boston's is the largest of about 200 such programs in Massachusetts; it is not unusual in defaulting customers to a higher-priced option. And the disparities in Boston's program are not as large as they are in some communities. In Newton and Somerville, for instance, the difference between the default option and the cheapest one is significantly larger than in Boston. Advertisement In Somerville, those who wind up in the middle tier pay an average of $175 more a year than those in the cheapest level. In Newton, the disparity is almost 20 percent, or $305 a year. Those who land in Boston's middle tier currently pay 4.2 percent more for power than those in the cheapest tier. So far this year, customers in Boston are paying significantly more than they would if they opted out and instead paid the rate offered by the monopoly utility, Eversource. At current rates, a typical ratepayer would save $169 a year by switching from BCCE's middle tier to Eversource. That will change Aug. 1, however, when Eversource's rates for the next six months go into effect. The new rates will be almost identical to BCCE's middle tier, but slightly higher. While the cheapest rates in the BCCE program have often been lower than those offered by Eversource, the middle-tier BCCE rates, which most Bostonians are steered into, are by design higher than those in the lowest tier. The aim isn't to punish ratepayers; it's to gradually move the city away from fossil fuels and toward solar, wind, and other sustainable sources. Those in the middle tier help fund a power mix where nearly half comes from renewables, while those in the lower tier fund a power mix with less than a third from renewable energy — matching that of Eversource. While the extra costs ratepayers bear for the greener power mix are arguably modest, they add to a heavy burden. As of April, Massachusetts utility customers paid more per kilowatt-hour than residents of any state save California, Connecticut, and Hawaii, Advertisement Those challenges may grow as Massachusetts officials push to get at least a half-million homes running on For low-income Bostonians, the impacts are greater still. One in four Boston families spends nearly a quarter of their household income on energy, And even those whose poverty is known to the government don't get steered toward the cheapest electric plans. About one in 10 Boston ratepayers have qualified for subsidized electric rates by providing proof of their low income. In Mattapan and Roxbury, nearly a quarter of consumers get this lower rate. Yet when it comes to the power mix they receive, the vast majority of these people wind up in the city's middle tier, costing them more. In Mattapan and Roxbury, for instance, barely 2 percent of customers are in the city's lowest price tier. In other words, only about 1 of every 10 customers in these neighborhoods who have demonstrated they are poor enough to receive cheaper power rates are getting the city's best rate. Boston's program was approved unanimously by the City Council in 2017, with Wu, then a city councilor, co-sponsoring it. The program launched in 2021. Advertisement Wu's administration says the city has to balance multiple goals, including a move to renewable energy. 'It's price stability. It's savings, and it is also renewable energy,' said Oliver Sellers-Garcia, the city's Green New Deal director. 'The goal is not just to provide the lowest cost savings. The goal is to get the people of Boston the best thing which balances all those things.' But the city's data and interviews by the Globe suggest few Bostonians are aware they have options. 'I don't remember being given choices,' said a senior from Hyde Park who did not want to be named. The man, who receives the discount available to low-income residents, was routed into BCCE's middle tier. He was able to quickly find his latest bill when asked by reporters, but he could not locate a letter from the city detailing his options. Ewura Yankah, the director of constituent services in City Council District 7, which includes some of the city's poorest neighborhoods, told the Globe the city could better communicate options. 'We agree that there's an opportunity for increased outreach,' Yankah said. One consumer advocate focused on renewable energy, Larry Chretien, said he supports the municipal programs for boosting the use of green energy. He also said he didn't see a downside if cities were to tweak their programs to automatically enroll low-income ratepayers in the cheapest tier. 'I think we're talking very small potatoes,' said Chretien, executive director of Green Energy Consumers Alliance. 'But I don't have a problem with that if that was the new way of doing it.' Joey Flechas can be reached at
Hans India
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
‘National devpt possible only through caste enumeration'
Hyderabad: BJP OBC Morcha National President and Rajya Sabha MP Dr Laxman stated that while the Congress party has been in power for an extended period, it has failed to conduct a caste census. On Saturday, he spoke at a round table meeting organised by the 'Backwards Classes Centre for Empowerment' (BCCE), chaired by BCCE Director and BJP Telangana State Spokesperson Virender Goud. The meeting focused on the topic 'Caste Enumeration – Future Construction of OBCs – Social Justice.' Dr Laxman emphasised that there is a significant number of Backward Classes (BCs) in the country, and their welfare was neglected during the Congress government's tenure. He pointed out that after the formation of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, various welfare schemes were introduced for BCs. Uttar Pradesh State BC Welfare Minister Narendra Kashyap attended as a special guest, along with R Krishnaiah, National President of the BC Welfare Association and Rajya Sabha member; Parikipandla Narahari, Principal Secretary of the Madhya Pradesh State Public Health Engineering Department; former Chairman of the State BC Commission Vakulabharanam Krishnamohan; and several others, including Naragouni Goud, ex-IAS officer, Chiranjeevulu, CLN Gandhi, and experts in various fields, including constitutional experts, educationists, social workers, and leaders of various associations took part in it. Minister of State for BC Welfare Narendra Kashyap expressed that the Yogi Adityanath government is committed to the welfare of BCs in Uttar Pradesh. He noted that BCs are advancing in all areas due to the efforts of the BJP government at both the centre and the state. He encouraged BCs to excel economically and politically, thus playing a crucial role in societal development.
