Product Details
| Year | Required MA Class I | Required Other Renewables | Voluntary Renewables added by Whitman Community Electricity | Total Renewables | |
|
Whitman Standard automatic |
2025 | 27% | 36% | – | 63% |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | – | 69% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | – | 75% | |
| 2028 | 36% | 45% | – | 81% | |
| 2029 | 39% | 48% | – | 87% | |
| Whitman Plus | 2025 | 27% | 36% | 37% | 100% |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | 31% | 100% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | 25% | 100% | |
| 2028 | 36% | 45% | 19% | 100% | |
| 2029 | 39% | 48% | 13% | 100% | |
|
National Grid Basic Service if you opt out |
2025 | 27% | 36% | – | 63% |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | – | 69% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | – | 75% | |
| 2028 | 36% | 45% | – | 81% | |
| 2029 | 39% | 48% | – | 87% |
Additional Product Details
From October 2025 until December 2029 meter read the program appears on utility bill as “Whitman Community Electrity – Dynegy”.
Prices for all program options in the Whitman program include a 0.001 ¢/kWh administration fee. Program prices could increase as a result of a change in law that results in a direct, material increase in costs during the term of the electricity supply agreement. This type of increase will apply equally to all account holders in the utility service region, regardless of whether the account holder receives their electricity supply from the utility , third-party supply, or Whitman’s program. Prices apply only to the electricity supply portion of your National Grid electric bill. Delivery charges on your National Grid electric bill are not affected by the Whitman Community Electricity program.
Future savings against National Grid’s fixed Basic Service rate cannot be guaranteed because National Grid’s rates change every six months for residential and commercial customers, and every three months for industrial customers. For commercial and industrial National Grid’s Basic Service rates, please review the National Grid supply rates page.
If you participate in Whitman’s program, you will be automatically enrolled at a new price at the end of the contract term unless you inform the town otherwise. The new price may be higher or lower than the existing price and the voluntary renewable energy content may change. The town will contact you no later than 30 days before each automatic renewal to notify you of your supply options.
Sourcing the Additional Renewable Energy
The Whitman Community Electricity program presents a unique opportunity for the Town to influence the development of renewable energy resources by going above and beyond the requirements in Massachusetts – this means voluntarily purchasing additional renewable energy. See the State’s renewable energy requirements.
In Whitman Community Electricity, all purchases of renewable electricity will be certified by purchasing and retiring Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), the accepted legal instrument used to track renewable energy generation and to substantiate claims of renewable energy use. Read on to learn more about why we need RECs.
On Our Grid
All of the additional renewable energy in the Whitman Community Electricity program will come from sources designated as MA Class I. These sources must be physically part of our New England electricity grid. This stands in contrast to some electricity supplies that obtain their renewable energy from national sources (e.g. Texas) that are not physically connected to our New England electricity grid. While those sources provide very cheap electricity, you get what you pay for: including them in the electricity mix does not move our region away from fossil fuels.
MA Class I is the State of Massachusetts’ term for new, local renewable energy. The renewable energy can come from the sources shown in the figure below and it must:
- Have started operation after 1997
- Be located within New England, New York or Eastern Canada
2022 Sources of MA Class I for RPS Compliance
Helping Expand Renewable Energy
Massachusetts requires all energy suppliers to include a minimum amount of MA Class I renewable energy, and that amount that increases annually. This policy, called the Renewable Portfolio Standard, provides growing demand for renewable energy and, as a result, has been the primary driver of the growth of renewable energy in our region.
By purchasing a significant quantity of extra MA Class I renewable energy, Whitman will increase demand further and incentivize even more renewable energy generation development in New England.
Recent estimates suggest that fully 10% of renewable energy purchased in the MA Class I REC market will soon be voluntarily purchased by municipal aggregations, going above and beyond state requirements, like Whitman.
What Are RECs and Why We Need Them
When electricity generated by renewable sources – such as solar and wind – is put onto our regional electricity grid, it becomes mixed in with and indistinguishable from the other electricity on the grid. It is not possible to physically separate out renewable electricity from the grid mix for your individual consumption.
As a result, a tracking system, called Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), has been created to enable the purchase and use of renewable electricity. For every one megawatt-hour of renewable electricity generated, one REC is created. In order to use renewable electricity, one must purchase a quantity of RECs equal to the amount of electricity purchased from the grid. Once used, a REC is retired so that no one else can purchase that same REC or claim to use it.