On March 1, 1998, electric services were separated into two components - delivery services and supplier services. The two supplier service options under the "Supplier Services" section of your bill are Basic Service or Competitive Power Supply.
Since this change, many Massachusetts consumers have been able to shop for and purchase electricity from competitive power suppliers. The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) licenses competitive suppliers and maintains a list of companies that supply power within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A number of these licensed competitive suppliers do business with NSTAR. Each Competitive Power Supplier sets its own price for electricity and provides service to various cities and towns. To see a list of competitive suppliers that may serve customers on your rate, go to the Competitive Suppliers page. NSTAR Electric continues to deliver power to your home and business, read your meter, care for the poles and wires, provide customer service, and restore power when there is an outage.
Picking a Competitive Power Supplier
You may wish to shop the competitive market. We
encourage you to compare the Competitive Suppliers' options to
Basic Service. In addition to price, other service
offerings may be of value to you. The length and terms of
your contract with your supplier, as well as billing, payment,
deposit, warranty and other information are also important to
review.
Keep in mind that the market for competitive electricity supply is new and not all licensed suppliers are available to serve all customers. Although the opportunities may be different for different types of customers, be mindful that different competitive supply opportunities may become available at various times. Therefore, check periodically at the phone number or web site listed above to stay current on competitive suppliers in Massachusetts. A number of the licensed competitive suppliers do business with NSTAR.
If you choose a Competitive Power Supplier, the supplier's rates will go into effect on your next scheduled meter reading date provided NSTAR Electric had notice of this change at least two business days prior to your next scheduled meter reading date. Your next scheduled meter reading date appears on your electric bill.
After choosing a supplier, if you are currently a Basic Service Fixed rate customer up to six months of your past billing will be recalculated to reflect the month-to-month Basic Service Variable rate. This adjustment may result in either a credit or debit.
Still have questions? Visit NSTAR's Competitive Supply Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to some of the most common questions customers have.
Customer Information List
In order to expand the range of competitive options available to electricity
consumers in Massachusetts, the DPU requires each electric distribution company
to compile a quarterly Customer Information List. Beginning March 2002, NSTAR Electric will make this list available to
competitive suppliers licensed by the DPU. Also,
customers have the option of including or excluding their information from this
list.
