NOTES BETWEEN PRINTED EDITIONS
Dec. 15, 2025……Nine weeks after Gov. Maura Healey requested a review, the Department of Public Utilities on Monday opened an investigation of all delivery charges on electric and gas bills in Massachusetts.
The department said its probe “will examine the causes of bill volatility and promote a greater understanding of rates for customers to take greater control over their energy bills.”
The DPU it has so far in 2025 reduced the budget of the Mass Save three-year plan, required mitigation for last winter’s gas bills and implemented new electric rates to reduce winter costs for residents who use heat pumps.
he new investigation will explore whether to establish limits on how much charges can increase from month to month, and whether certain charges should be eliminated, consolidated or “redesigned as a fixed charge.”
The efforts come as residents and businesses cope with rising utility and other bills that are contributing to a higher cost of living in Massachusetts.
“Last winter, customers saw their bills spike, with some paying 50% more than they did the previous winter,” Healey wrote in an Oct. 14 letter to the DPU. “Families and businesses cannot afford, nor budget for, these unexpected, high costs.”
Healey filed energy affordability legislation (H 4144) in May and as winter sets in it remains before the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy Committee co-chaired by Rep. Mark Cusack and Sen. Michael Barrett. Lawmakers appear torn between the challenges of address rising consumer costs, maintaining decarbonization efforts and delivering on infrastructure demands required to keep energy systems safe and reliable.
In its 26-page order announced at 5 p.m. Monday, the DPU said it was moving ahead “with deference to any statutory directives to the Department that the Legislature may adopt,” with plans to “initiate a review of these matters now, using our existing authority, to provide relief to ratepayers as promptly as possible.”
Regulators said the first phase of their investigation will explore delivery-related portions of electric and gas bills. There are also plans to potentially change the net metering recovery charges paid by electric customers “without compromising the continued development of solar [power] in the state,” according to the DPU.
The second phase of the investigation examine utility bill design, “increasing transparency for ratepayers when they receive their bills and creating more consistency across companies,” the DPU said. “In addition, following the severe billing errors customers have experienced this year, the DPU also plans to examine current utility billing practices and utilities’ performance in meeting their obligations to provide their customers with accurate, transparent, and timely bills. This investigation will commence in the coming months.”
Dive deeper: A full transcript, summary and video of the committee hearing on Healey’s energy affordability bill is available on the State Affairs platform.
I hope they identify who is responsible for blocking needed gas pipelines to the state resulting in shortages and the need to import more expensive LNG to meet customer and electric generator needs.