Green Your Electricity
Summary: Swampscott Community Power offers three options for the electricity supply part of your National Grid bill.
Description
Swampscott Community Power is a group electricity buying program for Swampscott residents and businesses. Using the purchasing power of our community, the program provides:
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Three electricity supply choices, including two 100%-renewable options
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Fixed pricing until November 2027
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Consumer protections
Swampscott Community Power offers three options for the electricity supply part of your National Grid bill. As a new participant, you will be automatically enrolled in Standard Green and will receive 100% of your electricity from renewable sources. Or you can make another choice. New England Green provides 100% of your electricity from renewable sources in the New England region. Basic provides the minimum required from renewable sources and the lowest price in the program. Make the choice that is right for you!
Beware of enrolling with third Party Energy Suppliers. Have you been offered a gift card to switch suppliers? Often the initial energy supply rates look lower but the rates may increase over time, with penalties to opt-out. Swampscott Community Power official program notifications and educational materials include the Town Seal. If you receive something in the mail or at your door but you do not see the Town Seal, it is not from the Town of Swampscott. If you are contacted by an independent electricity supplier about switching where you buy your electricity, make sure you know what they are offering before you sign up. A low price may look great, but it may not be what it seems. Independent electricity suppliers frequently entice customers with a low price, then raise the price sharply. Suppliers are hoping you will enroll with them for the low introductory price, then stop looking at your bill before the higher price starts. The details of how the pricing works are usually in the fine print. Also, often your price will automatically move to a price that changes monthly at the end of your contract period. Variable prices that change monthly are often much higher than your initial price, and customers often lose a lot of money. Lastly, many private electricity supply contracts include minimum participation periods or early termination fees that are as high as $150 if you break the contract. Know all the details before you sign the contract and don't give out your National Grid electricity account number unless you're ready to change your electricity supplier.
Interested in enrolling with Swampscott Community Power? Check out the Steps tab!
Deep Dive
Discover the benefits of this program below, or click here for more information.
Swampscott Community Power benefits
More electricity from renewable sources
Swampscott Community Power automatically provides 100% of your electricity from renewable sources. To help stimulate the development of more clean electricity on our local grid, Swampscott prioritizes buying from new renewable energy sources in the New England region.
Stable electricity prices
Swampscott Community Power offers long-term prices for the electricity supply part of your bill. The current prices will end in November, and the program will move to a new 36-month contract with prices that are fixed until November 2027. In comparison, National Grid’s prices change every 6 months or less, which exposes you to seasonal price spikes. Participating in Swampscott Community Power will make your electricity supply price predictable and stable and will protect you from seasonal spikes.
Three electricity supply choices
Through Swampscott Community Power, you have three choices for the electricity supply part of your bill. You automatically receive 100% of your electricity from a mix of renewable sources from within and outside of New England. You can also choose to receive 100% of your electricity from renewable sources within the New England region or to receive just the minimum from renewable sources required by law.
Consumer protections
Swampscott Community Power has been designed with consumer protections. Chief among them, the program has no hidden fees, and you have the freedom to opt out of, or leave, the program at any time with no penalty. This feature makes the program different from many private electricity supply contracts, which may include minimum participation periods and early-termination fees.
No interruption in service
Through Swampscott Community Power, the Town has selected First Point Power as our electricity supplier (the company that puts electricity on the grid for us) and locked in long-term pricing for the electricity supply charge on our bills. But National Grid remains Swampscott’s electric utility and continues to handle our billing, address power outages, and deliver our electricity with no interruption.
Will you save money? Maybe! Two Swampscott Community Power prices are currently lower than National Grid’s residential price, and the Basic option is lower than National Grid’s commercial price. But Swampscott cannot guarantee that program prices will always be lower than National Grid because National Grid’s prices change seasonally, and we do not know their future prices.