Should I save $63 by ditching Boston's electric plan?
Get The Gavel
A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr.
Enter Email
Sign Up
Gas and electric costs have
Advertisement
In Boston,
Advertisement
It's always been there, in the fine print, that municipal plans aren't guaranteed to save you money. That's one of the reasons you're
If you're not sure if you're enrolled in a community choice aggregation plan, check the space circled on this Eversource bill.
Alan Wirzbicki/Globe Staff
Whether you
should
take advantage of that option, of course, is a personal decision — but it carries some broader implications.
If too many people drop out of their municipal plans, those plans will have less buying power, which could make it harder for them to secure lower prices relative to the utilities down the road. One way of looking at it is that by staying in and accepting slightly higher rates now, you make future savings more likely.
I doubt many consumers would find that logic convincing, though. And if you approach your electric rates as simply a hard-nosed financial decision, all that matters now is that the
For me, based on my home's past energy usage, that would translate into a savings of about $88 between February and July, when Eversource's rates will reset. (Obviously, I missed the boat on the full savings, which are now down to about $63.) At that point, if the new Eversource rates are higher than the city's, I can always switch back.
Advertisement
Another reason you might stay in the city program is because while sure, you could shop electric rates every few months and switch back and forth to whichever rate is cheaper — will you remember? And is that really how you want to spend your time? If you want to just pick one and then forget about it, the city argues the municipal plan is probably better.
'It is a price that is stable and is almost certain to give you savings over the medium run,' said Oliver Sellers-Garcia, commissioner of the Environment Department and Green New Deal Director for the city of Boston. 'For most people, my advice is, continue to stay in the program, set it and forget it. It's the easiest thing to do.'
Another reason someone might stay with the city program is environmental: The city's standard rate also includes more local renewable energy than Eversource's basic rate, so if that's important to you, it could make sense to stay.
Though if that's you, be aware that there are
And that gets us to the most awkward part of the sudden price gap between municipal plans and the utility.
Competitive electric suppliers are third-party companies that do the same thing municipalities have done: They provide an alternative to buying electricity from your utility. With competitive plans, you can pick a plan with more renewable energy or one that locks in rates for longer (or shorter) periods, depending on your preferences.
Advertisement
They've also been
But some of the arguments against the competitive suppliers would also seemingly apply to municipal programs now. Because of those city programs, customers who don't keep an eagle eye on rates are now unwittingly paying higher prices than if they just went back to the utility.
I'm not suggesting banning municipal plans. I'm glad that one of them saved me money for as long as it did. But there are plenty of competitive-supply customers who've saved money, too. The bottom line here is that nobody — not the city, not competitive suppliers, not Eversource — bats a thousand. No option is perfect, but the more of them out there, the better.
Alan Wirzbicki is Globe deputy editor for editorials. He can be reached at
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
4 hours ago
- Boston Globe
A cease-fire between Israel and Iran should be a prelude to peace
After years of insisting it would not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, Israel followed through by launching a wide-ranging attack earlier this month, assassinating nuclear scientists and military leaders and destroying many sites associated with Iran's decades-long nuclear program. Trump initially stayed on the sidelines, until Saturday when US bombers delivered the coup de grâce, destroying — or at least heavily damaging — a key underground site that only American bunker-buster bombs could reach. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up Iran retaliated first by raining ballistic missiles down on Israel, some of which evaded the country's air defense and harmed civilians, and on Monday also attacked a US military base in Qatar. Advertisement But Iran was humiliated by its inability to stop almost daily Israeli hammer blows, and none of the proxy groups it has cultivated, such as Hezbollah, stepped up to defend it. If the Israeli pummeling had continued, they could have more directly targeted Iranian energy infrastructure, taking aim at the oil and gas revenues that are the regime's lifeblood. So, now what? Stopping Iran, whose unofficial national motto is 'Death to America,' from gaining a nuclear weapon has rightly been a US priority for decades. Advertisement Iran's nuclear program is now damaged but not destroyed. The administration should seek a deal in which Iran gives up its program in a verifiable way in exchange for some lifting of international sanctions. After all, military action can at best only delay an Iranian nuke. The only surefire way to prevent it is either to overthrow the regime in Iran — favored by some hardliners but sure to cause chaos and possibly lead to an even more hostile government in Tehran — or reach a deal. Elements of a deal could include some relief from sanctions and investment in Iran's tattered economy. It would also have to include an accounting for the A deal is preferable because while Iran has suffered setbacks, it can still do immense damage. Some 40,000 US troops are based in the Middle East, vulnerable to Iranian attack. There is also the lingering threat to the transport of oil and gas through the Regime change, meanwhile, will have to be up to the Iranians. The mullahs have misgoverned Iran for four decades, and hopefully by exposing the regime's core weakness the Israeli and American strikes will embolden opponents of the government. The mullahs' obsession with Israel, a country hundreds of miles away, has brought its people nothing but hardship. Advertisement The United States could, of course, have made a more significant contribution toward regime change had it not virtually abandoned efforts at soft diplomacy such as Talk about false economizing. The furloughs were right up there with the For now, the goal must be to turn the reported cease-fire into a more durable peace. Trump has a reputation for not being a long-term thinker or planner. But actions have consequences — and this one admittedly brilliant military operation will reverberate in the region and beyond for years to come. Now the president's obligation is to help put the diplomatic pieces back together. Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Boston Globe
The unlikely defenders of girls facing genital mutilation in Kenya
For generations, morans have been champions of tradition in Samburu culture: guardians of community honor, masculine ideals, and long-held customs. Among the customs they are responsible for upholding is female genital mutilation (FGM) — a Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up 'I've seen what it does to our sisters,' says James Lelelit, 28, a former enforcer of the tradition turned anti-FGM activist. 'They bleed. They suffer infections. They drop out of school. Some never recover. I couldn't stay silent anymore.' Advertisement What makes this movement extraordinary is that it is not the result of outside pressure. It is coming from within the heart of the community. What's emerging in Samburu is not only an effort to champion women's rights and health, but a redefinition of masculinity. For young men raised to measure their worth by dominance and tradition, embracing compassion is no small feat. Advertisement In the past, anti-FGM messages often came from outsiders and were met with resistance. But today, morans are leading the conversations. They are young men who have seen firsthand the pain FGM causes their sisters and classmates. They are part of a generation more exposed to education, mobile technology, and evolving ideas about human rights. Crucially, they frame their opposition to FGM not as a rejection of traditional culture but as a way to protect it. The hope is that this insider-led movement — in which warriors are speaking out and families are listening — will continue to grow. The transformation is fragile, but if sustained, it could mark a turning point not just for Samburu but for other communities where the custom remains entrenched. FGM is illegal in Kenya, yet it continues in rural communities where government enforcement is weak and old customs remain deeply ingrained. In Samburu County, nearly From warrior to defender In a region where tradition often outweighs legislation, the morans are making all the difference. 'Everything changed when we started talking to the warriors,' says Samuel Leadismo, a Samburu warrior, founder of the Pastoralist Child Foundation, and former enforcer of FGM. Leadismo's transformation into a defender of girls' rights began after he attended a community training by a local NGO that challenged old beliefs about FGM. It wasn't the facts alone that shifted his views but the girls' and women's harrowing testimonies. The knowledge hit differently because it came from people he trusted and because the people at the training asked him to reconsider what it truly meant to be a protector. Advertisement Today, he works to convince other young Samburu warriors that they have the power to end the practice. 'Morans have influence,' he says. 'If they decide to marry only girls who are not cut, everything changes.' Indeed, this redefinition of masculinity — from enforcing harmful tradition to defending girls' bodies and futures — is what makes the movement so powerful. In a community where identity is rooted in heritage, warriors like Leadismo are showing that honoring culture can involve change. Rather than rejecting tradition outright, they are reframing it — turning strength into advocacy and authority into protection. Their new stance has already had an effect. Families are increasingly choosing to let their daughters go through alternative rites of passage, including community-led ceremonies that celebrate a girl's coming of age without FGM. According to the Pastoralist Child Foundation, thousands of girls in the region have undergone these alternative rites of passage and remained in school. Joy Lemasian, 17, remembers the day she told her father she did not want to be cut. 'He looked angry at first,' she recalls. 'But then my uncle, a moran, told him, 'The world is changing. Let her go to school.' That saved me.' Lemasian now dreams of becoming a teacher. Her story is becoming more common, but she knows the danger hasn't disappeared. 'Some girls are still cut in secret,' she says softly. 'But now, at least we have people to talk to. People who believe in us.' The morans occupy a unique space between the elders, who are often guardians of tradition, and the youth, who are hungry for change. Their voices carry weight in a society where age and gender roles are tightly defined. Advertisement Even some elders are beginning to come around. 'At first, I thought the boys were being disrespectful,' says Moses Lekilelei, a village elder in the town of Archers Post. 'But then I listened. They are not rejecting our culture. They are saving our daughters.' Yet there has been backlash. In some villages, morans who speak out have faced threats or been ostracized. 'We were told we were no longer real men,' says Peter Loeku, 26. 'But I asked them — how is a real man one who causes harm to a child?' Loeku admits the fight is slow. 'We need more schools, more role models. And we need to stop pretending this is just a women's issue. It affects all of us.' Internationally, the story is being watched closely. The United Nations Population Fund warns that without faster progress, up to 89 million girls could still be at risk of FGM by 2030. Samburu's example offers hope. 'Being a moran used to mean strength, pride, silence,' says Lelelit. 'Now it means asking questions. It means choosing what kind of man you want to be.' As the sun sets over the hills, the gathered morans in Samburu rise to leave. One of them ties his red cloth tighter around his waist and turns to speak. 'We are still warriors,' he says, smiling. 'But now we fight for something better.'
Boston Globe
11 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Can you really blame Canadians for boycotting us?
Advertisement None of this should be surprising. How exactly did anyone expect Canadians and Europeans to react when President Trump started threatening and belittling them? You could look at the fare reduction as a silver lining for Americans — now's the time for that summer trip to It's one thing for bookings to temporarily dip — in a bad economy, for instance. It's something else when airlines Advertisement If those connections disappear, they don't necessarily just come back with the snap of a finger when and if Trump goes on his meds. A few years ago, I wrote about how the barriers introduced after the Sept. 11 attacks had frayed connections between regions that had traditionally been seamlessly connected. But this is much worse. It's not just the huge economic hit New England tourist destinations are about to experience. It's the frayed links to the rest of the world that could be the legacy of the president's pointless threats and insults. This is an excerpt from , a Globe Opinion newsletter about the future of transportation in the region. Sign up to . Alan Wirzbicki is Globe deputy editor for editorials. He can be reached at
