Utility companies must file proposals to reduce consumer energy bills by 5 p.m., Monday, with changes slated to take effect March 1.
Under pressure from local leaders, Gov. Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Joy Cambpell and 80 lawmakers, state Department of Public Utilities commissioners told the state’s six gas companies in a letter Thursday to reduce energy bills by at least 5% for the rest of the “peak season” this March and April. DPU said it cannot order the utility companies to reduce February bills to residential customers. Those same regulators approved natural gas rate hikes last fall.
“The combination of increased supply costs, the recovery of unusually high programmatic costs through delivery charges and a cold winter has driven customer bills to unsustainable levels,” DPU commissioners wrote. “These circumstances warrant immediate measures to provide relief to consumers.”…