In addition to the below press release, please see attached FAQs and mailer that was sent out to all Salisbury residents.
Press Release – The Town of Salisbury, with the assistance of Colonial Power Group, Inc., is pleased to announce it has entered into a three-year agreement with First Point Power of Warwick, R.I., to bring energy cost-savings to the town’s residents through this initiative. The Town will be using 100 percent green energy, derived from National Wind renewable energy certificates.
Salisbury residents will collectively save an estimated $378,000 over the next three years, thanks to the newly created Salisbury Community Choice Power Supply program.
“We are happy to provide this green energy program to Salisbury residents,” said Neil Harrington, Salisbury Town Manager. “By using aggregation, which allows the Town to buy energy in bulk, we are able to offer Salisbury ratepayers a more stable and lower cost energy option while also utilizing a renewable energy source that is beneficial for our environment.”
The Salisbury Community Choice Power Supply Program is a municipal aggregation program which, in accordance with Massachusetts law (M.G.L. c. 164, § 134), enables local government to combine the purchasing power of its residents and businesses so that it can provide them with an alternative electricity supply.
“The Salisbury Community Choice program provides local control and competition while also lowering the burden of energy costs for Salisbury’s ratepayers,” said Mark Cappadona, President of Colonial Power Group, Inc. “We commend Salisbury for their forward-thinking approach to energy purchasing. By taking this action, not only are they helping to save ratepayers money on their electricity costs, they are also helping the environment.”
Participating residents in Salisbury will see an average savings of 19 percent in their energy bills this winter and a total average savings of 7 percent in their energy bills during the first year of the contract term. Residents will save a combined $29,715 per month in the first year of the program. The cost savings for Salisbury ratepayers will begin with the January 2019 meter reads (February 2019 billings).
Residents will not notice any change in their electricity service. The only discernible difference will be that First Point Power will be printed under “Supplier Services” on National Grid’s monthly bills. Residents will continue to receive one bill from National Grid and to send payments to National Grid for processing. There will be no interruption in billing, power, or customer service.
Colonial Power Group is the leading aggregation consulting firm in Massachusetts. Municipal electricity aggregation allows cities and towns to pool the electrical consumption of all ratepayers in their jurisdictions and competitively procure lower cost electricity supply on behalf of the participants. The aggregation allows the municipality to obtain better pricing than individual residents and business owners could due to economies of scale. Colonial Power works with state officials, utility executives, and energy industry leaders to facilitate the purchase of electricity at a rate lower than basic service rates. Since July 2013, Colonial Power has saved households and businesses across New England a total of over $11 million on their electric bills.
Colonial Power Group, which serves more than 60 municipalities in Massachusetts, was chosen to design, implement, and administer the program on behalf of Salisbury. First Point Power was selected through a competitive process.
No action is required by ratepayers to participate in this cost-saving program. The program will be operated on an opt-out basis, meaning that all Salisbury residential and business customers currently on National Grid’s basic service will be automatically enrolled into the program unless they choose to opt out. You may opt-out of the program at any time and there are no penalty charges.
Residents may also visit https://cpg.davisadbeta.com/salisbury/ or call (866) 485-5858 ext. 1 to learn more about the Salisbury Community Choice Power Supply Program.