Much has been argued in the proceeding before the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) about the appropriate standard of review for the merger of Northeast Utilities (NU) and NSTAR. Initially, the companies filed their case under the long standing precedent of “no net harm” to ratepayers. Later the Department of Energy Resources advocated for a […]
The proposed merger between NStar and Northeast Utilities will have a significant impact on the region’s energy marketplace. Whether it will be good for consumers – particularly the 500 nonprofit members of PowerOptions which form a backbone of the Massachusetts economy, depends largely on the conditions now being negotiated. For months, interested parties have been […]
While the cost of electricity has fallen dramatically over the last two years as a result of the drop in natural gas prices, the delivery part of your electric bill (transmission and distribution company charges) has been going up significantly. The distribution charges have been going up for a variety of reasons: New state mandates […]
Lots of attention has been paid to the financial subsidies the state and federal government have provided for the development of renewable energy (see last week’s blog). What the general public is much less aware of are the subsidies that come directly from ratepayers through their electric rates. These subsidies are part of a patchwork […]
