By Special Town Meeting vote in October 2016, Harvard chose to proceed with a Community Choice Aggregation (CCA) program. In doing so, Harvard joins a growing number of Massachusetts municipalities (more than 40 percent) adopting CCA programs, allowing them to determine where their electricity comes from by contracting directly with electricity suppliers. Many CCA programs establish supply contracts that significantly increase the amount of renewable energy at minimal or no price impact.
Most Harvard residents and businesses currently receive “basic service” electric supply from National Grid. Under state law, however, electric customers can choose an alternative electricity supplier. Many of us have received calls advertising such services. Under an alternative supply arrangement, the utility continues to deliver electricity, maintain poles and wires, and provide other services. Instead of each electricity customer making such a decision, state law also allows the municipality to “aggregate” the electric demand in a supply contract, with the benefit of bringing a large customer base to the table. This is what CCA is all about. Once the CCA is established, customers in the program will still receive one electric bill, but the “Supply Services” portion will indicate the alternative supplier instead of National Grid basic service. Customers who have already selected an alternative supplier on their own can join the CCA after ending their alternative supply arrangement.
Electricity customers will always be able to opt out of the CCA program and chose their own supplier or revert back to the National Grid basic service supply.
A survey is being undertaken by the Harvard Energy Advisory Committee (HEAC) to gauge interest in increasing our renewable energy supply. We invite you to take a short online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/GZ3HV6Q.
Your input is valuable in determining our electricity supply options. There will be other opportunities for public input as we approach program rollout in the coming months.
Thank you for your assistance as we move forward on this important project.
Eric Broadbent, member
Harvard Energy Advisory Committee
