Product Details
| Year | Required MA Class I | Required Other Renewables | Voluntary Renewables added by WinPower | Total Renewables | |
| WinPower Basic | 2024 | 24% | 38% | - | 62% |
| 2025 | 27% | 36% | – | 63% | |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | – | 69% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | - | 75% | |
| WinPower Standard (Default) | 2024 | 24% | 38% | 25% | 87% |
| 2025 | 27% | 36% | 25% | 88% | |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | 25% | 94% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | 25% | 100% | |
| WinPower 100 | 2024 | 24% | 38% | 37% | 100% |
| 2025 | 27% | 36% | 31% | 100% | |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | 38% | 100% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | 25% | 100% | |
| Eversource Basic Service if you opt out | 2024 | 24% | 38% | – | 62% |
| 2025 | 27% | 36% | - | 63% | |
| 2026 | 30% | 39% | - | 69% | |
| 2027 | 33% | 42% | - | 75% |
MA Class I renewables come from new, regional sources (i.e., generation located within, or delivered to, New England, built after 1997). For details on all required renewable resources, see www.mass.gov/service-details/program-summaries.
Additional Product Details
Prices for all program options in the WinPower Program include a 0.1 ¢/kWh administration fee. Program prices could increase as a result of a change in law that results in a direct, material increase in costs during the term of the electricity supply agreement. Program prices apply only to the electricity supply portion of your Eversource electric bill. Delivery charges on your Eversource electric bill are not affected by the WinPower Program.
Future savings against Eversource’s fixed Basic Service rate cannot be guaranteed because Eversource’s rates change every six months for residential and commercial customers and every three months for industrial customers. For Commercial and Industrial Eversource Basic Service Rates please check out the Eversource supply rates page.
If you participate in WinPower, you will be automatically enrolled at a new price at the end of the contract term unless you inform the Town otherwise. The new price may be higher or lower than the existing price, and the voluntary renewable energy content may change. The Town will contact you no later than 30 days before each automatic renewal to notify you of your supply options.
Sourcing the Additional Renewable Energy
The WinPower Program presents a unique opportunity for the Town to influence the development of renewable energy resources by going above and beyond the requirements in Massachusetts, i.e., voluntarily purchasing additional renewable energy. See the Massachusetts’ renewable energy requirements.
In WinPower, all purchases of renewable electricity will be certified by purchasing and retiring Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), the accepted legal instrument used to track renewable energy generation and to substantiate claims of renewable energy use. Read more about why we need RECs.
All of the additional renewable energy in the WinPower Program will come from sources designated as MA Class I. These sources must be physically part of our New England electricity grid. This stands in contrast to some electricity supplies that obtain their renewable energy from national sources (e.g., Texas) that are not physically connected to our New England electricity grid. While those sources provide very cheap electricity, you get what you pay for; including them in the electricity mix does not move our region away from fossil fuels.
MA Class I is the Massachusetts term for new, local renewable energy. The renewable energy can come from the sources shown in the figure below and must:
- Have started operation after 1997
- Be located within New England, New York or Eastern Canada
2022 Sources of MA Class I for RPS Compliance
Helping Expand Renewable Energy
Massachusetts requires all energy suppliers to include a minimum amount of MA Class I renewable energy; that amount increases annually. This policy, called the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), provides growing demand for renewable energy and, as a result, has been the primary driver of the growth of renewable energy in our region.
By purchasing a significant quantity of extra MA Class I renewable energy, WinPower will increase demand further and incentivize even more renewable energy generation development in New England.
Recent estimates suggest that fully 10% of renewable energy purchased in the MA Class I REC market will soon be voluntarily purchased by municipal aggregations, going above and beyond state requirements, like WinPower.
What Are RECs and Why We Need Them
When electricity generated by renewable sources – such as solar and wind – is put onto our regional electricity grid, it becomes mixed in with, and indistinguishable from other generation sources of electricity on the grid. It is not possible to physically separate out renewable electricity from the grid mix for your individual consumption.
As a result, a tracking system, called Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), has been created to enable the purchase and use of renewable electricity. For every one megawatt-hour (mWh) of renewable electricity generated, one REC is created. In order to use renewable electricity, one must purchase a quantity of RECs equal to the amount of electricity purchased from the grid. Once used, a REC is retired so that no one else can purchase that same REC or claim to use it.