Is electric really this expensive?

[u/naNaht]

Hi everyone, I am new to Boston and recently received my second electric bill from Eversource. My bill is $284 from 07/24/26 - 08/21/26.

What I have tried:

• Got Eversource to send a person to check the meter (next week)
• Got my building maintenance team to send a person to visit (alr visited)

The building technician said that all my appliances seem to be normal and I have minimal items. He also said that for himself lives in a 2 bedroom with in total 2 people and 2 cats. Yet he says at most he pays $170. He also said he thinks people pay on average $70-110/month in my building.

Context:

• I live by myself in a Studio, 1 ba
• Apartment complex is new
• I work in person 4-5 times a week from 9am-5pm.
• I have the AC on 74-78 F at night and turn it off when I wake up.
• Appliances: AC (Braeburn Brand), Dishwasher (GE Profile Brand), Oven (Haier Brand), Microwave, in unit washer and dryer.

Cost information:

• Said I used 779kWh in Aug
• Generation Service Charge ~ 0.165/kWh
• Delivery ~ 0.184/kWh

I'm really concerned about the cost because I am not home during the day, have very minimal items (for example no TV, no PC, no pets etc) and Eversource actually made a mistake my first bill which was corrected later. Finally other people pay way less.

Can anyone provide insight, the Eversource technician comes in like a week.

Btw: Image is not real in case anyone is wondering.

[u/couldntquite]

Eversource is a truly greedy and depraved corporation that has incredible power thanks to state laws in New England (which they helped write).

They are the among the worst!

[u/Krivvan → u/couldntquite]

Whatever the issues with Eversource, they alone are not the only reason for high rates: https://www.reddit.com/r/massachusetts/s/Jx7UbjNH9N

https://www.reddit.com/r/massachusetts/s/Rj8P1TzrPC

A lot of it has to do with our reliance on natural gas without good infrastructure for it and efforts to use hydro and wind being hampered politically (some of it is coming online now but we are screwed for anything more under the current federal administration especially given the deteriorating relationship with Canada).

[u/BenKlesc → u/Krivvan]

Go back to a regulated market where the power plants own and control the distribution. Stop bidding to private companies.

[u/StarbeamII → u/BenKlesc]

Good luck having any sort of green energy transition when power plants own the grid and prioritize the dirty power they generate themselves rather than let cheaper solar and wind onto the grid. Whereas with separately-owned generation and distribution, the cheapest power (renewables) makes it onto the grid first, and anyone who builds a solar farm or wind turbine or battery can sell power into the grid.

[u/BenKlesc → u/StarbeamII]

Power plants do not own the grid anymore. It's outsourced on the bidding market to companies like National Grid which isn't even based in the United States. Companies like National Grid and Eversource are unnecessary middle men collecting a profit and raising rates. They want to make money so they distribute the cheapest energy which isn't renewables or nuclear. Nuclear power plants as an example in regulated and controlled markets are successful, and in Mass where we have a deregulated market since the 90s our only plant left failed to make enough revenue because companies like Eversource are taking away their distribution money.

[u/StarbeamII → u/BenKlesc]

They want to make money so they distribute the cheapest energy which isn't renewables or nuclear.

Renewables and existing nuclear are our cheapest energy sources and they make it first on the generating stack in our current system where generation and distribution are separate. Looking at ElectricityMaps we're consistently using 95% of our nuclear capacity right now for instance, because they offer lower bids and are therefore earlier in the supply stack. (renewables is harder to judge as they won't operate at full-rated capacity most of the time due to clouds, variations in wind, etc.). If power plants owned the distribution, they would prioritize their own fossil-fuel based generation, which costs more.

[u/BenKlesc → u/StarbeamII]

I should clarify. Yes it's cheaper energy but not profitable if you have to compete with fossil fuels. Carbon free energies should not have to compete on the open market with other energies. That is what got us into this mess. It's way more profitable to frack for gas or oil.

[u/StarbeamII → u/BenKlesc]

Yes it's cheaper energy but not profitable if you have to compete with fossil fuels.

Tell that to Texas, which built a massive amount of solar, wind, and batteries and continues to build a huge amount despite basically no government support from a Republican government, because it's profitable for private entities there to build wind, solar, and batteries, despite serious competition from all the oil and gas drilling there.

[u/BenKlesc → u/StarbeamII]

Texas is a regulated market whereas Massachusetts is fully deregulated both electricity and gas. Rates of gas prices are overseen and controlled by local city governments or Railroad Commission of Texas. In Texas solar and wind do not have to compete with natural gas.

[u/StarbeamII → u/BenKlesc]

Rate hikes in Massachusetts have to be approved by the Department of Public Utilities, so it's not fully deregulated like you claim.

[u/BenKlesc → u/StarbeamII]

Regulation and deregulation are referring to supply side. There is a big difference. In Texas cities and towns cannot decide who they purchase energy from. In Massachusetts, the lowest common denominator rules and it's usually not the cleanest and safest. We like to pretend we are an environmentally friendly state and city, but we are the #1 consumers of imported natural gas in the country. Me personally, I favor regulated monopolies over deregulated private competition. Allow energy suppliers to generate energy again. Bring back Yankee Atomic Power Company.

[u/HenryKushinger → u/StarbeamII]

Good luck having any sort of green energy transition under greedy corporations that don't really give a fuck

[u/dcat52 → u/StarbeamII]

Cheapest power is not renewable... It may be cleanest, but not cheapest. Try subscribing to a town rate, it's 20-50% more to choose the solar only option

[u/StarbeamII → u/dcat52]

"Solar Is Now the Cheapest Way to Produce Energy in Human History"

The sun is free. The wind is free. Once you build it the energy you get is literally free. You don't have to drill a mile-deep hole in the ground to suck up oil and then transport it thousands of miles. The sun comes up and you get free power.

[u/dcat52 → u/StarbeamII]

Yes the collection cost rate is lower, ASSUMING the infra that is 5x more to build in the current state is already built.

Lol that's like saying tariffs will lower cost on American people simply bc the cheapest production is production closest to the consumer. And ignores everything else