Was your energy bill really high this summer? Mine was - because I was an idiot during the BCCE opt in period and chose the wrong energy supplier.

Submitted by flackboxessanta t3_z69lge in boston

I noticed by power bill was VERY high this summer despite my energy consumption remaining fairly consistent to last summer.

After reading a post on this subreddit about the Boston Community Choice Electricity program - I remembered I received some mail awhile ago where I had to check a box re: electricity, but I couldn't remember what box I checked.

After some research into BCCE and Energy Suppliers, I checked my Eversource Account and realized I had been paying for 100% renewable energy directly to Clean Choice Energy for $0.17871/kWh instead of through BCCE for $0.13858/kWh. You can even pay for lower amounts of renewable energy through BCCE for as low as $0.10771/kWh. I must have gotten confused during the BCCE Opt In/Opt Out program and checked the wrong box.

So - I changed my energy supplier to BCCE (energy deliverer remains Eversource) and now I can afford a large Dunkin coffee everyday instead of a medium.

TLDR: I didn't understand how energy works, checked the wrong box, and was paying 30% more for the same energy.

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What is BCCE?

Boston Community Choice Electricity (BCCE) is a municipal aggregation program. There are currently over 150 similar programs throughout Massachusetts-Boston’s is the largest one. The Program allows the City of Boston to secure electricity on behalf of its residents and businesses at a competitive rate. By using the City's collective buying power, we aim to provide affordable and renewable electricity to the program’s customers. BCCE ensures that energy decisions are made locally and reflect the values of Boston’s communities. It’s a vehicle for meeting our collective economic and environmental goals.

What is the difference between an energy supplier and energy deliverer?

While utility companies deliver you gas and electricity (Eversource), energy suppliers provide the energy that utility companies and you rely on (BCCE).

How can I Check who my energy supplier is?

Log into eversource > Accounts and Billing > Settings > View Electric Supplier.

How can I switch my Electric Supplier?

https://www.energyswitchma.gov/#/

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Comments

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jamesland7 t1_iy0nmwt wrote

Clean choice is honestly a scam. They frequently send door to door people around trying to act like they’re official eversource people instead of sales people

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flackboxessanta OP t1_iy0qsx1 wrote

That's how I got duped I think. Got something in the mail and thought it was eversource and was like "oh 100% renewable, let me do my part"

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H2AK119ub t1_iy1lttc wrote

The constant letters in mail are irritating.

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MyStackRunnethOver t1_iy1fdpy wrote

Agreed. They’re charlatans trying to rip you off by advertising more loudly than the strictly-better community options

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JasonDJ t1_iy1geq3 wrote

Most suppliers are.

I’m yet to see a third party supplier that doesn’t shoot up rates unannounced after 3 mos so you have to constantly shop around.

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4twenty t1_iy0jsiz wrote

Just switched, thanks for pointing this out. I must have missed the memo too.

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DanieXJ t1_iy0poui wrote

Is this an ad?

You seem like a real person not a bot based on your usage, but, damn that's some polished text right there. 🤔

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flackboxessanta OP t1_iy0qnl5 wrote

Haha I'm not a bot. It seems polished because I had to write it twice after exiting out of my draft on accident 🙃

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DanieXJ t1_iy0qwqj wrote

OK. Just a good writer then. I apologize.

Also, Excel sucks, try Sheets instead (which is good except for the whole evil empire/it could all disappear one day with no notice) 🙂

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SinibusUSG t1_iy2vbez wrote

Damn, I seem to have found an oasis (Woburn) of shitty energy rates. Every nearby town has either a municipal light plant or one of these municipal aggregation programs offering at $.10 - $0.14. My best option is $.18

Just goes to show you the power of collective bargaining.

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Shemsuni t1_iy14bwe wrote

Thanks for sharing

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BikeIsKing t1_iy46v1n wrote

I don’t live in Boston anymore but I did the same thing. My town worked with a local energy supplier to set fixed rates through 2024. Clean Energy Choice sent a mailer basically mimicking the language and I opted in to their service instead of the local towns. I noticed my energy bill went way up (doubled while the usage stayed about the same). Luckily it was only a few months so I fixed it, but definitely felt like I got scammed.

Update: After switching, my supply cost went from $0.328 per kWh to $0.143 per kWh.

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bbqchickenpizzza t1_iy4fx4s wrote

Yep. Just got my bill cut in half because I switched to the correct one. The information going around was wicked confusing and misleading

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