Eversource explains winter bill spike to New Bedford council; council requests more data and takes no further action

Eversource officials told the New Bedford City Council—s committee on appointments and briefings on April 15 that the sharp rise in natural-gas and electric bills over the winter reflected three principal factors: higher customer usage during a colder-than-normal winter, market-driven supply costs and increases in state-mandated energy-efficiency and public-benefit programs.

Why it matters: councilors said large, unexpected bills have caused widespread hardship in New Bedford and sought specific explanations of which parts of customers— bills are controllable by the utility and which are set by state policy and market forces.

In a prepared presentation and a lengthy question-and-answer session, Mike Vitavelli, Eversource director of community relations, said Eversource is primarily a distribution company and does not generate power: "We are a delivery company. We do not generate any electric or gas." He described the bill as composed of a supply portion, which the company passes through at market cost, and a delivery portion that funds infrastructure and state programs.

Ashley Botello,…