Woburn City hears plan for municipal electricity aggregation; presenters stress opt-out protections and renewable options

Good Energy, the consultant selected by Woburn City to design a municipal aggregation program, presented a draft plan at a community meeting and told residents the program would change only the electricity supplier while Eversource would continue to deliver billing and outage services.

The presentation by Lisonbee McNeil, Good Energy's client manager, outlined how the program would pool the city's buying power to solicit a single supplier for participating customers. "This is our municipal aggregation program for all residents and commercial industrial users in Woburn," McNeil said. She said the city would provide a 30‑day consideration period at launch and that "you absolutely do not have to participate." Residents who are on Eversource basic service at launch would be eligible for automatic enrollment but may opt out during that window or at any time afterward.

Why it matters: municipal aggregation can change only the supply portion of customers' bills and, in many communities, has been used to secure multi‑month fixed contracts intended to reduce the six‑month volatility seen in utility basic service rates. McNeil said the program's goals are competitive rates, higher renewable content than the state Renewable Portfolio Standard, and more stable options for customers.

Details and options: Good Energy said the program team proposes three product choices. The default, called Woburn Standard, is projected to include about 10% additional renewable energy. Woburn Basic would mirror Eversource's basic service with no additional renewables and is expected to offer the largest potential savings. Woburn Plus would be an optional higher‑cost product that could procure up to 100% renewable energy. McNeil cautioned that exact prices are unknown until Good Energy conducts a supplier bid after the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) approves the plan.

Opt‑out protections and outreach: McNeil described three ways to opt out once the supplier is selected: returning a mailed opt‑out slip to the supplier, calling the supplier with the account number, or contacting Good Energy directly. She said the city and consultant will run an outreach campaign — social media, flyers, senior‑center sessions and public meetings — while the plan is under regulatory review.

Timeline and regulatory review: McNeil said the draft plan was opened for public comment and will be submitted to the DPU after city sign‑off. Presenters gave differing estimates for DPU review time: McNeil referred to recent guideline changes that she said make a roughly 180‑day approval possible, while a later speaker said the DPU "takes about 120 days." Both presenters said a spring launch is possible if the DPU review and supplier selection timelines align.

Questions from residents and city officials focused on cost differences, impacts on solar and net metering, and whether communities have ever collectively left aggregation programs. McNeil said solar owners with net metering through Eversource would see no change in net‑metering calculations and that, according to her presentation, no community among the roughly 170 programs she cited had collectively opted out to date.

Next steps: Good Energy will collect public comment through the stated review period, consider changes to the draft plan where warranted, and submit the plan to the DPU. If the DPU approves the plan and market conditions are favorable, Good Energy said it will put the city out to bid for a supplier and follow with the 30‑day consideration period before enrolling eligible customers.

Quotes: "You absolutely do not have to participate," McNeil told the audience when Mayor Mike Conkannon asked presenters to reiterate opt‑out protections. On renewables, McNeil said the Woburn Standard would include "about 10%" additional renewable energy and that Woburn Plus could be "up to a 100% renewable" option.

What the transcript shows: presenters repeatedly noted that the program affects only supply, not delivery, and that exact savings and prices depend on bid timing and market conditions. The draft plan references consultation with the state Department of Energy Resources and a public comment period ahead of DPU submission. The meeting ended with city officials thanking Good Energy and telling residents more outreach and details will follow.