Green Your Electricity

Summary: Make the Switch with Valley Green Energy

Description

Valley Green Energy is a group electricity buying program for Amherst, Northampton, and Pelham residents and businesses. These groups programs are called "Community Choice Aggregation" or "Municipal Aggregation" programs.  Such programs leverage group purchasing power to obtain the best electricity sources based on the priorities of the communities.  The City of Northampton partnered with Amherst and Pelham and negotiated with elecftricity suppliers to provide the best options for electricity customers. 

The Valley Green Energy program provides:

• More electricity from renewable sources
• Three electricity supply choices
• Stable and consistent pricing

Valley Green Energy launched in November 2024. More than 200 other Massachusetts communities have similar programs.

For more information, click “Steps To Take” and “Deep Dive” on the tabs above.

Deep Dive

Valley Green Energy offers three levels of energy supply:

• The most economical is Basic Service, which provides the minimum renewable-energy content as required by the Massachusetts Renewable Portfolio Standard.
• The Standard Green option increases the renewable energy content of your electricity by 10% over the amount required in MA, yet costs about the same as the National Grid Basic Supply price per kWH.
• The VGE 100% Green option provides electricity generated from 100% renewable sources located in Massachusetts. This cost an additional 2.5 cents per kWh and supports the building of new green energy infrastructure here in MA.

Valley Green Energy offers longer-term pricing, while utility prices change seasonally. Use the price calculator to compare Valley Green Energy prices with your utility’s average prices.

In Massachusetts, utility customers are free to choose their electricity provider, even though the utility (National Grid in Northampton) still provides delivery and other services associated with that electricity.   You can choose based on cost and the percent of renewable energy provided.  Here is the current list  of electricity vendors, their prices and % of renewable energy. In most cases it is free to switch, but there may be early-exit clauses once you sign a contract with one of these alternative suppliers.

In some cases, alternative electricity supply companies have offered "teaser rates" for the first 3 or 6 months, after which rates increase.  If the contract also includes an early-cancelation fee, customers may be locked into higher rates.  For these reasons, the Massachusetts Attorney General's office issued an advisory report on 3rd party electricity suppliers and what to look out for.  This is one reason why Community Choice Aggregation programs (also known as Municipal Aggregation programs) such as Valley Green Energy are a benefit to residents, because the local program administrators have done extensive research to determine the best supply options in terms of price, contract length, and amount of renewable content.

Steps to Take

Visit the Valley Green Energy website to learn about the program and your choices of electricity supply, and sign up: https://www.masspowerchoice.com/valleygreenenergy