BCAT News

Residents can expect to be paying more for home energy starting in 2022. 

According to a release from Eversource that was posted on Burlington’s town website, the energy company has filed with state regulators concerning the new costs associated with the delivery of electricity to customers. 

“I want to inform you that this year, the cost of natural gas and electricity and all other home heating fuels will be higher this winter for people across the state including Eversource customers due to increased global demand for natural gas and electricity,” Eversource Community Relations and Economic Development Specialist Annemarie Walsh said. 

The release states that the average customers using 500 kWh per month will see a 25 percent increase in their bill with this change. The adjusted costs will be applicable to customer bills beginning January 1, 2022 and will be in place through June 30, 2022. Eversource states the rates are adjusted twice annually and the company does not profit from the changes. 

According to the release, The major driver behind the increase is the cost of the energy supply and bill amounts largely depend on energy use, the type of rate class a customer is on, and weather conditions.

Eversource did include some steps residents could take to lower their bills. These include:   

• Whether you own or rent, keep your home comfortable while saving energy and money with a no-cost Home Energy Assessment . Customers can receive money-saving rebates, expert home improvement advice, and energy-saving tips. 
• Seeing how the weather impacts their bill and how small adjustments to their thermostat can help them save with our Heating Cost Calculator. 
• Equalizing monthly energy bills to avoid seasonal spikes with Budget Billing.   

Even if customers have never needed help before, they may now qualify for special programs to help lower their monthly bill, reduce a past due balance, or extended payment plans.