Residential rates by utility (EIA-861, average all-in ¢/kWh)
| Utility | 2023 ¢/kWh | 2024 ¢/kWh | Customers (2024) | Ownership | vs state avg, $/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Hudson | 13.39 | 13.39 | 11,448 | Municipal | -$1,483 |
| Town of Littleton | 14.40 | 14.12 | 6,738 | Municipal | -$1,404 |
| Town of Shrewsbury | 17.00 | 14.27 | 15,713 | Municipal | -$1,388 |
| Town of Mansfield | 16.72 | 15.16 | 9,399 | Municipal | -$1,291 |
| City of Peabody | 14.71 | 15.71 | 22,546 | Municipal | -$1,232 |
| Town of Braintree | 15.81 | 15.79 | 14,039 | Municipal | -$1,224 |
| Town of Middleborough | 14.51 | 15.84 | 14,884 | Municipal | -$1,219 |
| Town of Reading | 15.96 | 15.86 | 27,405 | Municipal | -$1,216 |
| Town of North Attleborough | 15.93 | 15.91 | 12,607 | Municipal | -$1,211 |
| City of Chicopee | 16.80 | 16.16 | 23,218 | Municipal | -$1,183 |
| Town of Wellesley | 16.18 | 16.20 | 9,437 | Municipal | -$1,179 |
| Town of Danvers | 16.15 | 16.45 | 11,594 | Municipal | -$1,153 |
| City of Holyoke | 15.81 | 16.58 | 15,040 | Municipal | -$1,138 |
| City of Westfield | 18.23 | 17.59 | 16,200 | Municipal | -$1,030 |
| City of Norwood | 18.04 | 17.67 | 13,601 | Municipal | -$1,021 |
| City of Taunton | 20.73 | 21.46 | 35,684 | Municipal | -$611 |
| NSTAR Electric Company | 29.66 | 29.91 | 383,373 | Investor-owned | +$302 |
| Massachusetts Electric Co | 36.72 | 33.60 | 526,437 | Investor-owned | +$700 |
| Fitchburg Gas & Elec Light Co | 37.90 | 40.08 | 6,168 | Investor-owned | +$1,400 |
Average price = residential revenue ÷ residential sales from each utility's federal EIA-861 filing (bundled service — supply + delivery + riders, not a quoted tariff rate). State average = 27.12¢/kWh, volume-weighted across these utilities (2024). Your distribution utility is fixed by address; these gaps measure what households in different territories actually paid. A further 43 competitive suppliers / solar lessors report energy-only or behind-the-meter sales in Massachusetts; their prices cover only part of the bill and are not comparable to the all-in figures above.
Can you choose your electric company in Massachusetts?
Electric supply choice: yes · Gas supply choice: yes
Electric choice (basic service = price-to-compare). Residential gas supplier choice authorized; supplier activity thin.
How to switch suppliers in Massachusetts (3 steps)
- Find the price to compare (default supply rate) on your utility bill — you only save when an offer beats it for the same period.
- Compare licensed supplier offers on the state's official shopping site: mass.gov. Check term, early-exit fees, and whether the rate is fixed or variable.
- Sign up with the supplier — they handle the switch. Your utility still delivers the power, owns the wires, and responds to outages; only the supply line of the bill changes.
Heating: which fuel is cheapest per million BTU in Massachusetts?
| Fuel | Native price | As of | $ per MMBTU |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility natural gas | $2.512 /therm | Feb 2026 | 25.12 |
| Propane | $3.649 /gal | Mar 30, 2026 | 39.90 |
| Heating oil (No. 2) | $5.742 /gal | Mar 30, 2026 | 41.46 |
| Electricity (resistance) | 30.46 ¢/kWh | Feb 2026 | 89.27 |
Utility natural gas is the cheapest heating fuel in Massachusetts at $25.12/MMBTU — heating oil costs 1.7× as much per BTU. Conversions: 1 kWh = 3,412 BTU; 1 therm = 100,000 BTU; heating oil 138,500 BTU/gal; propane 91,452 BTU/gal. Site-energy prices — appliance efficiency changes delivered-heat cost: a 95% AFUE gas furnace delivers heat near the gas figure, while a heat pump at seasonal COP 2.5–3 cuts the effective electric figure by 60–70%.
Electricity price trend, last 12 months
Massachusetts's average residential price went from 30.42¢/kWh in Feb '25 to 30.46¢/kWh in Feb '26 — essentially flat year-over-year. The 12-month peak was 31.37¢ in Oct '25.
| Month | Feb '25 | Mar '25 | Apr '25 | May '25 | Jun '25 | Jul '25 | Aug '25 | Sep '25 | Oct '25 | Nov '25 | Dec '25 | Jan '26 | Feb '26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ¢/kWh | 30.42 | 30.18 | 30.63 | 29.90 | 30.33 | 30.07 | 30.61 | 30.41 | 31.37 | 31.22 | 30.88 | 31.16 | 30.46 |
Head-to-head utility comparisons in Massachusetts
- Massachusetts Electric Co vs NSTAR Electric Company — who's cheaper?
Questions people ask
- Who has the cheapest electricity in Massachusetts?
- NSTAR Electric Company, at an average 29.9 cents per kWh for 2024 among Massachusetts utilities with at least 50,000 customers (EIA-861). The most expensive, Massachusetts Electric Co, averaged 33.6 cents — a difference of about $398 per year at 10,800 kWh.
- Can I choose my electric company in Massachusetts?
- You cannot choose the utility that delivers power — that is set by your address. Massachusetts does allow residential supply choice: you may buy the supply portion from a licensed competitive supplier if it beats your utility's price to compare. The official shopping site is mass.gov.
- Is gas or electric heat cheaper in Massachusetts?
- Per million BTU of site energy, utility natural gas was $25.12 (Feb 2026) versus $89.27 for electric resistance heat, $41.46 for heating oil. A heat pump delivering 2.5-3 units of heat per unit of electricity brings electric heating to roughly $30-36 per MMBTU.
- What is the average electric bill in Massachusetts?
- At Massachusetts's February 2026 average price of 30.46 cents/kWh and typical usage of 900 kWh per month, a household pays about $274 per month ($3290 per year) for electricity. Actual bills vary with usage, utility territory, and tariff.