Tax Receipts for Additional (Voluntary) Renewable Energy
Earlier, the additional RECs were tax-deductible only because they came from the Green Energy Consumer’s Alliance (GECA), a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit. But since the new contract starting November 2024, GECA is no longer providing these RECs, this tax deduction no longer applies. You can request your 2024 Tax Receipts at this link.
Reference Documents
Bill Sample – A current sample Eversource bill showing participation in the ACE Program with Direct Energy Services as the supplier.
Arlington Community Electricity (ACE) Aggregation Plan explains how the Program will operate.
Arlington Community Electricity (ACE) Renewal letter – In October 2024, renewal letters were sent to all program participants with renewed program pricing.
Arlington Community Electricity (ACE) Discontinued Products Letter was sent to participants enrolled in the ACE Local Greener plan between November 2022 and November 2024. The letter informed them that the Local Greener product would be discontinued and included details about updated pricing for the renewed program.
2025 Opt-Out Notification Letter – sent to new electricity supply customers who are eligible for automatic enrollment in the Program. Explains program options, product rates, renewable energy content and for those who choose to opt out, ways to leave the Program before enrollment.
2024 Program Documents
View Arlington’s Program Renewal Letter for 2024
2023 Program Documents
Quick Links
To enroll in the Arlington Community Electricity (ACE) Program, use the Enroll/Change Product form and choose the product that best suits your budget and climate goals.
To change your electricity supply product, use the Enroll/Change Product form. There is no penalty, ever, to change from one product to another within the Program.
To leave the ACE Program, complete the Opt-Out form. This will return your electricity supply to Eversource Basic Service on the next available meter read.
Tax Deductions: Earlier, the additional RECs were tax-deductible only because they came from the Green Energy Consumer’s Alliance (GECA), a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) nonprofit. But since the new contract starting November 2024, GECA is no longer providing these RECs, this tax deduction no longer applies. You can request your 2024 Tax Receipts at this link.
Program Origins
Municipal aggregation is allowed under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 164 Section 134. More than 140 cities and towns in Massachusetts—including Brookline, Arlington, Melrose, Stoneham, and Winchester—already have active electricity aggregation programs, and other nearby communities are actively pursuing similar programs.
Under a municipal aggregation program, like Arlington Community Electricity, all customers receiving Eversource Basic Service are automatically transitioned to the aggregation’s chosen supply product. However, before the aggregation begins, all customers must be given the chance to stay with Eversource Basic Service, known as “opting out”.
Program Implementation
In 2016, Town Meeting authorized the creation of a community choice aggregation program in Arlington, and the Town then selected consultant Good Energy, L.P. to assist with all aspects of program implementation. The Town developed a draft aggregation plan and solicited public comment. As required by law, the plan was reviewed with the MA Department of Energy Resources and then sent to the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) for review. DPU approved the plan in April 2017. At the outset, the Program was known as Arlington Community Choice Aggregation (Arlington CCA).
The Town conducted a competitive bid for electricity supply and secured its first supply contract starting in August 2017 (future savings cannot be guaranteed). The contract was with supplier Dynegy for a 28 month fixed-price contract. This contract had a standard (default) product with 5% more MA Class I renewable energy above the State’s minimum requirements. The contract also had optional products with 50% and 100% extra renewable energy, as well as no extra renewable energy.
Arlington conducted another bid for electricity supply to secure a successor contract, which began in December 2019 and lasts for 30 months through the meter read in November 2022 with Direct Energy as the supplier. In this contract, Arlington more than doubled the amount of extra MA Class I renewable energy it includes, from five percent to 11%. In 2022, another competitive bid for electricity supply was held in order to renew the Program. NextEra Energy was the winner with a new 24-month contract term for November 2022 through November 2024. For this contract, Arlington was able to further increase the amount of extra MA Class I renewable energy it includes in its standard product, ACE Local Green, from 11% to 30%!
In summer of 2020, the Town renamed the Program from Arlington Community Choice Aggregation to Arlington Community Electricity (ACE). It’s the same program, with a new name to convey the program’s purpose and Town-affiliation more clearly.