Arlington Community Electricity (ACE) Aggregation Plan explains how the Program will operate.
Customer 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.
Bill Sample – A current sample Eversource bill showing participation in the ACE Program with NextEra Energy as the supplier.
Disclosure Label
The Disclosure Label is prepared and periodically updated by Arlington Community Electricity Program’s electricity supplier. It provides detail on the energy mix for all program options. These documents are updated only periodically, therefore, the label available at this time may be for electricity supply from an earlier period.
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.