With winter just around the corner, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is pushing for utilities to return money to customers as soon as possible.
In an Oct. 13 letter to executives at Eversource, National Grid, and Unitil, Healey said she was writing to "emphasize the importance of promptly returning the hard-earned money Massachusetts residents are owed" as high energy bills strain household budgets.
Here's what to know
According to WBUR, federal regulators found that Massachusetts ratepayers had been charged transmission rates with returns on equity that were too high for more than a decade.
In March, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave the utilities 30 days to issue refunds, but that deadline was later extended to May 20, 2027.
In her letter, Healey said that "further delay is unacceptable" and called on the providers to begin returning the approximately $1.5 billion owed to ratepayers.
"Customers should not have to wait any longer for money that FERC has determined must be returned to them," Healey urged.
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More background
Healey is up for reelection in November. Massachusetts has some of the highest electricity rates in the country, according to EnergySage, and before a televised debate with Republican gubernatorial challenger Mike Minogue on Oct. 8, Healey declared "a state of energy emergency," WBUR reported.
She also issued an executive order that added protections against price gouging, one-time heating aid for middle-income households, broader help with heating costs for lower-income households, and a temporary pause of clean energy charges on electric bills.
What happens next?
Customers may not receive refunds as quickly as hoped.
Eversource spokesperson William Hinkle told WBUR that the timeline is an "incredibly complex, labor-intensive process that involves multiple parties including all of the regional transmission owners and every electric distribution company across multiple different billing systems."
National Grid spokesperson Brendan Moss said the company is still calculating the refunds and expects to start "processing them in 2027, in advance of FERC's May deadline."
Unitil spokesperson Amanda Vicinanzo said the company plans to respond to Healey by Oct. 27 and is committed to returning any refunds owed under legal and regulatory requirements.
"We will continue to work cooperatively with regulators and appropriate parties to support this process," Vicinanzo told WBUR.
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