Massachusetts basic service prices for August 2026 to January 2027 are fixed at 17.185 cents per kWh from National Grid, 17.323 cents from Eversource in Eastern Massachusetts, 15.934 cents in Western Massachusetts, and 18.921 cents from Unitil. Delivery is billed separately, and aggregation or competitive supply prices differ.
Last updated October 12, 2026. Every figure below comes from the utility’s own published tariff or price sheet, or from federal EIA data, and is listed with its source at the end of this page.
Massachusetts Basic Service Rates, August 2026 to January 2027
Basic service is the supply side of your bill for customers who have not picked a competitive supplier. The rates below are the fixed-price option, per kilowatt-hour, for residential customers as each utility labels them. The change column is simple arithmetic on the two published figures. It is not a forecast.
| Utility and Area | Rate Class | Fixed Basic Service, Feb to Jul 2026 | Fixed Basic Service, Aug 1, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027 | Change (Calculated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eversource, Eastern MA | Residential | 15.629 cents/kWh | 17.323 cents/kWh | +10.8% |
| Eversource, Western MA | Residential | 13.683 cents/kWh | 15.934 cents/kWh | +16.5% |
| National Grid | Regular Residential (R-1), Residential Low Income (R-2) | 15.372 cents/kWh | 17.185 cents/kWh | +11.8% |
| Unitil | Residential (R1; RD-1, RD-2) | 16.247 cents/kWh | 18.921 cents/kWh | +16.5% |
Sources: Eversource MA tariff, Part C, National Grid MA residential basic service table, Unitil residential rate sheet. Checked October 12, 2026.
Each utility also offers a variable option that is reset every month. It starts lower in August 2026 and climbs into winter, which is why the fixed option is the default for most residential customers.
| Utility and Area | Variable, Aug 2026 | Variable, Dec 2026 | Variable, Jan 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eversource, Eastern MA | 14.255 cents/kWh | 21.054 cents/kWh | 25.510 cents/kWh |
| National Grid (R-1, R-2) | 16.074 cents/kWh | 18.477 cents/kWh | 20.086 cents/kWh |
| Unitil (Residential) | 13.379 cents/kWh | 24.987 cents/kWh | 31.010 cents/kWh |
These are supply prices only. Your own bill will also carry a customer charge and delivery charges, and your rate may differ if your town runs a municipal aggregation program or you chose a competitive supplier. Unitil’s rates can also be revised during the period if wholesale supply costs move by more than 20 percent from the projection used to set them.
Why Is My Electric Bill So High in Massachusetts?
Basic service is only part of the picture. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities explains that a bill has 2 components: supply charges and delivery charges. Delivery includes transmission, transition, distribution and other delivery charges set in each utility’s DPU-approved tariff.
Federal EIA data shows the all-in picture. Massachusetts residential customers paid an average of 30.49 cents per kWh in July 2026, compared with 30.07 cents in July 2025 and a U.S. average of 18.31 cents in July 2026. That average includes supply and delivery together, so it is not comparable to the basic service figures above.
Supply Charges
The supply price follows the wholesale electricity market. Utilities buy this power for customers and pass the cost through. All 4 rates above reset on August 1, 2026, and all 4 are higher than the period before.
Delivery Charges
Delivery pays for the poles, wires and substations, plus charges set by state policy. Unitil’s August 2026 residential sheet lists a total delivery charge of 27.798 cents per kWh plus an $8.50 monthly customer charge. Its components include distribution at 16.771 cents, transmission at 4.201 cents, energy efficiency at 2.622 cents, a net metering recovery surcharge at 2.717 cents and a distributed solar charge at 1.437 cents. Eversource and National Grid publish their own component lists in their tariffs, and the amounts differ by utility and area.
Usage and Season
Your bill is the price per kWh multiplied by how many kWh you use, plus the monthly customer charge. Electric heat, heat pumps, air conditioning and electric vehicles all raise kWh, and winter variable supply prices are the highest of the year on every utility above.
How Solar, Batteries and Net Metering Relate to These Rates
Solar does not change the rate your utility charges. It changes how many kilowatt-hours you pull from the grid while your system is producing, and net metering credits cover energy you send back. Your results depend on your roof, your usage and your utility’s tariff, so we do not quote savings figures here. See our guide to net metering in Massachusetts for how credits work.
- Net metering cap: a system of 25 kW AC nameplate capacity or less is exempt from net metering cap allocation.
- SMART 3.0: the residential incentive for systems up to 25 kW AC is a flat $0.03 per kWh generated for Program Year 2026.
- Sales tax: solar equipment is exempt from the 6.25% Massachusetts sales and use tax.
- Property tax: the exemption on added property value runs 20 years.
- State income tax credit: 15 percent of the net expenditure or $1,000, whichever is less, with any excess carried forward up to 3 succeeding tax years.
The full list, with eligibility, is on our Massachusetts solar incentives page. Also see the Mass Save guide.
A battery stores solar or grid energy for later use. Through the ConnectedSolutions program, eligible customers of Eversource and National Grid can earn $275 per kW of average battery contribution during summer dispatch events. Unitil customers are not listed as eligible. Details are on our battery storage page.
Whether you buy, lease or sign a power purchase agreement changes who owns the system and how you pay for it. Some options start at $0 upfront. We compare them in Solar Lease vs PPA vs Buying.
What To Do Next
Look at your latest bill and find the supply line, the delivery line and your usage in kWh. If your town buys power through an aggregation program, your supply price is set by that program and not the table above. If you want to see how solar and a battery fit your home, start with our Massachusetts solar installation page, which covers the towns we serve in Massachusetts.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Eversource’s basic service rates in Massachusetts for 2026?
From August 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027, Eversource’s fixed residential basic service rate is 17.323 cents per kWh in Eastern Massachusetts and 15.934 cents per kWh in Western Massachusetts. Dartmouth, MA is served by Eversource, so this is the rate that applies there. From February to July 2026 the Eastern figure was 15.629 cents and the Western figure was 13.683 cents, according to Eversource’s tariff.
What is National Grid’s basic service rate in Massachusetts?
National Grid’s fixed residential (R-1 and R-2) basic service rate is 17.185 cents per kWh for August 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027, up from 15.372 cents for February 1 to July 31, 2026. Norton, MA homeowners are on National Grid, so this is the rate to check.
What is Unitil’s basic service rate in Massachusetts?
Unitil’s fixed residential basic service rate is 18.921 cents per kWh for August 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027, up from 16.247 cents for February 1 to July 31, 2026. Unitil also offers a monthly variable price that ranges from 13.379 cents in August 2026 to 31.010 cents in January 2027.
Why is my electric bill so high in Massachusetts?
A Massachusetts electric bill has supply charges and delivery charges. Delivery includes transmission, distribution and state program charges, and supply follows wholesale prices. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports an average residential price of 30.49 cents per kWh in Massachusetts for July 2026, compared with 18.31 cents for the U.S.
Does solar change my Massachusetts electric rate?
No. Solar does not change the rate your utility charges. It changes how much electricity you draw from the grid while your system produces, and net metering credits apply to energy you send back. Results depend on your roof, usage and utility tariff.
Sources and Notes
- Eversource: NSTAR Electric d/b/a Eversource tariff M.D.P.U. No. 1-26-F, Part C, Basic Service Rates (Residential, EMA and WMA, Fixed and Variable). Checked October 12, 2026.
- National Grid: Basic Service Rates for Residential rate classes R-1 and R-2, effective 8/1/26. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Unitil: Fitchburg Gas and Electric Light Company d/b/a Unitil, Residential Electric Rate (MA), effective August 1, 2026, and Summary of Electric Service Rates. Checked October 12, 2026.
- EIA: Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A, data for July 2026. Checked October 12, 2026.
- Massachusetts DPU: Understanding your electric bill (mass.gov). Checked October 12, 2026.
Rates change on each utility’s schedule. Check your utility’s current price sheet before making a decision.
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