Unitil customers have strong incentive to switch electricity providers

High electricity rates across much of the northeast give Massachusetts residents a good enough reason to switch electricity providers on their own, but people living in central Massachusetts near Fitchburg might have even greater incentives.

The Sentinel and Enterprise reports that local utility company Unitil, which also delivers power through parts of southern Maine and New Hampshire, has consistently offered the highest electricity rates in the state. Average electricity bills for the utility's customers reach as high as $129.58 per month. That comes to around $20 per month more than the three utilities that make up NSTAR and nearly $40 more than National Grid.

"Their rates are higher than any other investor owned utility company in the commonwealth. It's clear," State Representative Stephen DiNatale of Fitchburg told the news source.

Unitil has also taken fire for problems it had after a major ice storm in 2008, but residents cannot do much about that directly. However, the Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs reports that dozens of electricity providers are available in the area, many offering substantially lower electricity rates.