How to Switch Electricity Providers in Massachusetts: Basic Service vs. Competitive Supply

Massachusetts residents can switch from their utility's Basic Service to a licensed competitive electricity supplier, while Eversource, National Grid or Unitil keeps delivering the power. The official shopping site is Energy Switch Massachusetts, built by the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), and you have three days after receiving your contract to cancel without penalty. Be aware that the Attorney General's office has found residential competitive supply customers paid far more than Basic Service over the past decade.

This guide covers how choice works in Massachusetts, the official tools, the rules on cancelling and fees, and a checklist to protect yourself.

Who oversees electricity suppliers in Massachusetts?

Two state offices matter here:

• Department of Public Utilities (DPU) licenses competitive suppliers, regulates utilities, and handles complaints about unauthorized switches, questionable termination fees and billing problems. The DPU consumer line is 877-886-5066.
• Attorney General's Office (AGO) studies the competitive supply market and takes consumer complaints about misleading sales tactics. Its Consumer Hotline is (617) 727-8400.

Both contact points come from the state's guide, What do I need to know about my electric supply options in Massachusetts?

The official shopping site: Energy Switch Massachusetts

Energy Switch Massachusetts (energyswitchma.gov) was developed by the DPU. You enter your zip code, municipality and utility to see competitive supply offers with an estimated monthly cost. It groups products by price, renewable content (at least 50% renewable resources), and products bundled with extras such as smart thermostats. The site states plainly that choosing a competitive supply product "does Not guarantee savings." Customers of municipal light plants cannot use the products listed there.

How switching works in Massachusetts

• Basic Service is the default. If you do not choose a supplier, your utility supplies your electricity. For residential customers, the Fixed Basic Service rate resets every six months.
• Delivery does not change. Your utility still owns the wires, reads your meter and restores power after outages.
• Your utility will not cold-call you. The state says your utility "will not send representatives to your door, or call you on the phone to talk about electricity supply rates." Anyone doing that most likely works for a competitive supplier.
• Municipal aggregation. Many cities and towns buy supply for residents as a group. Aggregation is separate from individual competitive supply contracts.

Cancelling, fees and returning to Basic Service

The DPU's cancel your service with a competitive supplier page sets out the rules:

Situation	What happens
Change your mind after signing	You have three days from when you receive the contract terms to cancel without charge or penalty.
Cancel later in the contract	You may owe an early termination fee, depending on your contract. Ask the supplier first.
Ask your supplier to return you to Basic Service	If the request is at least 2 business days before your next meter read, you switch on that meter read date.
Ask your utility (if you cannot reach the supplier)	Residential customers switch within 2 business days.
Contract ends without auto-renewal	You move to Basic Service unless you sign a new contract.

Many contracts renew automatically, and the state warns that "many fixed rate contracts will automatically renew at a variable rate." After a teaser rate expires, it says, rates can be "sometimes twice as high" as Basic Service.

What the Attorney General found

The AGO's March 31, 2026 report found that Massachusetts residential customers on competitive supply paid about $738.7 million more over ten years than they would have on Basic Service, including $87.4 million in net losses from July 2024 to June 2025. Low-income customers lost an average of $286 per year in that period, compared with $181 for other customers (AGO report announcement). The AGO's competitive electric supply page says low-income consumers are "disproportionately harmed."

Pending legislation

Lawmakers have been debating new limits on residential competitive supply. A Healey administration policy brief proposed ending automatic renewals and variable-rate contracts and adding licensing for door-to-door and telemarketing firms. The House energy affordability bill (H.5175) and a Senate version passed in different forms, and on July 16, 2026 both chambers appointed a conference committee; the official bill history shows no enactment after that date. Until a law is signed, the current rules above still apply. Check the bill history for updates.

Step-by-step checklist: switching electricity providers in Massachusetts

1. Find your Basic Service rate and usage. Both are on your bill. See our Massachusetts electricity rates page for statewide context.
2. Check whether your town has aggregation. A municipal program may already supply your home.
3. Search Energy Switch MA. Use energyswitchma.gov for offers in your utility area.
4. Read the contract summary and terms. Confirm whether the rate is fixed or variable, how long it lasts, the early termination fee, and whether it auto-renews at a variable price.
5. Compare against Basic Service for your usage. Use our electric bill calculator with both rates. Remember Basic Service changes every six months.
6. Enroll directly. Contact the supplier yourself rather than responding to a door-to-door or phone pitch.
7. Use the three-day window if needed. If anything looks different from what you were told, cancel within three days.
8. Calendar your end date. Call the supplier before the term ends if your contract auto-renews.

Red flags

• Someone at your door or on the phone asking to see your bill or for your account number. The state advises not to share it unless you have decided to switch.
• Vague price terms like "market conditions" or "supplier's discretion" for a variable rate.
• A low introductory price with an automatic renewal to a variable rate.
• Claims that the agent represents your utility.
• A salesperson who will not leave your home. The state advises contacting local law enforcement.
• A switch you did not authorize. Report it to the DPU.

How to estimate savings before you switch in Massachusetts

Supply offers are quoted in cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh), so the quickest test is simple arithmetic. Take the difference between the offer and your Basic Service price, then multiply it by the kWh you use in a typical month. As an illustration only: an offer 1 cent per kWh below the default price, on a home using 700 kWh a month, would lower the supply part of the bill by about $7 that month. An offer 1 cent higher would add about $7.

Repeat the math for a high-use month (winter heating or summer cooling) and a low-use month, because the dollar difference grows with usage. Then add any monthly fee the supplier charges, and subtract any sign-up credit spread across the term. If the offer only wins in some months, or only before the Basic Service price next changes, the overall result may be close to zero. Our kWh calculator can help if you need to work out usage for specific appliances, and our state rates page shows how prices in Massachusetts compare with other states.

Renters, movers and new accounts

Renters who pay their own electric bill can usually shop for supply the same way homeowners can, because the account is in their name. If your landlord pays for electricity, the choice belongs to the account holder. When you open a new account after a move, you typically start on the utility's default supply, and you can compare offers once you have a bill showing your account number and usage.

If your city or town runs a municipal aggregation program, new accounts in that community may be enrolled in it. Check your bill's supplier line to see which supply you are on before you shop.

Next steps

Before you sign anything, compare your Basic Service rate with any offer in our electric bill calculator, review offers on Energy Switch MA, and see how your bill stacks up on our average electric bill page and the EIA Massachusetts profile.