Westford POP is an electricity supply program organized by the town of Westford to provide residents and businesses with new, town-vetted options for electricity supply.  The delivery of electricity and billing for use is still completed through National Grid, so customers continue to receive one bill from the utility.

Westford Power Options Program (Westford POP) is the new name of Westford’s electricity aggregation program, which began in 2016, when the and has been renewed for another 35 months, starting January 2021.

Westford POP has been renewed for an additional term through Fall 2025. The Town will announce the program rates this Fall and take effect on the December 2023 meter read. All current participants will receive a notice in the mail about a month before the new rates take effect. View December 2023 prices here.

Electricity Options

At the beginning of the program in 2016 through 2020, Westford’s program only met the mandated minimums for electricity purchased from renewable energy resources. In 2021, the program has added 10% of renewable energy certificates to the standard option and now offers two more options with 50% and 100% more RECs so you can make an even impact in your support for renewable energy resources in New England. You can sign up for either option, choose a basic option without extra renewable electrify, return to the default or leave the program at any time. You can also check the sample bill for an illustration of a simple way to tell if you a part of Westford POP.

Westford Power Options Program Rates

Please note: Prices for all products in the program include a $0.001/kWh administration fee. Program prices apply only to the electricity supply portion of your electric bill. Delivery charges on your electric bill are not affected by the program.

For new Industrial customers and for those customers who have previously opted-out of the program, the Program’s supplier may offer a market rate.

RECs are the accepted legal instrument used to track renewable energy generation and to substantiate claims of renewable energy use. The additional RECs voluntarily purchased by the program qualify for MA Class I designation.

Enroll or Change Option

If you’re already participating in the Power Options Program, you can also use this form to sign up for additional renewable electricity with Pop Silver 50% or Pop Gold 100%.

If you are not participating in the POP program, you can use this online form to enroll in one of the POP options. If enrolling, once service has begun, your choice will be reflected on your following month’s electricity bill for the previous month’s service. Please note that based on your meter read date, it may take up to two billing cycles to get enrolled.

If you are currently a customer of a competitive supplier, you may be subject to penalties or early termination fees from your supplier if you switch from the competitive supplier to the Program during the term of your contract. There is no charge for leaving Basic Service, however, Industrial customers leaving fixed-price Basic Service may receive a billing adjustment  that may be a credit or a charge.

Be sure to use the name and address associated with the account!

Renewable Energy in the Westford POP Program

Westford POP is committed to supporting the growth of new renewable energy generation in our region. While the Commonwealth requires electricity consumers to include more renewable energy generation over time, the pace of change needs to be faster to mitigate the effects of climate change. Westford Power Options Program is leveraging the buying power of our community to support renewable energy generation in New England.

Using Our Combined Buying Power For Change

Westford’s standard product, POP Green, includes 10% Renewable Energy Certificates (MA Class I RECs), in addition to the requirements of the Commonwealth (Read more about the renewable energy requirements in Massachusetts). Most residents and businesses in Westford participate in the program and use the POP Green product. Across our entire community, these additional REC purchases add up to a substantial impact. For those who want to accelerate the transition to a sustainable future, the Westford POP offers electricity products that add 50% and 100% renewable energy certificates (MA Class I RECs). 

RECs are the accepted legal instrument used to track renewable energy generation and to substantiate claims of renewable energy use. 

Supporting Renewable Resources On Our Electricity Grid

All of the additional RECs in Westford POP come from MA Class I resources that are part of our ISO-New England electricity grid. This means the energy sources are located in New England or the energy is imported as allowed by ISO-New England from locations such as New York or eastern Canada. 

Westford POP goes even further: all of our MA Class I RECs come from sources exclusively located in New England. See below for a map of our sources.

Location Matters

Our REC purchases stands in contrast to some electricity supplies who obtain RECs from national sources (e.g. Texas), where the electricity is not part of our ISO-New England electricity grid.  These suppliers  purchase national wind RECs for a fraction of the cost of a New England equivalent, but you get what you pay for: national wind RECs are cheap because places like Texas, where they are often sourced, don’t have high development costs for energy projects. To change our electricity generation from burning natural gas and other fossil fuels to renewable sources, our program purchases RECs that are sourced in New England and meet the MA Class I standards. That way, our program is supporting the fuel shift and the transition to a sustainable future. 

Supporting Zero-Emission and Methane-Destroying sources

Westford POP’s extra RECs only come from zero emission sources, such as solar, wind, low impact hydropower¹, and sources that destroy methane, such as anaerobic digestion. Methane has a global warming potential (GWP) 28-36 times greater than CO₂ over a 100 year period². Combustion destroys methane and releases some CO₂, resulting in a net reduction in GWP. Other forms of biomass are explicitly not purchased, due to their positive emissions of CO₂ during their life cycles.

Sources of our Renewable Energy Generation

All of the extra renewable energy certificates in the Westford POP are provided through the local non-profit, Green Energy Consumers Alliance.

Resources that have recently been, are in, or are contracted with Green Energy Consumers as of October 2020.

1 Hydro projects that do not exceed 30 MW built after 1997 or have capacity additions or efficiency improvements made after 1997 (MA Class I eligible), and Low Impact Hydro Institute (LIHI) certified.

2 Methane has a global warming potential (GWP) 28-36 times greater than CO2 over a 100 year period. Combustion destroys methane and releases some CO2, resulting in a net reduction in GWP. For more, see Environmental Protection Agency, Understanding Global Warming Potentials.  https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/understanding-global-warming-potentials

Support & Information

If you have questions about your participation, contact the electricity supplier, Constellation at (833) 461-0813, or by email at vst@constellation.com. For general program questions you can reach Good Energy, the consultant that manages the Program, by submitting an inquiry or comment by completing the Contact Us form.

Use our bill calculator to compare the monthly costs of Westford POP and Utility’s Basic Service.

How to leave Westford POP

If you do not wish to participate in the aggregation program, you may submit the opt-out form below or contact the current program supplier, Constellation at (833) 461-0813.

Tax Deductions

Tax Deductions: The cost of the additional renewable energy provided through Westford Power Options is eligible for a federal tax deduction. To receive a receipt to file with your 2022 taxes, you must fill out the form here. Hard copy letters are not being mailed.

Compare rates for the POP with your utility

Disclaimer: A goal of the POP program is to produce savings for customers, but savings cannot be guaranteed compared to the utility’s basic service rate which changes every six months for Residential and Commercial customers, and every three months for Industrial customers. The aggregation program seeks to provide price stability and average savings over the full term of the program, but because future basic service rates are not known, there is no guarantee of savings.

Westford POP Program Materials

View Westford’s Opt-Out Letter

Read through Westford’s approved Aggregation Plan

View Electric Generation Disclosure Label

View Westford’s Product Forms

Visit the Department of Public Utilities (D.P.U.) website and the Department of Energy Resources website on municipal aggregation.