MENDON – Selectmen entered into a consultant agreement Monday with Colonial Power Group, which will be handling the town’s electrical aggregation that will provide discounted electricity for residents.
The energy consultant group plans and manages aggregation programs in several communities.
Representatives from Colonial, Bernie Lynch and Brian Murphy, met with selectmen Monday to discuss Colonial’s qualifications and its request to do business with the town.
Colonial, Lynch said, is the “leading aggregation consultant in the state. They come highly recommended from all of their clients across the commonwealth ranging in size from several hundred residents in some communities to the largest being the city of Lowell with over 108,000 people.”
In a town meeting more than two years ago, Mendon residents voted to join a community choice aggregation, a process that provides electricity to residents at a discounted rate.
The town had been working with the Hampshire Council of Governments until the group’s plan to offer discounted electricity to about 35 Massachusetts communities was rejected by the state a few months ago. The Hampshire Council of Governments has since recommended that Mendon officials instead work with Colonial Power Group.
Murphy said Colonial is able to offer discounted electricity because they have the ability to purchase electricity several times a year, whereas companies such as National Grid are limited to purchasing only a couple of specific days a year when rates may not be ideal.
Any residents who are receiving basic service electricity will automatically receive the discounted electricity, but those who do not want to participate have the option to opt out.
In a previous meeting with selectmen in December, Murphy said the average Mendon home this time of year could save about $50 per month.
Murphy and Lynch said they are confident that their plan will not be rejected as Hampshire Council of Governments’ was because Colonial has a “track record.”
“We make sure it’s done correctly the first time,” said Murphy.
Lynch added, “The track record is one of producing stable, lower-cost electricity and also providing options for the residents by virtue of the town decision-makers as to the type of power you want, the length of contract you want, really focused on customer service and the customer this case is the town of Mendon.”
Town Administrator Kimberly Newman said that a benefit of Colonial opposed to other potential agents is that Mendon can opt out of the agreement at any point, for any reason.
Newman said when calling local communities that are contracted with Colonial for reference, clients cited “the amount of customer service, interaction with the residents in order to aid the transition, taking phone calls, providing any additional information for anyone who had any issues. I was very pleased to hear that.”
She added, “I’m sure we’re going to have residents that have a lot of questions, so I want them to know there will be people that they can reach out to and that will respond to them. That’s an important piece of this for us.”
Corin Cook can be reached at ccook@wickedlocal.com or 508-634-7521. Follow her on Twitter @corincook_MDN.