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Winter Energy Price Spike Communications Resources

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MAPC >> Resources >> Community Engagement >> Winter Energy Price Spike Communications Resources

Winter Energy Price Spike Toolkit

A communications and social media toolkit for Massachusetts municipalities.

Energy prices in Massachusetts typically increase in the winter due to the combination of regional gas supply constraints and most of our electricity generation and heating for homes and businesses relying on gas.

Winter 2024-25 is no different. While rates have not gone up as much this winter as they did in 2022-23, overall energy price increases continue to impact affordability for millions of residents across the Commonwealth already burdened by the high inflation of the past few years. Assistance programs for heating bills and discounts on electricity and gas bills are available for many residents but hundreds of thousands of residents are expected to not be enrolled.

Resources to Help You Inform Your Residents. This toolkit aims to support your communication with your community about the assistance resources available to them for heating, electric, and gas bills.

Get in Touch

If you have any questions, please contact the MAPC Clean Energy Department at [email protected].

Press Contacts:

Amanda Linehan
Communications Director
617-388-1556
[email protected]

Tim Viall
Senior Communications Specialist
[email protected]

How to Use this Toolkit

This toolkit includes information from utilities, state agencies, and others, as well as template social media content you can tailor for your use in communicating with your residents.

Toolkit Objective
This guide provides easy-to-use communications resources to inform consumers, residents, and small businesses about the increase in energy costs and near-term solutions. This guide includes:

Resources for residents in your community
Social media language and images
Utility assistance fliers in 8 languages (English, Arabic, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole, Khmer, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese)
Links to additional resources

Did You Know?

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) estimates that residential customers will see the following cost increases:

Natural Gas- 24% increase
Heating Oil- 11% decrease
Propane- 1% increase
Electricity- 6% increase

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Resources for Residents in Your Community

For Your Residents Needing Support in Paying their Utility Bills

Residents should ask their utility company if they qualify for an income-eligible rate which provides a discount on the customer’s entire bill and is based on the previous four weeks of gross household income. Residents who currently qualify for the following programs may qualify: SNAP, Head Start, Mass Health, free and reduced school lunch, Supplemental Security Income, and Public Housing benefits. Residents may also qualify for balance forgiveness or an “arrearage management program” (AMP). The AMP provides for an individualized payment plan that, if followed, allows for all or a portion of a customer’s outstanding unpaid balance to be forgiven.

Additionally, most utilities offer a 12-month payment plan to customers having trouble paying their monthly bills. During enrollment in a payment plan, the customer is protected from having their service shut off. For more information on these programs:

Discount Rates and Payment Plans:
- Customers of Eversource, National Grid, Unitil, and some municipal light plants may be eligible for electric and gas bill discounts of up to 42% of their total bill if they qualify for any one of a number of public benefit programs. Residents currently receiving benefits from programs such as Heating Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Supplemental Social Security Income, SNAP, WIC, Head Start, Public Housing, and others will qualify for the discounted rate.
- Residents struggling to pay their bills may also qualify for balance forgiveness or an “arrearage management program” (AMP). The AMP provides for an individualized, 12-month payment plan that, if followed, allows for all or a portion of a customer’s outstanding unpaid balance to be forgiven and protects the customer from a shutoff.
To enroll in a Utility Payment Plan or seek Bill Assistance:
- Eversource: Payment Plans & Assistance | Eversource
- National Grid: Help Paying Your Bill | National Grid (nationalgridus.com)

Income-Eligible Electricity/Gas Rate Application:
- Eversource: Discount Rate (eversource.com)
- National Grid: Discount Rate Application - Massachusetts (nationalgridus.com)
If You Live in a Municipal Light Plant Community, reach out to your municipal utility to see if a discount rate program is available.

Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP): Residents and households making as much as 60% of the state median income may be eligible for heating fuel assistance through the federally-funded HEAP program. Learn more about the program and how to qualify for assistance here.
- Find more information through the Massachusetts Cold Relief brochure here or call the Cold Relief Hotline at 1-800-632-8175.
Local Community Action Program (CAP) Contacts: These agencies provide a wide range of services, including fuel assistance and utility assistance, and administer HEAP. Residents can find their local CAP agency here: Agencies - MASSCAP
The Good Neighbor Fund: Residents who aren’t eligible for HEAP, other Federal, or State programs, may be eligible for the Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund. This fund provides resources to any Massachusetts resident who, because of temporary financial difficulty, cannot meet a month's energy expense. A household’s income must fall between 60% and 80% of the state's median income levels. This program is a partnership between utility companies and the Salvation Army of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund (magoodneighbor.org).

Education and Customer Advocacy Resources from the Attorney General’s Office

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) provides resources for consumer protection in many industries including energy utilities. The AGO provides information for utility customers to better understand their risks and ask questions, as well as ways to file customer complaints or dispute utility bills if they feel they are being wrongfully charged.

Customers who have concerns about their utility rights should contact the AG’s consumer assistance hotline at 617-727-8400.
Customers can also file a Consumer Complaint online through the Consumer Advocacy and Response Division to resolve utility bill disputes and submit formal complaints.
Find out more information “Frequently Asked Questions About Electric and Gas Utilities”
Access printable flyers on utility price increase and finding resources. Available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Modified Chinese.

What Can Your Residents Do to Reduce Utility Costs?

Energy Saving Tips

There are many actions residents can take to reduce their energy consumption and lower their energy bills.

Weatherization and Energy Efficiency

Residents can reduce their energy bills by weatherizing their homes and investing in energy efficient equipment. The utility energy efficiency program Mass Save and many municipal light plants offer significant incentives and/or no-cost programs for energy efficient improvements. Residents served by one of the investor-owned utilities (Eversource, National Grid, Unitil, Cape Light Compact, Berkshire Gas, and Liberty Utilities) can receive support through Mass Save through the following steps:

Conduct a No-Cost Home Energy Assessment: Homeowners and landlords in 1-4 unit buildings can contact Mass Save, the investor-owned utility energy efficiency program for a free home energy assessment to learn about what improvements could reduce energy bills. Sign up for a no-cost home energy assessment here.
Install Energy Efficiency Improvements: Air sealing, insulation, and more efficient appliances can reduce energy bills by 15-30%. Mass Save offers incentives that cover 75% of the cost of weatherization improvements identified in a home energy assessment and thousands of dollars in incentives for high-efficiency heat pumps, water heaters, smart thermostats, and more. Up to 100% of the cost of these efficiency improvements may be covered for households making less than 80% of area median income.
Multifamily Building Programs: Landlords and building managers of buildings with 5 or more units can receive no-cost Multi-Family Energy Assessments and incentives for improvements from Mass Save here or by calling 800-594-7277. Landlords of affordable multifamily buildings can receive no-cost energy efficiency upgrades through the Low-Income Energy Affordability Network here or by calling 617-348-6425.

Residents who are not customers of one of the investor-owned utilities should reach out to their municipal light plant to see what energy assessment programs are available.

Additional Energy Savings Tips:

Renter Discounts through Mass Save: Mass Save offers special discounts and free weatherization for renters and landlords. Learn more at https://www.masssave.com/en/learn/renters

Low-Income Energy Affordability Network (LEAN) Multifamily Program: If residents live in an affordable multifamily apartment building with 5 or more units, they can talk to their building manager about the LEAN Multifamily Program. The LEAN program offers no-cost energy efficiency upgrades for Massachusetts residents living in multi-family affordable housing units. To check eligibility and apply here or call 617-348-6425.

Plug Leaks and Reduce Drafts: Mass Save offers discounts on DIY-supplies for sealing air leaks and weatherizing homes, no appointment required. Learn more here.

Get Heating and Cooling System Serviced and Replace Filters: Regularly servicing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems can help make sure they are running efficiently and prevent unexpected breakdowns. Residents should check the filters on their heating and cooling systems regularly and replace them if they are dirty. This can help the system run more effectively and improve indoor air quality.

Thermostat Adjustments: Residents should adjust their heat settings and install programmable thermostats; even adjusting by 1-2° can help save on energy costs. Residents can turn down their heat when they’re not at home and get a free programmable thermostat from Mass Save.

Water Heater Temperature Adjustments: Residents can turn down their heat when they’re not at home and get rebates on programmable thermostats from Mass Save. Adequate insulation around the water heater can also help reduce energy usage.
Check out more energy saving tips here!

Community Solar Energy

Residents may also be able to save money and stabilize their electricity costs by pursuing solar energy, either on their homes or by participating in a community solar project. Community solar allows residents to benefit from solar energy even if they don’t have the ability to install it on their own homes or properties.

To learn more about Community Solar and available programs see MassCEC’s Community Solar page.
Energy Sage Market Place also provides a platform to search for available programs by zip code.

Municipal Aggregation

Municipal aggregation programs (also known as green municipal aggregation or community choice) allow municipalities to source its electricity supply on behalf of residents and lock in rates for two- or three-year terms rather than fluctuating every six months. While discounts cannot be guaranteed, most municipal aggregation programs active in the MAPC region as of December 2024 offer rates that are as much as three cents per kilowatt-hour lower than basic service.

To see if your municipality has a community choice aggregation, please refer to: Municipal aggregation | Mass.gov or contact your local government.
If you work for a municipality and are interested in starting a municipal aggregation program, please see MAPC’s Green Municipal Aggregation toolkit and information on how to start, and reach out to [email protected].

A note about energy supply contracts at the individual residential level– As more energy brokers have entered the deregulated market, consumers are increasingly approached by predatory brokers attempting to sell them energy contracts. The AGO has released several reports tracking these practices and found that individual residential customers have spent $426 million more on electricity prices than if they had stayed with the basic services price. Aggregation programs offer municipalities a platform to vet brokers and suppliers for residents and businesses through government procurement procedures.

Note: residents are protected from utility shut offs if they or someone in their household is seriously ill, have an infant under 12 months, or all adults are 65+ years old plus have a minor living with them (the utility must get approval from DPU in this case). Everyone is protected from electricity and gas shut-offs during the coldest months between November 15th and March 15th. However, during this time a utility customer will continue to accrue debt if bills are unpaid and may be at risk of shut-off when the winter moratorium ends in March.

Social Media

Hashtags You Can Use

#EnergyCosts #UtilityAssistance #EnergyBills #EnergyEfficiency #SaveOnEnergyCosts #ReduceEnergyCosts

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A Few Best Practices

Know Your Audience: Who are you posting this information to? Residents? Create your social posts with that audience in mind.
Know the Platform: The social media platform you are using to post on should inform how and what you're posting. For example, posting on Twitter is for more immediate, word-limited posts. LinkedIn is for professional audiences, and there isn't a word limit. Facebook is for more causal postings. You can use the same post across platforms but we recommend changing it up a bit based on the platform!
Accessibility: Ensure your social posts are accessible to all by making sure to use alt text, and if you use hashtags, capitalize every first letter of each word in the hashtag. Learn about ways to make your social postings accessible.
Interactive: Amplify other sources on social media, such as official sources, agencies, and experts, by sharing or retweeting their posts.
Tag Us! Be sure to tag MAPC in your social posts to reach a larger audience. Please feel free to also retweet any posts we do as well.

Social Media - Graphics

Right-click on the images below and choose "save image as" to save to your computer. Then, compose your own social media post or use some of the sample language further below. The social graphics should work well on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Image is a social card. A purple background, with a woman on the rightside on her cell phone and holding a utility bill. The text says, "Are you struggling with your energy bills this winter? Contact your utility provider about discounted rates, payment plans, and other ways that they can help. Find out who your provider is here: mapc.ma/FindMyElectricGas-Water"

Image is a social card that has a purple background with an African-American man on the righthand side pushing a button on his thermostat and smiling. Text says, "Did you Know your local Community Action Agency may be able to assist you with fuel assistance this winter? Learn more here: mapc.ma/HelpWithHeatingCosts"

Image is a social card, with a purple background. In the righthand side is a Caucasian men with brown glasses, brown hair, and he has his cell phone up to his ear. He's wearing a dark tshirt and a blue button up shirt. Text says, "If you're a renter and your utility bills are too high, talk to your landlord about Mass Save or visit the website to learn about ways to save; mapc.ma/EnergySavingsforRenters

Image is a social card with a purple background and on the righthand size is a utility worker wearing a white hard hat, yellow safety glasses, and reflective green jacket. The person is holding a tablet. The text says, "An energy assessmet is a great way to find out how to make your home more energy efficient, which can help you save money. Visit 866-527-SAVE and/or contact your Community Action Agency mapc.ma/HelpWithHeatingCosts to learn more." Then it has small print at the botton that says, "Do so as soon as possible because demand is high and wait times are getting longer!"

Image is a social card with a purple background. In the righthand side is an elderly white man with glasses sitting and wearing a bulky sweater, a puffy vest over it, fingerless gloves, and holding a coffee mug in his hands. Text says, Are you struggling with your energy bills this winter? Contact your utility provider about discounted rates, payment plans, and other ways that they can help. Find out who your provider is here: mapc.ma/FindMyElectricGas-Water"

Social Media - Sample Social Posts

You are welcome to copy, paste, and add to or change the sample social posts below. You can use them in conjunction with the social graphics above, or by themselves.

Are you struggling with your energy bills this winter? Contact your utility provider about discounted rates, payment plans, and other ways that they can help. Find out who your provider is here: mapc.ma/FindMyElectricGas-Water.

Did You Know that your local Community Action Agency may be able to assist you with fuel assistance this winter? Learn more here: mapc.ma/HelpWithHeatingCosts

An energy assessment is a great way to find out how to make your home more energy efficient, which can help you save money. Call Mass Save (866-527-7283) and/or contact your Community Action Agency (mapc.ma/HelpWithHeatingCosts) to learn more. Do so as soon as possible because demand is high and wait times are getting longer!

If you're a renter and your utility bills are too high, talk to your landlord about Mass Save or visit their website to learn about ways to save: mapc.ma/EnergySavingsforRenters.

Utility Assistance Fliers in Eight languages

MAPC developed utility bill assistance fliers in 2021. The downloadable fliers are in power point and easily editable so that you can customize for your locality. Many of the links and resources are still relevant today. To download the existing fliers Utility Bill Assistance: Massachusetts Resources – MAPC.

Additional Resources

MA Department of Energy Resources (DOER)

“Massachusetts Household Heating Costs: Estimate of energy prices for heating fuels for the 2024/25 Winter Heating Season”
This website provides a comprehensive report of rising energy prices, how it will impact residential consumers, and information on financial support for heating assistance.
Massachusetts Household Heating Costs | Mass.gov

MA Department of Housing and Community Development

“Cold Relief Brochure”
This brochure (2024-2025) has relevant information on energy assistance programs and energy saving tips.
Cold Relief Brochure 2024

Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)

Blog Post on “Reducing Energy Burden: Resources for Low-Income Residents”.
This blog post from January 2022 covers information on what energy burden is, statistics for Massachusetts, and resources for low-moderate income residents.
Reducing Energy Burden: Resources for Low-Income Residents – MAPC

If you have other resources, you’d like to share that aren’t listed in this toolkit please send to [email protected]