MunEnergy can help with managing winter energy needs

As cities and towns prepare for winter and a high-demand heating season, the MMA’s MunEnergy program can help municipal leaders manage these costs. As we turn up thermostats, municipalities may have opportunities to seize or risks to avoid.

The energy experts at Constellation, the MMA’s MunEnergy partner, offer the following things to consider:
• Another warm winter is expected. The 2024-2025 winter weather forecast includes wide swaths of above-average seasonal temperatures, without expectations for long-lasting cold shots.

• Escalating conflict in the Middle East doesn’t shock the market like it used to, thanks to more domestic energy production, but disruptions to global supplies of natural gas could push international prices higher. Many power grids switch to fuel oil during peak winter days to balance high demand, and increased fuel costs for those generators could push power prices higher.

The MMA’s MunEnergy Program is designed to help municipalities manage energy costs in all kinds of weather. More than 60 cities, towns, and other governmental entities are currently using the MMA’s energy contract, including the town of Dighton, which just renewed its contract with Constellation through the MMA Municipal Energy Program for the third time.

“The cost of energy continues to rise, but by continuing our relationship with Constellation, we have been able to lock in rates for electricity that have provided substantial savings over the years,” said Nancy Goulart of Dighton’s Board of Assessors.

“It’s important to point out to communities that the program through Constellation provides additional savings to the municipality because the rate for municipal properties is lower than the (residential) aggregation rate,” Goulart continued. “This means that town buildings, playgrounds, parks, and sports facilities recognize additional savings per kilowatt hour.

In addition to the town, two districts that provide water and streetlights in Dighton also benefit from this program.

“The new contract is for five years,” Goulart said. “The program provides additional time to process payments, and it has the full backing of the MMA. I encourage any community that is serviced by a major supplier of electricity to contact the MMA/Constellation program.”

For more about the MunEnergy program, visit www.mma.org/munenergy or contact Katie McCue at kmccue@mma.org or 617-426-7272, ext. 111.