About Competitive Supply

Your electric service is separated into two components - delivery services and supplier services.  The two supplier service options under the "Supplier Services" section of your bill are Basic Service or Competitive Power Supply.

The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) licenses competitive suppliers and maintains a list of companies that supply power within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A number of these licensed competitive suppliers do business with NSTAR.  Each Competitive Power Supplier sets its own price for electricity and provides service to various cities, towns and types of customers. 

To see a list of competitive suppliers that may serve customers on your rate, visit the Competitive Suppliers page.

If you choose a Competitive Supplier, NSTAR Electric will continue to deliver power to your home or business, read your meter, care for the poles and wires, provide customer service, and restore power when there is a service interruption.

Picking a Competitive Power Supplier
You may wish to shop the competitive market.  We encourage you to compare the Competitive Suppliers' options to Basic Service.  In addition to price, other service offerings may be of value to you.  The length and terms of your contract with your supplier, as well as billing, payment, deposit, warranty and other information are also important to review.

If you choose a Competitive Power Supplier, the supplier's rates will go into effect on your next scheduled meter reading date provided NSTAR Electric had notice of this change at least two business days prior to your next scheduled meter reading date.  Your next scheduled meter reading date appears on your electric bill.

After choosing a supplier, if you are currently a Basic Service Fixed rate customer up to six months of your past billing will be recalculated to reflect the month-to-month Basic Service Variable rate. This adjustment may result in either a credit or debit.

Still have questions? Visit NSTAR's Competitive Supply Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to some common customer questions.