News Stories

The Department will convene the next meeting of the Working Group on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.  The meeting will focus on a continued discussion of the proposals that staff presented during the sub-group meetings (see attached, DPU 19-07 Staff Presentation 7-1-25 Working Group Meeting (“Staff Presentation”)), slides 1 – 30).4 In addition, staff seeks to discuss with stakeholders a revised proposal related to the initial enrollment of customers through Energy Switch that staff developed in response to the concerns expressed by suppliers during our recent meetings (see attached, Staff Presentation, slides 31 – 36.) Finally, staff seeks to discuss issues regarding customer education and market oversight as they relate to staff’s proposal (see attached, Staff Presentation, slides 37 – 43.). 

1. INTRODUCTION 

On March 6, 2025 and April 16, 2025, the Department of Public Utilities (“Department”) convened meetings of the D.P.U. 19-07 Stakeholder Working Group (“Working Group”) to discuss staff’s proposal on actions the Department could take to address (1) deceptive/misleading marketing targeting vulnerable customers, and (2) high prices (“Energy Switch Proposal”).1 At the end of the April 16, 2025 Working Group meeting (“April 16 Meeting”), subsequent to discussion with stakeholders, staff announced that the Working Group would proceed with five subgroups, focusing on: (1) the mechanics of enrollments through the Energy Switch website (“Energy Switch”); (2) the use of focus groups to better inform the Energy Switch Proposal; (3) voluntary renewable energy products; (4) automatic contract renewals; and (5) interim steps the Department could take during the development phase of the Energy Switch Proposal. Those sub-group meetings concluded on May 5, 2025.

Subsequent to the sub-group meetings, staff held meetings (via Teams) with several stakeholders. Staff summarizes those calls below. Staff then announces the next step in the Working Group process. 

1. SUMMARY OF MEETINGS 

1. On May 15, 2025, Department staff convened a meeting with NRG Energy (“NRG”) to better understand the Mechanics of Energy Switch Enrollments presentation made by NRG during the May 2, 2025 sub-group meeting on this topic. Subsequent to the call, staff requested that NRG (i) make specified revisions to its slides, and (ii) provide more information on certain issues (see attached, DPU 19-07 NRG Follow-Up Re: Mechanics of Energy Switch Enrollments; DPU 19-07 NRG Revised Slides Re: Mechanics of Energy Switch Enrollments). 

2. On May 21, 2025, Department staff convened a meeting with staff from the Electric Distribution Companies (“EDCs”) to discuss the EDC’s concerns with NRG’s proposal related to the Mechanics of Energy Switch Enrollments (see attached, DPU 19-07 EDC Concerns re: Mechanics of Energy Switch Enrollments). 

3. On May 21, 2025, Department staff convened a meeting with Department of Energy Resources’ (“DOER”) staff to discuss issues related to Department staff’s revised proposal for voluntary renewable products. 

4. On May 5, May 8, and May 21, 2025, Department staff held meetings with Constellation Energy, Arbor Energy, and Vistra Energy, respectively, to discuss issues related to staff’s market reset proposal.2 The discussion of each call focused primarily on the concern of each company regarding how staff’s proposed approach related to initial enrollments via Energy Switch would affect its existing business practices. 

5. On May 30, 2025, Department staff convened a meeting with Gretchen Fuhr from the Retail Energy Suppliers Association and Kristina Montgomery from the Retail Energy Advancement League to discuss their concerns with staff’s market reset proposal. The discussion focused primarily on the concern of suppliers regarding how staff’s proposed approach related to initial enrollments via Energy Switch would affect its existing business practices. 

6. On May 30, 2025, Department staff convened a call with representatives from the Attorney General Office, Boston Climate Action Network, Fairmount Indigo CDC Collaborative, Green Energy Consumers Alliance, and National Consumer Law Center to discuss their concerns with staff’s market reset proposal. Staff notes that we will be meeting with Town Square Energy on June 12, 2025 to discuss issues related to staff’s market reset proposal. In addition, staff is in the process of scheduling a meeting with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Center for Resource Solutions, and the Environment Protection Agency to discuss issues related to staff’s revised proposal for voluntary renewable products. 

III. NEXT STEPS 

The Department will convene the next meeting of the Working Group on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.  The meeting will focus on a continued discussion of the proposals that staff presented during the sub-group meetings (see attached, DPU 19-07 Staff Presentation 7-1-25 Working Group Meeting (“Staff Presentation”)), slides 1 – 30).4 In addition, staff seeks to discuss with stakeholders a revised proposal related to the initial enrollment of customers through Energy Switch that staff developed in response to the concerns expressed by suppliers during our recent meetings (see attached, Staff Presentation, slides 31 – 36.) Finally, staff seeks to discuss issues regarding customer education and market oversight as they relate to staff’s proposal (see attached, Staff Presentation, slides 37 – 43.). 

It is staff’s expectation that, upon conclusion of the meeting, we will be able to determine whether it is worthwhile to continue to engage stakeholders through the Working Group process. If staff concludes that it is unlikely that consensus can be reached with either the supplier community or the consumer/low-income advocates, staff will recommend to the Commission that it is the best interest of the Department and stakeholders to end the process. 

Staff invites stakeholders to present alternate approaches to those proposed by staff. To optimize the value of those alternatives, staff encourages stakeholders to be mindful of the core principles that underlie our proposal: (1) informed decision-making is the fundamental building block of a well-functioning competitive supply market; (2) to be informed, customers must be aware of the broad range of supply products available to them; and (3) Energy Switch provides information to customers regarding available supply products that is useful, understandable, and readily accessible. 5 From staff’s perspective, proposed alternatives that do not conform to these principles are not likely to assist us in reaching consensus with either the supplier community or the consumer/low-income advocates. Stakeholders that seek to present alternate approaches should distribute their presentation(s) to the D.P.U. 19-07 distribution list no later than Tuesday, June 24, 2025. Stakeholders that have questions about the upcoming meeting or seek to discuss their proposed alternatives with staff should contact Hearing Officers Lauren Morris or Timothy Federico.

23-67 HO M

EDC Concern

DPU 19-07

(Investigation into Initiatives to Promote and Protect Consumer Interests in the Retail Electric Competitive Supply Market, D.P.U. 19-07)