Valley Green Energy
Northampton, Amherst and Pelham's Community Choice Aggregation Program
The City of Northampton collaborated with Town of Amherst and the Town of Pelham to develop a consumer-friendly regional electricity program called Valley Green Energy (VGE). This innovative program is an aggregation effort, uniting residents and businesses across the three towns to amplify our collective purchasing power.
Through Valley Green Energy, the communities will:
- Purchase electricity collectively, with no hidden fees or penalties.
- Ensure stable electricity supply prices
- Boost the amount of renewable energy in the electricity supply
- Introduce new and diverse electricity choices & options
Participating in Valley Green Energy changes the supply price on your residential utility electric bill. While Valley Green Energy cannot assure savings in comparison to Eversource's or National Grid's Basic Service prices, our communities are committed to achieving competitive and stable prices.
With the introduction of Valley Green Energy, Northampton, Amherst, and Pelham will join over 150 other cities and towns in Massachusetts with similar programs. The communities launched the program in November 2024.
Learn More:
Visit the Valley Green Energy website for details on how aggregation works and the program implementation process.
If you have questions about Valley Green Energy, please email support@ValleyGreenEnergy.org or call 1-844-202-6033. You can also submit an inquiry here
2023 Public Presentation & Comment Period
The communities crafted an Aggregation Plan and related documents, necessary for submission to state regulators for review and approval. To engage the public in program development, an overview was presented at a virtual public information session on June 6, 2023, at 6:30 PM. All draft program documents were open for review and comment from June 1 to June 30, 2023. Resources and results from this public engagement are provided as links to PDFs below. Hard copies of the documents are available at Northampton City Hall, Office of Planning & Sustainability.
VALLEY GREEN ENERGY DOCUMENTS:
- Draft Aggregation Plan (PDF)
- Draft Education and Outreach Plan
- Exemplar Opt-Out Mailing Materials – Eversource (PDF)
- Exemplar Opt-Out Mailing Materials – National Grid (PDF)
- Model Electricity Supply Agreement (PDF)
2024 Public Hearing & Comments:
Public Hearing Details: January 22, 2024
- Valley Green Energy (VGE) filed for municipal aggregation plan approval on October 13, 2023, pursuant to M.G.L. c. 164, § 134
- The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) conducted a virtual hearing on January 22, 2024, at 2:00 p.m. via Zoom.
Written Comments Submission Information (deadline 1/19/2024):
- Deadline for written comments: January 19, 2024, by 5:00 p.m.
All electronically submitted documents will be posted on the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) website.