National Grid electric customers may soon see millions returned to them after Massachusetts regulators penalized National Grid for a slew of customer complaints.
A spokesperson for the Department of Public Utilities told Boston 25 News that National Grid has proposed to pay back $15 million to customers in a one-time payment this upcoming May. The motion came after the DPU reviewed complaints from electric customers in 2023.
Separately, the DPU has also ordered National Grid to “take immediate steps to remediate a severe billing system error” that has affected tens of thousands of National Grid gas customers.
The DPU says around 3,000 customers still have not received their delayed gas bills, meaning they would have to pay almost a half-year’s worth of gas bills at once.
In a formal letter to National Grid, the DPU wrote that customers who receive a bill more than 60 days late will not have to pay it, the down payment needed for customers to enroll in budget billing must be reduced from $120 and customers who do receive bills within the 60-day window will only have to pay 10% of the total immediately.
Last month, the DPU ordered 5% cuts to bills in March and April for residential customers of six gas companies, including National Grid.
Last fall, the DPU approved rate hikes for customers of both Eversource and National Grid gas -- with some 1.5 million Massachusetts customers affected. Nearly one million National Grid customers are also affected by the rate hikes, with bills set to increase by 11-13 percent. That means a $250 bill could become $282.
A National Grid spokesperson issued the following statement:
“Affordability is a core component of our mission to provide safe, reliable energy and we sincerely apologize to our customers impacted by this billing issue. We recognize the impact delayed bills may have on household budgets, particularly during the winter season and we are fully cooperating with the DPU’s order.”
The company says they will not collect more than 60 days of outstanding bill charges and will also provide a credit to customers who previously resolved bills that were impacted by the technical issue with balances covering more than 60 days.
National Grid says there will also be no late fees associated with the review.
Customers can visit www.ngrid.com/hereforyou for more information.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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