Massachusetts Winter Gas Rates Approved: Eversource Bills Split, National Grid Flat

Economic Warfare & Trade Policy › Energy & commodities

Massachusetts regulators on Oct. 30, 2026 approved the natural gas rates that take effect Nov. 1, and for most of the state’s biggest utilities the winter bill will be flat or lower than last year. The Department of Public Utilities (DPU) approved rates under which National Grid customers’ winter bills stay virtually the same as last year, customers of Eversource Gas Company of Massachusetts see about a 5% reduction, and Eversource’s NSTAR Gas customers pay about 7% more, The Boston Globe reported. The relief may be short-lived for Greater Boston: National Grid has a separate $342 million rate case pending that would raise typical heating bills by roughly 8% to 9% if approved as filed.

Key figures: NSTAR Gas supply charge $0.8644/therm, down 16% from last winter’s average · EGMA $0.9447/therm, down 15% · National Grid bills about flat · NSTAR Gas bills about +7% · National Grid rate request $342M · DPU decision due by Nov. 30

What the DPU Approved for Nov. 1

Each winter the state’s gas companies file a gas adjustment factor, the supply charge that passes the cost of buying natural gas through to customers with no markup. The new factors run from Nov. 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027. According to DPU dockets summarized by SouthCoast360, the approved supply charges are $0.8644 per therm for NSTAR Gas, $0.9447 per therm for Eversource Gas Company of Massachusetts (EGMA) and $0.9120 per therm for Liberty Utilities.

The Globe reported that gas supply prices are at their lowest in years, which is why most bills are not rising. Eversource attributed the NSTAR Gas increase to infrastructure costs that were deferred from last winter. The Globe also reported that customers will receive bill credits of at least $20 in January and February, and that NSTAR Gas customers will get $30 in each of those months plus $25 in March.

The DPU did not approve everything the companies asked for. It rejected the proposed reconciliation charges for the state’s pipe-replacement program, known as GSEP, and ordered revised filings by Nov. 6, according to SouthCoast360. It also told the companies to adjust rates in midwinter if their costs move by 3%, rather than the usual 5% threshold, which means bills could be revised faster if wholesale prices swing. New tiered discounts for income-eligible customers begin Nov. 1, and EGMA must file its credit plan by Dec. 1.

By the Numbers: Supply Charges Fall, Delivery Costs Do Not

Our analysis (TBR calculations) compares this winter’s approved supply charges with each company’s average from last winter. NSTAR Gas fell from $1.0319 to $0.8644 per therm, a 16.2% drop. EGMA fell from $1.1089 to $0.9447, a 14.8% drop. Liberty is the exception: its approved $0.9120 is about 45% above the $0.6283 it charged at the start of last winter.

Supply is only part of the bill. Delivery charges, which pay for pipes, meters and the companies’ operations, are rising, which is why NSTAR Gas customers face a higher total bill despite a cheaper supply charge. For scale, NSTAR Gas’s September filing used a typical heating customer who burns 698 therms over the season. At that usage, every 10-cent change in the supply charge moves the winter bill by about $70 (TBR calculation).

National Grid’s Rate Case Is the Next Test

National Grid serves more than half of the state’s gas customers, according to the Globe, and its Boston Gas unit covers Greater Boston. In DPU docket 26-50 the company is seeking $342 million in new distribution revenue, its first base-rate request since 2021. The state’s case page estimates the request would raise a typical Boston Gas residential heating bill by $23.66 a month, or 8.4%, and a typical Colonial Gas bill by $24.76 a month, or 9.4%. The DPU has suspended the new rates until Dec. 1, 2026, and National Grid says it expects a decision by Nov. 30, with new rates on bills starting Jan. 1, 2027.

The Globe reported that the request covers National Grid’s roughly 11,000 miles of pipe in the state, a third of which date to 1970. Critics including the Future of Heat Initiative argue that the pipe-replacement program is costly; the group estimates GSEP costs a customer about $31,000 over a lifetime and that more than $6 billion has been spent since 2015. Bills on Beacon Hill target GSEP and the Mass Save efficiency program, and Gov. Maura Healey has pressed utilities for $1.5 billion in refunds after a federal regulatory decision in March, the Globe reported.

What Customers Can Do Now

The state’s winter shut-off protection runs from Nov. 1, 2026 to April 1, 2027 for households facing financial hardship, according to Mass.gov. Our guide to heating assistance for winter 2026-27 explains fuel assistance and discount rates, and our look at Mass Save heat pump rebates covers what changes in 2027. More company and utility coverage is on our Boston business news hub.

What to watch next: the revised GSEP filings due Nov. 6, whether any midwinter adjustment is triggered under the new 3% threshold, and the DPU’s National Grid decision by Nov. 30.

Reactions

“Energy affordability remains a top priority for the DPU,” a department spokesperson told the Globe. Customers the Globe interviewed were less reassured. Tom Smith of Newburyport said his bill has risen about $200 a month since 2023 and that his January bill reached $1,150.

Sources

• The Boston Globe: Winter gas rates for many in Mass. drop (Oct. 30, 2026)
• SouthCoast360: South Coast winter gas bills, Liberty and Eversource Nov. 1 rates
• Mass.gov: National Grid 2026 gas base distribution rate case (DPU 26-50)
• National Grid: 2026 Massachusetts gas rate case
• Mass.gov: Information on winter bills