Results are in: according to a recent report, Needham Power Choice has saved residents and businesses more than $1.8 million since the program’s start, and reduced CO2 emissions by 7,292 metric tons (the equivalent of driving more than 18.5 million miles in an average car) — even though only a small fraction of people chose the “greenest” option. Sustainability manager Gabby Queenan said she was pleased to see the group electricity buying program’s impact reflected in first-year results.
“Roughly 25% of Needham’s emissions come from electricity usage,” she said. “So we, like other communities supporting the state in achieving its net zero emissions goals, have a vested interest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity. Needham Power Choice offers a powerful option to use the collective purchasing power of the town to create demand for more new renewable energy projects in the New England electric grid.”
Formally known as a municipal electricity aggregation program, Power Choice is the Costco of electricity options, with bulk purchasing lowering prices for program members. The plan allows Needham to negotiate electricity rates with private contractor Constellation NewEnergy on behalf of residents and businesses — rates that are locked in for a two-year period.
According to the March 2026 report, the program is living up to its potential, offering lower, more stable prices and cleaner energy options than the local utility’s default supply. The report shows that local utility Eversource’s Basic Service plan increased prices twice since Power Choice launched, while Needham Power Choice rates remained unchanged.
Queenan noted that the Power Choice initiative predated her arrival in December 2023. “I have helped to support the launch and implementation of the program with the program consultants, but this whole effort started long before I joined Needham.”
When Power Choice was announced in December 2024 as a joint initiative between the town and Needham’s Climate Action Committee, residents were given a choice among three electricity supply options: local utility Eversource, private contracts with commercial electricity suppliers, or a town-negotiated contract with electricity suppliers via Power Choice.
Within Power Choice, residents were given three more options, differing in price and renewable energy content: Needham Basic, Needham Standard or Needham 100% Green. The report shows 96% of program participants opted for Needham Standard, with 3% choosing the Basic plan, and 0.5% going 100% green.
“For Needham 100% Green, all of the electricity you receive is renewable and from our region,” Queenan said. “It means when you participate in the Needham Standard or Needham 100% Green options, your choice is helping to make the New England electric grid greener and cleaner by driving the development of more renewable energy projects.”
8,200 of Needham Power Choice participants are residents, 950 are small businesses and 5 are large businesses. “Program participation and performance remains as expected,” the report notes. Queenan added that enrollment numbers track with the participation other Massachusetts communities have seen with similar programs.
“I am not aware of any drawbacks to the program,” said Queenan. “The goal of the program is to offer participants choices, and participants are able to opt up, opt down, or opt out at any time,” she added.
The town plans to pursue a new competitive bid process at the end of 2026, and sign a new electricity supply contract when the current contract ends March 2027. The duration of the next contract will be decided by the bid process. The electricity supplier and renewable energy content could change with a new contract, Queenan emphasized, and costs could be higher or lower than current prices.
“If the Town decides the program is not beneficial to the community, it is free to cancel the program at the end of a supply contract and return all participants to Eversource’s Basic Service,” she added. “The Town will provide advance notice of any such changes, and participants will be free to opt out or change their option before any changes take effect.”
Power Choice is one of many initiatives Queenan has encouraged since stepping into her role as sustainability manager. A Town Hall EV charger, she said, is under construction and should be operational by the end of June. An addition to the Jack Cogswell Building Fleet Maintenance Division will allow the facility to become Needham’s first-ever net-positive building, with rooftop solar and heating and cooling from ground source pumps. The Cooling Corridor tree planting project is preparing to plant 46 trees in strategic “hot spots” across town. A consultant team is finalizing recommendations this month for the Planning Board’s Low Impact Development Parking Requirements Review.
“We are also in the process of receiving a Preconstruction Support Feasibility Study from the state which will assess the potential for adding solar panels and a battery energy storage system to the Rosemary Recreation Complex,” Queenan said. “Next month, we will also be wrapping up the development of a Municipal Parking Lot Solar Canopy Resource Guide which will include an assessment of the Town’s municipal parking lots to determine their viability for solar canopies.”
In the larger context of federal rollback on sustainability initiatives — reduced EPA oversight, reduced staffing, reduced funding, withdrawal from global climate efforts, increased fossil fuel developments — small-town green initiatives matter, said Queenan.
“This is particularly important at a time when renewable energy is facing the instability of the current federal landscape,” she noted.
Save as PDF