massforenergy

Affordability? What affordability? My latest on how much Massachusetts residents could be spending if the Legislature pushes ahead to electrify our homes and decommission our natural gas system. robertrio1.substack.com/p/sh…

My latest on the history of Mass. electric bills -- and how ratepayers may soon discover electricity is their only option as policymakers debate ending natural gas service. open.substack.com/pub/robert…

Massachusetts now spends more on climate programs than housing programs – and more on heat pumps than support for UMass. My latest on why Beacon Hill should be debating this: open.substack.com/pub/robert…

Two recent The Boston Globe pieces highlight why some people pay less for electricity — and who ends up covering the difference. Understanding this dynamic is really key to understanding Massachusetts’ affordability challenge. 1/x

My latest on the climate & economic benefits of cheap electricity: open.substack.com/pub/robert…

My latest on GSEP: the pipe repair villain the environmental community just can't quit: open.substack.com/pub/robert…

Today marks the first day in nearly 3 weeks—since January 23—that New England hasn’t burned any oil for electric generation. That’s like getting a new pacemaker and finding out it’s from Temu — it may seem good on the surface but you wouldn’t want to party too hard. 1/x

My latest on how the Commonwealth's decarbonization ambitions have left the region increasingly dependent on oil: The Dirty Truth Behind Massachusetts’ Clean Energy Transition open.substack.com/pub/robert…

My latest on the stress test our grid passed, but our climate and energy policies didn't: Massachusetts’ Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Energy Weekend open.substack.com/pub/robert…

My latest on the little-understood modeling assumption driving energy costs higher for Massachusetts ratepayers this winter. The Economic Sleight-Of-Hand Behind Social Cost of Carbon Calculations open.substack.com/pub/robert…

Interesting comment by Environmental League Massachusetts about a report on the cost of Commonwealth clean energy investments — calling out its authors for not taking into account the so-called “Social Cost of Carbon” (SCC) in their analysis. 1/x

My latest on MA gas bills and why infrastructure and policy outweigh the cost of the gas itself: What Changed on Your Gas Bill (Hint: It Isn’t the Rates) open.substack.com/pub/robert…

Happy to, @OnlyinBOS. This is, I believe, a new formatted bill from your utility. In the past, charges were listed but not easy to understand. Your rates haven't changed. 1/x

Beyond Volatility: The Tricky Choices Ahead on Energy Costs substack.com/@robertrio1/not…

I mentioned that I’ve been preparing an in-depth 5-year analysis of actual energy bills. It should be ready sometime in January. But as the DPU investigates volatility and ways to lower costs, 1 thing pops out: The cost of residential assistance has gone through the roof. 1/x

Why Your Energy Bill Is Rising — But Emissions Aren’t Falling open.substack.com/pub/robert…

Window into NE supply challenges: With temps ~ 27 degrees but clear and sunny and low load, we are using more oil (13%) than renewables (9%). Why? Almost no wind and only 44% gas cap is operating. #BostonWeHaveAProblem iso-ne.com/isoexpress/web/gu…

After 15 yrs of clean energy investment, our grid is still only 25% renewable and almost invisible during cold NE winters. For instance, today, we’re using as much oil as we are renewables (and “renewables” include burning trash and wood). 7/END

BIG: @BostonGlobe had a long piece over the weekend on energy costs — and what’s behind them. Lots of stuff to chew on but here are a few high points 1/x bostonglobe.com/2025/12/06/s…