Massachusetts gas and electric customers who qualify by income became eligible for tiered discount rates on Nov. 1. The state’s winter bills page says “the gas and electric utilities will offer tiered discount rates for their income-eligible customers,” and it lists Eversource and National Grid along with Berkshire Gas, Liberty Utilities and Unitil. The new rates replace a single discount level with six tiers that step down as household income rises.
The question for a household is whether it is already on a discount and, if not, which tier it falls in. The state says customers should “contact your utility company to help enroll you on the rate if you qualify,” and a call to the utility or a local Community Action Agency is the route in. Anyone who already gets a discount does not need to act, according to the state’s help page, and moves to the new rate automatically.
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Where did the six tiers come from?
The Department of Public Utilities ordered the change in a Feb. 17 order in docket D.P.U. 24-15-B. It directed every distribution company to put its new framework in place “no later than November 1, 2026,” the start of the heating season, and to use the same tier definitions across companies while letting each company set its own discount levels.
The tiers follow the federal Home Energy Assistance Program definitions. Tier 1 covers households at or below 100 percent of the federal poverty level, and the next four tiers rise in steps of 25 points, up to 200 percent. The sixth tier covers households above 200 percent of the poverty level and up to 60 percent of the statewide median income, so some households well above the poverty line still qualify. Tier 1 gets the largest discount, according to the state, and each step up the income ladder brings a smaller one.
The order stops short of one statewide discount. It says a framework “applied statewide is preferable to a framework specific to each Distribution Company,” while “company-specific discount rates” may differ. The department also said it lacks authority to order statewide cost recovery without legislation and “encourages the Legislature” to consider allowing it, which leaves each company to carry its own program.
Which companies and which customers are in?
The state’s winter page lists five gas utilities: Berkshire Gas, Eversource, Liberty Utilities, National Grid and Unitil. On the electric side it lists Eversource, National Grid and Unitil. That is the group in the headline: Eversource and National Grid, plus three others in Berkshire Gas, Liberty and Unitil.
Eligibility is tied to public benefits such as SNAP, MassHealth, HEAP and WIC, according to the state’s help paying your utility bill page, but it is not limited to them. The discount level differs by company and by rate class, including whether a home heats with that fuel, so two neighbors in different tiers or on different utilities will not see the same percentage off.
Customers who want to know exactly what they will pay can ask their utility which tier and rate class they have been placed in. To apply, the state says to contact the local Community Action Agency, listed on the Massachusetts Association for Community Action website, or to call the gas or electric company directly.
How big was the group before the change?
The scale was already large. When the department approved a tiered approach for National Grid in 2024, the Commonwealth Beacon reported that 153,379 National Grid electric customers received a discount and about 390,000 were likely eligible. That leaves a lot of households that qualify on income but may never have signed up.
The same report said Attorney General Andrea Campbell raised letting residents self-attest their income during rate hearings. The department rejected that for now and ordered a two-year pilot study of it, with National Grid planning to verify income through participation in other state income-eligible programs.
What else does the state offer this winter?
The winter page also points to the Home Energy Assistance Program, which can help with utility bills, with its eligibility rules and fuel assistance offices listed through MassCAP. A household can ask about both the discount rate and the heating aid in the same call, since the two programs are separate and each has its own sign-up. A household on a discount and also behind on a bill may be a fit for an arrearage plan as well. Arrearage Management Programs combine a payment plan with bill credits for on-time payments, with enrollment through the utility.
Seasonal heat-pump delivery rates, which began Nov. 1, 2025 for eligible residential customers who heat with heat pumps, are a separate program with its own page. Eversource and Unitil both list a heat-pump rate class in the state’s discount tables, so a heat-pump household should name its rate class when it calls.
The page says the Department of Public Utilities has requested to expand the residential shutoff moratorium this winter from Nov. 1, 2026 to April 1, 2027. That is a request, not a confirmed change. For unresolved billing disputes the page points customers to the department’s Consumer Division.
Not sure which Massachusetts discount tier your utility should put you in?
A discount that has to be requested is only worth what a household actually gets on the phone. A customer who is placed in the wrong tier, or never enrolled, pays full rate all winter, and the person on the other end of the line will not volunteer the lower one.
101 Phone Scripts to Lower Your Bills includes 101 calls, word for word, for every company you pay, with electric, gas and water payment plans, budget billing and help programs among them. Its 23 pages also include a call log for who you spoke with, what you saved and the reference number.
Get the utility-call scripts and call log for confirming your discount tier →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
