SUSTAINABILITY & RESILIENCE NEWSLETTER

DECEMBER 2022

Eversource's Rates are Rising: Save with Lexington's Community Choice Program

Eversource recently announced that its Basic Service Rate for electricity is rising from $0.17871/kWh to $0.25649/kWh, effective January 1, 2023. That’s a 43% increase.

It's more important than ever to ensure you are enrolled in Lexington's Community Choice program, the Town's electricity aggregation program that provides stable prices and cleaner energy to Lexington residents. The default 100% Green option is $0.1080/kWh and that rate is locked in until December 2023. Eversource’s Basic Service Rate will soon be 2.3 times more than Lexington’s Community Choice default rate.

To put that in context, a Community Choice customer using 750 kWh of electricity each month will save $111/month from January to June 2023. This amounts to Lexington’s Community Choice customers saving around $10 million in a single 6-month period. By the end of June 2023, the program will have saved customers a total of $20 million since the program’s launch.

Make sure you are enrolled today! The program is opt-out, so all new electric customers in Lexington are automatically enrolled, but sometime customers are drawn into contracts with other competitive suppliers who offer a low starting rate and raise the rate over time. If you are enrolled in Lexington’s Community Choice program, the electricity supplier on you bill will be Constellation NewEnergy, Inc.

If you see any other supplier listed, you are not enrolled in Community Choice. Visit the program website to enroll online or enroll over the phone by calling 1-844-379-9935. You can leave the program at any time with no fee or penalty.

Savings Disclaimer: Eversource's prices will change in the future, and their future prices are unknown. As a result, future savings compared compared with Eversource's price cannot be guaranteed.

Join Your Neighbors, Start Composting Today

Did you know that around a third of all food produced for human consumption is sent to landfills? This unnecessary waste then releases methane that contributes to climate change. Composting your food scraps is an easy way to reduce your personal carbon footprint. Get started!

Drop Off Locations

Lexington has partnered with LexZeroWaste to provide two drop off locations. Register today and start dropping off your household food scraps and compostable kitchen waste.

• Lexington Community Center (39 Marrett Rd.)
• Samuel Hadley Public Services Building (201 Bedford St.)

Curbside Composting

There are also private companies that will do curbside pick up. Black Earth Compost provides $5 off their service for referrals. The Town provides a free covered collection bin for curbside composting if you bring your invoice to DPW Operations at 201 Bedford St.

Backyard Composting

You can also compost your own food waste at home. Lexington residents can purchase backyard composting bins from the Town for $25. Pay for the bin at DPW operations (201 Bedford St) and pick it up at the Hartwell Composting Facility.

Community Solar: Save Money with Clean Energy

Community Solar makes it easy for you to access the financial and environmental benefits of local solar power. With Community Solar, both renters and homeowners can subscribe to a communal system of solar panels and receive discounted electricity, without having to install panels on their own roofs. You typically save 5-15% on your annual electricity costs while supporting clean energy near you!

Visit EnergySage to search for Community Solar projects with current openings.

Income-eligible Option

Sunwealth’s income-eligible Community Solar program offers an opportunity to save 25% on renewable energy generated by nearby solar panels and delivered directly to your monthly electric bill. Fill out the interest form and Sunwealth will reach out to answer your questions and get you enrolled.

MBTA Bus Network Redesign Maps

The Bus Network Redesign is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make bold improvements to the bus network for the people who depend on it most. Check out the most recent bus network proposal, revised based on public feedback, and see what the next steps are.

Take this as an opportunity to learn more about the public transit options near you and consider opting out of driving alone on some of your daily trips.

Mattress, Box Spring, and Textile Disposal

Waste that is not disposed of properly can create unnecessary emissions and pollution. Please note the new disposal processes below for mattresses, box springs, and textiles after the new Mass DEP disposal ban on these items that went into effect on November 1, 2022.

Mattresses & Box Springs

Once disassembled, more then 75% of mattress components can be recycled. The Town has contracted with UTEC to handle curbside mattress collection. Collection happens bi-weekly on Fridays and you can schedule the pick up online on the UTEC website. Scroll down to "Schedule Service" and choose "Lexington." More details.

Textiles

The Town has entered into an agreement with CMRK, in partnership with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation, to service the Town for all textile recycling and recovery with the the goal of repurposing all items. You can schedule a home pickup by emailing pickups@crmkne.com or by texting PICKUP to (508) 466-4590. More details.

Looking for more? Find out how to get rid of items that shouldn't be thrown away, recycle just about anything, start composting, or donate unneeded items!

QUICK LINKS

Questions? 

Maggie Peard

Sustainability & Resilience Officer

(781) 698-4538

mpeard@lexingtonma.gov

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