January 2023
Dear Valued RMLD Customer,

Thank you for taking the time to read our first RMLD Current of 2023. We hope your New Year is off to a healthy and prosperous start.

Below you will see information about our upcoming 9 percent bill increase, which we worked hard to minimize. While we recognize that any price increase presents a challenge to our customers, our active power supply management has helped mitigate this increase to keep it dramatically below the cost increases from local investor-owned utilities. We chose to wait until March, after the winter heating season when customer kWh usage is high, to slightly reduce the burden for our customers.

RMLD's guiding premise is to provide competitively priced, reliable, and increasingly non-carbon electricity to our customers. This bill increase will help us maintain our high standard of reliability while we upgrade our infrastructure to support decarbonization.

With Thanks,
General Manager Greg Phipps and the RMLD Team
RMLD Announces 9 Percent Bill Increase
RMLD's Citizens’ Advisory Board and Board of Commissioners recently approved rate increases that will result in average monthly bills increasing 9 percent across all rate classes effective March 1, 2023. As a not-for-profit entity, rates support the increased operating cost of the utility as well as increased monthly power supply costs.

Despite the rate increases, customer bills are approximately 75-90 % lower than Investor-Owned Utilities in Massachusetts as shown by the accompanying graph.
Free Home Energy Assessment Webinar Recording Now Available
Thank you to those who joined us and our partner Energy New England for our recent webinar about free home energy audits. As always, we had a great group of engaged participants.

In case you missed it, you can watch the recording of the webinar below. And more information about free home energy assessments and how to schedule can be found on our website.
RMLD Extends Deal With FirstLight For Hydroelectric Power
FirstLight Power, a leading clean provider of renewable energy and energy storage resources, announced the extension of the company’s power purchase agreement with RMLD. Through the agreement, RMLD will purchase the full output of hydroelectric power and renewable energy credits from FirstLight’s Falls Village Generating Station in Connecticut. The agreement will advance RMLD’s strategy of exceeding the State’s noncarbon compliance requirements to obtain 50 percent of its power supply from noncarbon sources by 2030 and further position the towns of Reading, North Reading, Wilmington, and Lynnfield as leaders towards the State’s goal of decarbonization.   
RMLD Customer Survey: Help Us Better Serve You!
RMLD has hired GreatBlue Research to conduct a customer satisfaction survey to seek input in the areas of service reliability, rates, customer service, energy efficiency programs, power supply, and more. You'll even have the chance to tell us how much you enjoy this newsletter!

The survey will be conducted by phone and online and should take no more than 15 minutes to complete. GreatBlue will be contacting randomly selected customers to complete the survey by phone through January 27. Please note, GreatBlue will not ask for any personal or financial information when calling.

Customers who are not randomly selected to complete the survey by phone will receive an email with a link to the online survey in early February.

Thank you for your participation!
Coming to a Bill Near You: Give the Gift of Warmth
The Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund, which helps families who do not qualify for federal or state assistance with the payment of their energy expenses, is currently open to all eligible candidates. To qualify, a household’s gross income level must fall between 60 and 80 percent of the state’s median income levels - click here to learn more. To apply for assistance, visit a local Salvation Army Corps Community Center or call 800-334-3047. 

RMLD customers who wish to support the Fund can “Give the Gift of Warmth” by using the red and white-colored Good Neighbor Energy Fund donation envelope found as an insert in your February bill. Paperless and all other customers can also DONATE ONLINE or by mailing a check payable to "Good Neighbor Energy Fund" to the Good Neighbor Energy Fund, c/o The Salvation Army, 25 Shawmut Road, Canton, Massachusetts 02021-1408.
We're Hiring!
Start off the New Year with a new career! RMLD is growing and with growth comes employment opportunities! Are you interested in helping shape the future of the utility industry? If so, check out our open positions and join our team!
RMLD Hours of Operation
RMLD has extended its business hours to better serve our customers:
  • Monday through Thursday: 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. 
  • Friday: Closed 
  • Please note that RMLD will be closed on Monday, February 20 for President's Day.
Customers can continue to reach us 24/7 at 781-942-6598. Thank you for your continued cooperation.
RMLD
RELIABLE POWER
230 Ash Street, Reading, MA 01867-0250 | PH: (781) 942-6598 (24/7/365)