Berlin and Orange join the Energy Revolution

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - July 16, 2015 - PRLog -- Hampshire Council of Governments is proud to announce that the Community Choice Aggregation Program is now 51 municipalities strong, cementing their position as the largest electricity buying group in Massachusetts. Under aggregation, each town now has the opportunity to buy their electricity supply in bulk—driving down rates through group purchasing. The non-profit Hampshire Council of Governments will serve as the buying agent for each municipality, ensuring the best possible rates for residents and businesses.

Todd Ford, Executive Director, announced that “Each municipality that joins the program strengthens our purchasing power. As a non-profit with extensive experience in the energy space, we know how to command low prices, and we do it without the overhead of a big business. Our mission is to keep energy dollars local. Thank you to the Towns of Berlin and Orange for voting to do exactly that.”

51 of 351 Massachusetts municipalities are now part of the Hampshire Community Aggregation program—15% of the Commonwealth.

Lee Frankl, Deputy Director for the Council, added: “I had the opportunity to be present for the vote in Orange last night. Residents and business owners were eager to see a reduction in their electricity bills, an imperative for their local economy. While our competitors seek profit in this space from only the most populous cities and towns, the Council is fulfilling its commitment to bring Aggregation to every municipality in the Commonwealth, from the smallest towns to the biggest cities. We are determined to bring this model to every corner of Massachusetts.”

The Hampshire Council of Governments is a consortium of towns solving local problems by acting regionally. In 1998 the residents of Hampshire County voted to charter the Hampshire Council of Governments as the successor to Hampshire County.  We are a body politic and corporate; our charter ratified by the voters and by Massachusetts General Law 34B, §20(b). Our offices are still in the same place they have been since 1662, at the corner of King and Main in downtown Northampton.