Appearing in Commonwealth Beacon on October 23, 2026, Jordan Wolman talks to Jenifer Bosco, managing director of energy advocacy at NCLC about new gas and electric discount rates launching November 1 in Massachusetts that are among the most generous in the country, but also carry tradeoffs.
Massachusetts isn’t alone in the rising share of households facing energy insecurity around the country, yet the state, as wealthy as it is, sticks out given its high cost of living and increasing utility bills.
The percentage of US households facing energy insecurity rose from 27 percent in 2020 to 33 percent in 2024, with nearly one-fourth foregoing or reducing the amount they spend on food or health care to keep the lights on, according to federal data compiled by the National Consumer Law Center.
“Energy affordability is definitely getting worse,” said Jenifer Bosco, NCLC’s managing director of energy advocacy. “Arrearages are growing. Certainly after Covid, after the disconnection moratoriums ended, people had pretty high amounts of arrears. For some families, that hasn’t really been fully resolved.”
Massachusetts in particular is headed in the wrong direction.
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