Click Energy Sense to learn why Satellite/Cable boxes get poor ratings in Energy Efficiency

See what the experts had to say about cable and satellite receiver boxes on your TV and the extraordinary amount of energy they use. Click on our Energy Sense service logo on the home page to learn more.

MG&E gas customers get another decrease

Natural gas customers will pay 4 cents less per ccf (hundred cubic feet) in February - added to a 3 cent decrease in January. The total savings of both drops equal about $20 less per heating month. But MG&E warns customers that bills will still seem higher due to record cold and higher use.

See the press release below for more information.

(view Press Release)

New Year starts with Drop In Fuel Charges

Both gas and electric customers will save on heat and power costs during the winter. Effective January 1st, electric Puchase Power Adjustment charges will drop to 9.6 cents per kilowatt hour saving residential customers using 750 kilowatt hours per month about $27 per year - $2.25 per month. The Purchase Gas Adjustment charges will drop to 96.24 cents per ccf, saving gas customers about $8.25 per heating month.

(view Press Release)

Commission approves ten percent Holiday Discount for residents to help with celebration

Commission approves a ten percent discount for all residential customers, keeping the tradition alive. Customers should pay the December bill when due to take advantage of this extra discount that is added to the prompt payment discount. Read more in the Press Release below.

(view Press Release)

MG&E Lowers Electric Fuel Charge Again

The second drop in the fuel charge (Purchase Power Adjustment) means customers will see lower charges on late summer electric use beginning with their September bill.

(view Press Release)

December is Holiday Discount Time - A 50 year-old Tradition!

December 1959 ... the Department gives a "Christmas Bonus Credit" to all residential customers, an unusual act that was noted in a number of newspapers across the country.

Today, the Board of Commissioners is keeping the tradition alive, offering a Holiday Discount to all residential electric and natural gas customers, included in the December bill. It means an added 10% above the 10% Prompt Payment Discount on all fixed energy charges (not on PPA or PGA). It is already calculated in the bill so simply pay the "net" amount due by the Due Date on the bill to take advantage of this holiday bonus! Read more about the celebration and nostalgia in the Press Release below. Or check out our fun history facts.

(view Holiday Discount Press Release)

MG&E Solar Panels Bring Power Generation back to Wareham Street

For the first time since the Department ran a water wheel in the Nemasket River, electric power is being generated at the Wareham Street station. This time, it's sunlight that runs the operation and there are no moving parts. In fact, the solar panels themselves are nearly invisible, one story up on the truck garage roof. But they have the potential to collect enough sunlight to generate about half of the Electric Division office building use.

To learn more about the 16.8 Kilowatt Solar Array, affectionately dubbed the Solar Stream,  open the Press Release below. Read our Fast Facts News Brief  for comparative statistics and operating data from the first day.

To watch actual power generation real time, click on the Solar Array weblink, showing charts of generation by the hour and day, week or month.

(view Press Release)

MG&E will bring Customer Worries to Washington

MG&E is giving their customers a chance to make a difference in a big part of their energy bills by joining their voices with others throughout New England and urging Congress to listen to their concerns.

The Department is asking customers to sign pre-written letters or fill in comment cards to tell Congressional Representatives how they feel about inflated and unfair electricity costs in New England where their bills are typically over 50% higher than other, non-deregulated states. 

New General Manager John Granahan and Commissioner Don Triner will travel to Washington D.C. late in February to deliver the cards and letters to their elected officials to ask for change in this convoluted system.

Click on the Press Release below to read more. Click on Learn More/Take Action to participate.

(view Press Release)

11th Circuit Energized to Serve S. Middleborough

The final leg of the 11th circuit, serving South Middleborough, is now officially complete and "ON", energized on September 5th at 7:36 AM. Named the Tremont circuit, it is an express circuit beginning at the substation and traveling directly to the southern most part of town, from Pine Street south, relieving the distribution system in this growing area.

(view Press Release)

Commissioner Triner Helps out in New Orleans

Commissioner Don Triner joins APPA members for a Day of Giving while attending the 2008 National Conference.

(view Press Release)

Your Holiday Discount is coming in time to help with the holiday roast!

Commissioners just approved a 10 percent holiday discount on all electric customer and energy charges applied to December's bills. The average residential customer using 750 kilowatt hours per month will save over $5 when they pay their bill in full by the discount date. Read our press release for the details and Happy Holidays!

(view Press Release)

MG&E Raises Purchase Power Adjustment 1 cent due to mandated market costs for regional power plants

Additional regional mandated costs in support of the Canal power plant and charges to spur power growth in NE add a penny per kilowatt hour to customer bills. But typical bills are still lower than most.

(view Press Release)

MG&E Energizes its10th Circuit - And #11 is on the way!

With the flip of a switch, the staff of the MG&E substation brought the Department's 10th circuit to life. This new routing of wires to the North Lakeville and Middleborough Rotary area ensures reliable access to electric service for future growth in these industrial areas. The 11th circuit, serving South Middleborough is already under construction. Read more ...

(view Press Release)

New Messenger Helps Save Energy & the Environment

MG&E customers are now receiving a new, improved customer newsletter - the Messenger - in their bills. The Messenger now focuses on the latests ways to save energy in the home including guilt-free suggestions for change, eye-opening comparisons of common appliances and thought-provoking information on new home energy use to save on your bills.

The larger size newsletter is helping to save the environment as well - now printed on 100% post-consumer waste using less processing, bleaching and other chemical alterations that leach into groundwater and use more energy.

Click on the April Messenger below to view this latest edition which is also arriving in your bills. And let us know what you think by clicking on [Contact Us]. We appreciate your opinion!

(view Messenger April 2007)

Nor'easter Wind Kills Trees & Power

Electric crews are repairing significant damage to poles, lines and transformers after the weekend nor’easter snapped trees throughout the area. Wind gusted to 59 miles per hour early Monday morning, rivaling gusts during Hurricane Bob. The department requested help from several peer utilities whose systems were not as badly damaged. For recent details, click on the News Brief link below.

Area residents should be cautious around damaged trees near utility lines. Always assume a downed line is live and report damage to our electric division at 508-947-3023. To see the forecast, click on the weather link below.

(view News Brief)

MG&E Raises Electric Adjustment Factor 1 cent

LICAP charges force the first electric cost increase in over a year. Customers will pay a penny more per kilowatt hour -about $7.50 more per month but still save money compared to surrounding area electric utilities.

(view Press Release)

Department alerts customers to expect high bills due to frigid blasts.

(view Press Release)

MG&E Lowers Electric & Gas Adjustment

Customers will save on heating and power costs in time for winter.

(view Press Release)

All Time High Electric Use by MG&E Customers

Department records a new peak of 65.97 megawatts.

(view Press Release)

Town Departments receive a $39,000 credit on electric bills this month.

(view Press Release)

Electric Customers will save an average of $5 per month this summer. Middleborough Gas & Electric Department officials announced today that the fuel charge on all electric customer bills will drop by one cent per kilowatt hour (kWh) effective May 1st. The fuel charge which appears as the Electric Adjustment Factor on every bill reflects a pass-through to customers of the wholesale cost of electricity purchased by the Department.

(view PDF)

Carbon Monoxide detectors save lives. One Massachusetts family is lucky to be alive today because their carbon monoxide detectors failed but their dog did not.

(view PDF)

Outage Update: Call (508) 947-3023

Important -  We now have less than 100 customers without power due to individual service line damage that we can confirm. If we have not heard from you since the storm and you are still without power, please call us to let us know.

Why: some of our customers left to wait for power to return and don't know that their individual lines are damaged. We won't know this until we hear from you and can investigate.

What to do:  Call (508) 947-3023 to confirm your power is out.

New Appliance Rebates are on the way. Changes to our program will promote even more energy savings.

We will be adding more Energy Star appliances but we may also ask for proof of removal of the appliance you are replacing. Check back in mid- January and read the Messenger for the new program details.

Philander Washburn House gets a New Coat of Paint

The work is complete on the exterior of this important historic building, preserving the sense of history this landmark represents for everyone who visits our downtown. Philander Washburn and his family built this home in 1832 and then donated the land for the beautiful Central Congregational Church on this corner and for the town hall across Main street. Mr. Washburn served in the state Senate for two terms and accepted visitors for the public's business at this home in the west-side office. We continue that tradition by serving our public consumers and owners here and preserving the beauty of great architecture. Feel free to stop in and enjoy this landmark for yourself.

Answer Your Electric Safety Questions - booklets for download

May is National Electric Safety Month. If you've got questions about the right way to use electricity safely in your home, the booklet listed below has the answers. Click on the link below to read a booklet about safe electric use in older homes.

(view Electrical Safety Workbook)

Know Electric Safety Dangers in Older Homes

May is National Electric Safety Month. If you live in an older home, like so many century-old homes in our town, check the booklet below for answers about the safe use of electricity and ways to upgrade your wiring and circuitry.

(view Know the Dangers in Your Older Home)

A Few Facts about the Solar Array

To learn a few operational facts and comparative data about our new Solar Array, open the Facts sheet below.

(view Fact Sheet - Solar Array)

In Your Own Words: a sampling of comments for Fair Electric Rates

We asked our customers to tell us and our legislators how they felt about the expensive practices of our regional transmission authority, ISO-New England and the unfair costs of electric power today. To date, we've received nearly 500 comment cards, letters and coupons, many with handwritten comments so powerful, they made our legislators take notice. Click on the News Brief below to read this sampling.

(view News Brief Comments on Fair Rates)

The February edition of our customer newsletter The Messenger - back page - contains a clip-off comment card that you can fill in and send back right away. Just print the back page, clip the card, fill it in with your name, address and comments and get it back to us via mail or our convenient payment boxes.

(view The Messenger)

In a special editorial article in the Worcester Business Journal, the General Manager of the Shrewsbury municipal electric utility puts the whole issue of electric market failure in perspective.

Click on the Article below to read/print it.

(view Article)

Need the details? If you want to understand how the electric markets in this country and especially in New England got this way - over-inflated, convoluted, and unfair - click on Q&A About UnFair Rates below to learn about the wrong path we followed and the way to fix it.

(view Q&A About Unfair Rates)

Click on Rate Comparison below to see the difference between the ISO-NE electric rates in New England versus other states.

(view Rate Comparison)

The Facts ...

• The ISO New England wholesale electric market is not working for the consumer; deregulation has not spurred competition, prices are artificially high and necessary infrastructure investments are not being made.
• Highest rates and fastest increases are found in states with retail deregulation, no price caps, and regional transmission operator-run markets. This includes Massachusetts where consumers pay on average 56% more for electricity.
• Generators can charge any price these dysfunctional markets will bear, regardless of their costs, reaping huge profits for shareholders while driving up consumer electricity rates and using the rhetoric of high fuel costs to justify their actions.
• Congress must direct FERC - the federal agency responsible - to investigate these markets to determine whether rates are just and reasonable and are protecting consumers, and if not, to remedy the situation.

Help us urge Congress to hold FERC accountable!

Click on the Fact Sheet below for a printable version.

(view Fact Sheet)

Introducing 811 - a New Phone Number for Safety - Call Before You Dig!

You know about 411 for information and 911 for emergencies. But now you can dial 811 and reach all of your local utilites at once through the Massachusetts Dig Safe network.

Chances are, there are pipes and wires buried underground delivering water or sewer service, natural gas, phone, cable and electricity that you count on. Hitting these buried lines when you dig can have devasting results. If you hit one, you'll not only be liable for the repair, you could be injured or worse.

Now peace of mind is just three little numbers away - 8-1-1. Dial 811 and you reach the Dig Safe network. They call all of your neighboring utilities to mark their locations so you can avoid any damage or injury. For more about this easy call, click on the link below.

Be safe! Dig Safe! It's as easy as 8-1-1.

MG&E Gets Help Repairing Nor'easter Damage from Winds Close to Hurricane Strength

Four crews from 3 other towns assisted MG&E crews repair the extensive damage done by the Patriot's Day nor'easter. All customers have their power restored by Tuesday evening as high winds continued.

(view News Brief)

PASNY Credit Saves Residential Customers a Half Million

Residential customers got back a total of $500,000 in 2006 thanks to clean, carbon-free hydroelectricity from the state of New York. Our PASNY Credit saves money and cuts pollution. Click on the link below to learn more about this important power source.

(view News Brief)

Heavy rain and strong wind toppled trees, damaging poles and lines on Saturday. Over 1,400 customers lost power and crews braved over 40 mph gusts to make repairs until 3 am Sunday.

(view News Brief)

Heater Installed at Natural Gas Take Station

A new heating unit has been installed at the South Middleborough take station to ensure a smooth operation this winter. Keeping the gas warm keeps equipment working no matter how cold it gets. Want to know why this works?

(view News Brief)

Standard & Poor's recently rated public power utilities as an investment sector high and very secure.

(view PDF)

Peak Electric Use Reaches New High of 63 MW

Electric customers broke a record on Tuesday, July 18th with a new high use of electricity - 63 megawatts.

(view PDF)

Important News About the New CNG Fueling Station

CNG is the latest type of fuel being promoted for automotive engines as a clean-burning domestic alternative fuel. Learn more about this technology and the new station.

(view PDF)

Channel 5 aired a report showing typical residential electric bills lower than MG&E typical bills. Customers may question why. There were many errors in the report. It showed only half of the charges on a bill. See why your MG&E residential bill is actually lower than those in the report.

(view PDF)

This great American tragedy has affected everyone and utilities need to take special precautions and other actions to help the nation recover. Learn more about what MG&E has done and will continue to do to support our nation's efforts and the families that have lost loved ones.

(view PDF)

Energy bills and everything associated with the cost of oil and natural gas will be climbing significantly higher this winter. Find out more about how this will affect your energy bill, what you can do and what MG&E is doing to keep rates stable.

(view PDF)

A Few Facts About CNG Fuel & Vehicles

CNG engines are at work right now in vehicles from simple Chevy Cavalier sedans to Zamboni ice resurfacers. Natural Gas is the cleanest burning fuel for automotive transportation today. Learn more about this important fuel and the cars that use it.

(view CNG Fuel & Vehicles)

California is facing rolling blackouts and skyrocketing energy bills. We think this won't happen here. Learn more about the differences between Massachusetts & California when it comes to energy management. Test.

(view PDF)

Messenger Newsletter

(view February 2012)

Messenger Newsletter

(view December 2011)

Messenger Newsletter

(view October 2011)

Messenger newsletter

(view August 2011)

The Messenger

(view PDF)

Customer Newsletter

(view Messenger December 09)

The Messenger - November, 2009

(view The Messenger - November, 2009)

Customer Newsletter

(view The Messenger)

The Messenger customer newsletter

(view The Messenger - April edition)

Customer Newsletter - Fair Electric Rates Campaign

(view Messenger February 09)

• Holiday Discount has arrived!
• LED holiday lights save $
• Fair Electric Rates Campaign coming
• How Much to Compute?

(view The Messenger Dec08)

Customer Newsletter

(view Messenger December 08)

• Energy Hotline
• Changes at Philander Washburn House
• Completed Customer Service Survey
• How Much for winter's energy users

(view The Messenger October)

• Annual Review of Revenue, Expenses, Benefits
• Our General Manager reports before retiring
• Special Deal for Gas Furnace Cleaning
• Regional Statistics on Spending

(view Messenger June 08 - Special Edition)

• We're On the Air!
• Thanks to the MHS Key Club
• The new 811 number to call for safety
• Gas Appliances versus others - How Much?

(view Messenger April 08)

Customer Newsletter

(view Messenger February 08)

Customer Newsletter

(view PDF)

December 2006 Messenger Newsletter

(view Messenger)

August 2004 - Customer Newsletter

(view PDF)

April 2004 - Customer Newsletter

(view PDF)