In short: Greater Boston is split between Eversource (Boston, Cambridge, Newton, Waltham, Framingham) and National Grid (Quincy, Lowell, Lawrence). In 2024, homes buying power from Eversource paid about 29.9¢ per kWh and lost 81 minutes to outages. National Grid customers paid about 33.6¢ and lost 134 minutes (EIA). That gap shapes every decision below.
This page covers what is different around Boston: your utility, your town’s power supply program, local permit rules and charging. Statewide rules (net metering, SMART 3.0, the state tax credit, electrician licensing) are in our Massachusetts energy guide.
Greater Boston at a glance
- Eversource (NSTAR Electric): about 29.9¢ per kWh on average in 2024 for homes on its own supply; 81 outage minutes per customer counting major storms, 66 without, across Massachusetts (EIA-861, 2024).
- National Grid (Massachusetts Electric): about 33.6¢ per kWh; 134 outage minutes with major storms, 91 without, and about one interruption per customer in the year (EIA-861, statewide).
- Town-owned light plants nearby: Braintree, Belmont, Wellesley, Concord, Norwood, Reading, Wakefield, Hingham, Hull, Peabody, Danvers, Marblehead and Hudson run their own utilities (MassGIS, from DPU data). Braintree charged about 15.8¢ and reported under 3 outage minutes per customer in 2024.
- Sun: about 3.8 kWh per square meter per day in Boston (NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,110 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Top hazards: Middlesex County is rated “very high” for ice storms and lightning, Essex County (Lawrence) “very high” for ice storms and coastal flooding, and Suffolk County (Boston) “relatively high” for coastal flooding, heat waves and hurricanes (FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025).
- Public charging: 1,958 ports in Boston and 880 in Cambridge, plus 216 in Quincy, 183 in Framingham, 178 in Newton, 168 in Waltham, 160 in Lowell and 74 in Lawrence (AFDC, October 3, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Your wires company depends on your town, not your neighborhood, so check the first page of your bill. Both big utilities only deliver the power. The supply part can come from the utility, a competitive supplier or your city’s program. In 2024, about 71% of Eversource households and 56% of National Grid households bought supply from someone else (EIA-861).
- Eversource towns: net metering follows the state rules on our Massachusetts page. For a home battery, Eversource takes part in ConnectedSolutions, which pays $275 per kW of average discharge during 30 to 60 summer events, with the rate locked for five years (program materials, 2023 edition). We could not read Eversource’s own pages, so ask Eversource about any EV rate or charger offer.
- National Grid towns (Quincy, Lowell, Lawrence): same state net metering rules. National Grid estimates a battery in ConnectedSolutions earns around $1,200 a year, depending on the system. A limited ConnectedSolutions+ offer with higher rewards covers select areas including Lynn, Malden, Medford and Salem. Its Charge Smart MA program pays drivers $0.05 per kWh for off-peak charging in summer and $0.03 the rest of the year (National Grid, October 2026).
- Municipal light plants: each town plant sets its own solar, battery and EV rules, and SMART payments have generally not applied in light plant territory (Holyoke Gas & Electric’s solar page explains this). Ask your light department before you sign anything.
Town supply programs: all eight cities we list below have a municipal aggregation plan approved by the Department of Public Utilities (DPU list, May 2026). Boston’s is Community Choice Electricity. You can leave or join, and compare offers on the DPU’s Energy Switch Massachusetts site.
Backup power in Greater Boston
Outages here are short on average, but the bad ones come with ice. FEMA rates ice storms “very high” in Middlesex and Essex counties, and the ConnectedSolutions program notes that most outages in the region happen in winter. In Boston and Quincy, the coastal flooding and hurricane ratings add a second risk: basements and sump pumps.
- Apartment or condo: a portable power station keeps phones, Wi-Fi, a CPAP and lights going without fumes or a permit.
- Single-family home with gas or oil heat: the burner, blower and pumps need electricity. A home battery or a standby generator sized for heat and the sump pump covers an ice-storm night. Size it with the battery backup calculator or the generator sizing tool, and compare options in backup power.
Triple-deckers and tight lots make generator placement hard. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says to run a generator outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, with the exhaust pointed away from doors, windows and vents, and never in a garage or basement. That distance can be hard to find on a city lot, which is where a battery or power station can fit better. Put battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms on every level. Wiring any backup into the house is a job for a licensed electrician; see generator installation.
Solar in Greater Boston
By our rough estimate, a kW of panels makes about 1,110 kWh a year here. At 2024 average prices, that is worth about $333 a year to an Eversource home and about $374 to a National Grid home, if it offsets power you would otherwise buy (estimates, not promises; rates change). So the higher National Grid price shortens the payback in Quincy, Lowell and Lawrence. Shade from trees and neighboring buildings can cut output a lot on dense streets, so check your own roof with the solar potential tool and test quotes in the solar savings calculator.
In a light plant town, the numbers are different: lower rates mean a slower payback, and the plant’s own credit rules apply instead of state net metering. For the steps from contract to switch-on, see solar installation.
Batteries
A battery earns money here in two ways: ConnectedSolutions summer payments, and backup during winter storms. As a rough example, a battery that averages 5 kW across the summer events would earn about $1,375 at $275 per kW, before any share your installer or manufacturer keeps (our arithmetic). The program says it tries not to call events when a large storm is forecast, so the battery stays charged for an outage.
Boston also has its own placement rules. The city’s solar permit page says home battery systems are typically limited to 20 kWh per unit. They may go in a basement that is not used for living or sleeping, in a garage or outside, but never in living areas, and units need about 3 feet of spacing unless the manufacturer allows less. See home battery installation and battery cost.
EV charging
Boston and Cambridge alone had 2,838 public charging ports in October 2026 (AFDC), which matters for the many residents without a driveway. At home, at about 30 kWh per 100 miles, charging costs roughly $9 per 100 miles at Eversource’s 2024 average price and about $10.10 at National Grid’s (estimates). National Grid customers can cut that with off-peak rebates. Run your own figures in the EV charging cost calculator. A Level 2 charger needs an electrical permit pulled by a licensed electrician; see EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Boston: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
- Boston: Inspectional Services. Solar needs both a building permit and an electrical permit; small systems on one- and two-family homes can use the Short Form. See Install or Replace Solar Panels and the Electrical Permit page. Homeowners can’t pull an electrical permit; the licensed contractor does.
- Cambridge: Inspectional Services Department, which handles building and electrical permits online.
- Other cities and towns: your local building department and wiring inspector issue the permits.
- Condos and historic districts: get written approval from your condo association, and check local historic commission rules before roof work.
Cities we cover
- Boston
- Cambridge
- Newton
- Quincy
- Waltham
- Framingham
- Lowell
- Lawrence
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Greater Boston energy FAQ
Is my home on Eversource or National Grid?
It depends on your town. Boston, Cambridge, Newton, Waltham and Framingham are Eversource; Quincy, Lowell and Lawrence are National Grid. Braintree, Belmont, Wellesley, Concord and several other towns have their own municipal light plant. Your bill names the company, and the state’s MassGIS utility map shows it town by town.
Can I join ConnectedSolutions with a battery in Boston?
Yes, if your battery and inverter are on the approved list and you are an Eversource or National Grid customer. The program pays $275 per kW of average discharge during summer events, locked for five years. Some manufacturers keep part of the payment, so ask your installer what you would actually receive.
Where can a home battery go in a Boston house?
According to the city’s permit page, in a basement that is not used for living or sleeping, in an attached or detached garage, or outside, but not in living areas. Residential systems are typically limited to 20 kWh per unit, with spacing between units. Your installer and Inspectional Services confirm the details for your building.
Does my city’s electricity program affect solar savings?
It changes the supply price you avoid, so it changes the value of each kWh your panels make. The delivery part of the bill still comes from Eversource or National Grid. When you compare solar quotes, use your own bill’s total price per kWh, not a statewide average.
Sources
Utility prices, outages and supply choice: U.S. Energy Information Administration, EIA-861 data for 2024. Utility by town: MassGIS Electricity Providers map (DPU data). Municipal aggregation: Department of Public Utilities list, updated May 2026. ConnectedSolutions program materials (2023 edition) and National Grid program pages, read October 3, 2026. City of Boston and City of Cambridge permit pages, October 3, 2026. Sun: NASA POWER, 2001 to 2020. Hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Charging: Alternative Fuels Data Center, October 3, 2026. Generator safety: CPSC.