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Letter: Municipal utility would save $$$

Thursday, November 3, 2005

     I'm writing about your article on municipal utilities.

     A typical Cambridge family like mine uses about 500 kWh of electricity per month, for which NSTAR charged me $70 in June. For the same electric consumption, a family paid $43.20 in Wellesley, $47.90 in Braintree, $53.50 in Belmont and $54.40 in Concord.

     Such price differences apparently exist because Wellesley, Braintree, Belmont and Concord have municipal electric utilities. Because we have NSTAR, we pay 62 percent more than in Wellesley, 46 percent more than in Braintree, 31 percent more than in Belmont and 29 percent more than in Concord. Businesses also pay more to NSTAR in Cambridge than they would pay for electricity in those communities.

     Our state representatives and senators are now considering a bill, H3294, which would make it possible for Cambridge to study whether it is economical to replace NSTAR with a municipal utility. I think it would make sense for our representatives to pass this bill.

     KALMAN GLANTZ
     Kinnaird Street