READING – The Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) Citizens’ Advisory Board and Board of Commissioners approved an average rate increase of 6.6 percent, which went into effect on April 1.
“RMLD continues to prioritize reliable and low-cost energy amid increasing costs in a dynamic energy market,” said RMLD General Manager Gregory Phipps. “This rate adjustment supports major capital investments and addresses rising regional transmission costs.”
Phipps said that, “RMLD’s customer bills are 50-60 percent lower than those of Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs) in Massachusetts.”
“A typical RMLD monthly bill is forecasted to be approximately $161 in 2025,” said Phipps. “Comparable IOU bills were typically $262 at Eversource, $266 at National Grid and $355 at Unitil in 2024. An average RMLD residential customer using approximately 800 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month can expect their monthly bill to increase by approximately $9.50.”
Phipps said approximately $5 or half of the increase can be attributed to increasing power supply costs, which are directly passed on to customers with no additional fee. He said public power remains the most reliable and cost-effective energy supply and is better for electricity customers.
Beginning in April 2025, Phipps said customer bills are expected to increase by the following percentages for each rate class: 6.3 percent for residential customers, 6.2 percent for residential time-of-use customers, 7 percent for commercial customers, 7.9 percent for industrial time-of-use customers, 6.9 percent for municipal customers and 5.9% for schools.
“RMLD recognizes that any price increase may pose a challenge for our customers, and we continue to proactively manage operating costs and our power supply cost to minimize these changes and keep bills low,” said Phipps. “This investment will allow RMLD to pursue needed capital improvements and address continually rising regional transmission costs as we work to provide reliable and excellent service to customers.”
Customers will see the 2025 billing adjustment reflected in the customer charge, demand charge, and the distribution energy charge. A full breakdown of RMLD residential bill charges can be found at rmld.com/understandingmybill.
RMLD power sources are currently at 55 percent non-carbon, which is well ahead of the commonwealth’s 2030 mandate that the power sold by MLPs be sourced from resources that are 50 percent non-carbon by 2030, 75 percent non-carbon by 2040, and net-zero carbon by 2050.