Pending approval by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, the electricity and natural gas company NSTAR will cut the cost of natural gas heating for the average gas−consuming customer by $17 a month starting Nov. 1.
NSTAR is one of the two main natural gas suppliers in the Greater Boston area, according to NSTAR Senior Media Specialist Michael Durand.
With the price cut, natural gas — a more environmentally−friendly energy source — Durand said, will cost $1.72 per gallon compared to $4 per gallon of oil.
As NSTAR's prices decrease by 13 percent from last year, Durand expects more residents in the community to switch from oil furnaces and boilers to natural gas.
"It's difficult to say how many in one particular city or town will actually make the change," he said. "But with prices going down and natural gas being a cleaner fuel, we've definitely seen a huge increase in folks who are interested in converting."
Because NationalGrid, the Greater Boston area's other primary gas and electric provider — and not NSTAR — supplies natural gas to Medford, the price cut will only affect the few downhill university buildings that do not use the campus' main gas supply, according to Director of Tufts Facilities Technical Services Elizabeth Isenstein.
"Certain wood−frame houses at Tufts that use small amounts of gas, mostly for hot−water heating, are not under contract, so the gas supply comes from NSTAR," Isenstein said. "They would benefit from this lower−cost gas, but they use very small amounts of gas."
Isenstein said that each year she buys a fixed amount of gas that serves the university−owned buildings throughout the school year from the Hess Corporation. As a result, NSTAR's price reduction won't have a great effect on the university this year, she said.
"If the price of gas quadruples, it doesn't matter. I've bought the gas," Isenstein said. "If the market price of gas drops or if someone makes a huge discovery and the price of gas is cut in half, it doesn't matter because I've bought the gas."
Although the proposed cut in natural gas cost will not have a significant effect on campus finances this year, because the price of gas fluctuates from year to year, the market could affect Tufts in the future, according to Isenstein.
"The market price of natural gas right now isn't the lowest I've seen, but it is pretty low," Isenstein said. "There will be opportunities to buy gas at a lower price."
NSTAR's proposed lower prices could greatly benefit Somerville's low−income residents, according to Melissa McWhinney, director of advocacy and community services at the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS), an anti−poverty nonprofit serving Somerville residents.
McWhinney explained that throughout the New England winter, some low−income families are unable to pay for both food supplies and heating costs, causing some children to lose weight.
"Anything that will help solve that problem by making heating costs more affordable is a wonderful thing," she said.
CAAS encourages Somerville's low−income residents to do everything they can to make their heating costs as low and efficient as possible.
"As the price of oil continues to climb and the price of natural gas remains the same or goes down, I think that probably there will be more and more conversions [to natural gas]," McWhinney said. "That's a great thing."
--
Correction: This article has been modified from its original version, which incorrectly stated that Betsy Isenstein also served as energy manager for the Office of Sustainability.
