Massachusetts electric and gas utilities were required to begin offering tiered bill discounts to low-income customers on Nov. 1. On Thursday, Nov. 12, the state Department of Public Utilities (DPU) will question the companies about whether customers with limited English can learn about the discounts and sign up, and whether the companies' websites meet accessibility standards.
The session runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. online, in English and Spanish, and the public may observe. The DPU says it intends its translation requirements to let a customer with limited English learn about a discount, apply and confirm enrollment.
What the discounts are
The DPU ordered the discounts on Feb. 17, 2026, in the first phase of an inquiry it opened in January 2024, D.P.U. 24-15. There are six tiers, matching federal heating-assistance income categories. They start at households at or below the federal poverty level ($15,650 a year for one person and $32,150 for a family of four, in 2025) and reach up to 60 percent of state median income. The DPU puts that 60 percent threshold at $51,777 for a one-person household and about $99,573 for a four-person household.
Discounts are the same at every utility and must be at least 15 percent for gas customers and 25 percent for electric customers. Each tier is designed to reach a target energy burden, which the DPU defines as the percentage of household income spent on energy. For the lowest tier the target is 4 percent in total, split between 2 percent for electricity and 2 percent for gas heating. The other five tiers target 6 percent, split 3 percent and 3 percent. For one person at the poverty level with electric service and gas heating, 4 percent of $15,650 is about $626 a year.
The order also told utilities to stop charging discount customers the Residential Assistance Adjustment Factor.
What regulators will ask on Nov. 12
On translation, the DPU asks National Grid to describe how it will add a translate feature to all of its web pages, including cost, timeline and alternatives it considered. It asks the other companies how far they have come, and how they translate bill inserts, application forms and enrollment confirmations.
On accessibility, it asks whether the companies follow an established standard such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, what features their sites have, what those cost and how long more would take. It also asks the companies about their experience since the Nov. 1 launch.
The DPU's pages do not say how many households have enrolled or what the language and accessibility work will cost. The session is part of the DPU's second phase of work on the inquiry. Nov. 12 is when the companies are asked to answer.