Many Massachusetts municipalities benefit from Net Metering Agreements — but without active oversight, excess credits can quietly accumulate, creating large negative balances. Here’s how to manage and optimize your credits to protect your community’s bottom line.

Summer 2025 brought dramatic but short-lived energy market fluctuations in New England. After a mild spring with wholesale electricity averaging 3.3 cents per kWh, a late-June heatwave sent prices soaring to 15.8 cents for the June 23–25 period. By August 31, prices had stabilized at 5.1 cents per kWh and averaged 3.5 cents during the first two weeks of September. 

Behind-the-meter solar played a significant role in moderating prices, with 5,000–6,000 megawatts reducing mid-day load by 20–25%. This distributed generation helped offset demand spikes and demonstrates the growing importance of local energy resources. 

Futures markets reflected these shifts as well. The 2026 electricity futures contract fell from 6.8 cents in late June to 6.4 cents by early September, while 2027 and 2028 futures moved in the opposite direction, rising by 0.8 cents. Natural gas futures mirrored the pattern, with 2026 contracts dropping from $4.468 per dekatherm on June 20 to $3.848 by September 12, even as prompt-month gas hit its high point back in March. 

This convergence of electricity and natural gas pricing underscores how closely the two markets are linked. For policy makers, municipalities, and large users alike, it’s a reminder that even short-term weather events can ripple across the region’s energy costs. Staying informed about futures trends helps communities anticipate and manage budget impacts. Freedom Energy’s team continues to monitor these dynamics to provide actionable insights for clients heading into the 2026–2028 planning horizon. 

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On June 24, 2025, New England experienced its highest electricity demand since 2013, peaking at 26,135 MW during a four-day heatwave. Eight days earlier, the region had anticipated January 21 as the likely peak, but extreme summer weather shifted the outcome. This year marked the first time since 2009 that Freedom Energy issued only a single curtailment notice — a stark contrast to the seven sent during the 2024 season.

ISO-NE responded with a series of emergency measures to maintain grid reliability. Demand response resources were activated, emergency capacity purchases were considered, and exports to neighboring regions were curtailed. In total, 2,550 MW of generating capacity became unexpectedly unavailable, reducing reserves and prompting a capacity deficiency alert at 5:50 pm.

Wholesale electricity prices surged dramatically between 5:30 and 6:00 pm, reaching close to $1,600/MWh and averaging $240/MWh for the day — far higher than the 2025 year-to-date average of $63/MWh. This event underscores the growing volatility of summer peaks and the importance of proactive curtailment programs.

Looking forward, ISO-NE expects system peaks to continue evolving. With electrification driving winter demand, future peaks may occur outside traditional summer months. Beginning June 1, 2028, the Forward Capacity Market will split into two seasonal auctions to reflect winter and summer periods. This change will effectively set capacity tags twice a year and may necessitate sending curtailment notices for both seasons.

Freedom Energy continues to track these developments closely, helping clients understand their exposure to capacity costs and the opportunities to lower them through curtailment strategies and energy efficiency programs. If you’d like to receive our peak notifications in the future, sign-up here.

The Healey-Driscoll Administration has announced sweeping updates to Massachusetts’ solar energy programs, projected to deliver $300 million annually in savings and benefits while strengthening grid reliability and cutting customer costs.