This is an email I received on April 30, 2026 from Eversource.

Councilor Mallach:

 I am reaching out to provide information about an upcoming proposal Eversource (NSTAR Gas) is preparing to file in May with the Department of Public Utilities to expand our existing first in the nation networked geothermal loop.  Eversource is excited to share that we will be participating in a joint project with HEET and the city of Framingham that expands the existing networked geothermal loop off of the Framingham pilot site in an adjacent, established neighborhood. 

This proposal is differentiated from the initial geothermal pilot as Eversource will only be constructing the geothermal network system. Eversource will not be completing the in-home customer conversions and will not own the HVAC equipment within customers’ buildings or homes.  HEET has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Geothermal Technologies Office to receive approximately $8.6 million in funding for this project to help expand community geothermal heating and cooling systems. 

Customer affordability is a cornerstone of how we operate every day and, along with safety and reliability, at the heart of our customer-first focus.  If the expansion is approved by the Department of Public Utilities, we anticipate the average monthly total bill impact for an NSTAR gas residential heating customer is estimated to be an increase of approximately $1.34 or 0.7% per month.  We’re sending this email in compliance with new state outreach requirements. 

For more information, please see the attached plain language summary of the filing. Once the filing is made, we will continue to work closely with the City of Framingham to assist in our efforts to engage the public and raise awareness about this proceeding to ensure residents are neighbors are informed of how they can participate in the proceeding. 

Operating and maintaining a safe and reliable natural gas system for our approximately 315,000 NSTAR gas customers in 59 communities is our top priority, and we have a strong track record of safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively addressing aging infrastructure across the state. While our filing of this proposal will not immediately lead to a change in bills, we always want to encourage any customer who is struggling to pay their bills to connect with us through one of our free in-person bill help events or learn more about the assistance programs and payments plans available to them at Eversource.com/BillHelp. 

Thank you,