Partnership for Residential Electrification Capital Improvements

APPLICABILITY:

The Rider is available and applicable to residential customers who participate in the Home Plus Program to install an electric heat pump and other qualifying efficiency home improvements. The intent of the Rider is to recover the revenue requirement of the capital investments made by Westfield Gas + Electric (WG+E) for an electric heat pump or other qualifying efficiency home improvement.

QUALIFICATIONS:

The Home Plus Program and this Rider are available to residential electric customers who meet the following criteria:

1. Customer receives electric service pursuant to WG+E rate schedule E11/E12 Residential Electric Service. Customer will be classified as rate E12 Residential Electric Heat.

2. Customer’s residence, at the time of application for the Home Plus Program, must use oil, propane, wood/pellets, or electric baseboard heat as the primary heating source. Natural gas heat customers are not eligible for the Home Plus Program.

3. Customer must reside in a Westfield, and to be eligible for the additional incentive of necessary electrical upgrades to support operation of a heat pump the Customer must reside in an Environmental Justice Block group, designated as of June 1, 2024 by the Massachusetts 2020 Environmental Justice Populations Map.

4. Customer’s WG+E/Whip City Fiber (WCF) accounts must be in good standing. Good standing means Customer’s WG+E/WCF accounts must be current with no more than one collection disconnect in the last 12 months. Customers with less than 12 months of history with WG+E must be current with no history of collection disconnects and must submit a letter demonstrating good standing from their previous utility provider.

Customers who qualify for the Home Plus Program must also meet the following property criteria:

1. Capital improvements will be provided for owner-occupied properties with three dwelling units or less. Owner-occupied condos or townhomes with individual unit heating systems will be considered individual dwelling units. Non-owner-occupied properties do not qualify. Tenants or non-owners of property are not eligible.

2. There shall be no Municipal, State, or Federal tax liens on the property. Customer must provide proof that any outstanding mortgage on the property is current on payment.

3. New construction properties are not eligible.

4. Property must not have active knob and tubing electrical systems.

CONDITIONS:

1. A WG+E Energy Audit must be completed prior to the project moving forward. If the Audit identifies the need for the heat pump, windows, doors, and insulation, Customer must install all identified improvements in the building envelope and the air source heat pump. If the audit finds that there is not a need for the installation of new windows, doors, and insulation, the property will qualify for the air source heat pump alone. All energy efficiency upgrades must be paired with a whole home heat pump.

2. The maximum capital investment for a project by WG+E is $27,000 after WG+E incentives have been applied. Multi-unit properties are limited to a maximum capital investment of $27,000. The Home Plus Program Rider is only applied to the owner account of multi-unit properties.

3. If Customer sells the property at which the capital improvements have been made, the remainder of the revenue requirement must be repaid in full to WG+E, unless the new property owner agrees to assume the Home Plus Program Rider. A written agreement must be executed between the owners to transfer the Rider and be provided to WG+E prior to closing of the sale of the property explicitly stating that the buyer assumes this Rider upon taking WG+E electric service.

4. Customer must fully repay the original project’s revenue requirement before applying for a similar program through the WG+E.

BASE MONTHLY CHARGE:

1. The customer’s monthly customer, transmission, distribution, and energy supply charges shall be determined in accordance with the standard E11/E12 Residential Electric Service rate.

2. The Rider is subject to the WG+E Electric Service Terms and Conditions including all provisions for service shutoff, payment default, collection costs, and late fees.

MONTHLY RECOVERY OF THE CAPITAL INVESTMENT REVENUE REQUIREMENT:

1. A monthly charge of $150 will be added to the “Other Services and Charges” section of the bill until payment of the WG+E capital improvement is paid in full; this is the revenue requirement for the capital improvement.

2. The Residential Early Pay Discount and Farm Discount are not applicable to the $150 revenue requirement.

3. The full value of the capital investment may be paid in full at any time. Any payments greater than the amount billed each month but less than the total remaining revenue requirement will result in a credit on the Customer account.

4. WG+E will not add any interest or carrying charges to the revenue requirement.

5. This Rider terminates once the capital improvement has been paid in full.

TERMS OF AGREEMENT:

The maximum recovery time to return the capital improvement is 180 months (15 years). Each Customer’s Rider Term will be determined by the total revenue requirement divided by $150 (e.g., $27,000 capital investment divided by $150 monthly = 180 monthly payments, $15,000 capital investment divided by $150 monthly = 100 monthly payments).

The first payment will be used to adjust for any remainder from the $150 monthly divisor.

Service is governed by the Electric Service Terms and Conditions of the Westfield Gas & Electric Light Department. Failure to stay current and in good standing may result in a service disconnect.

Home Plus Program Terms and Conditions are available on the program website or by request.