Strong communities rely on their own resources to benefit the local economy. The Town of Mansfield is one of 2,000 cities and towns in the United States that provides power and light to its citizens and businesses through a town-owned and operated electrical service. In fact, Mansfield Electric now offers the 2nd lowest electric rate in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 47% lower than the current residential rates for private utilities in the state for similar energy consumed.
Supplying community-owned electricity is just one of the many ways Mansfield shows its solid investment in the town. Following a model of public power is the choice of each municipality and offers numerous benefits to businesses and residents alike, including reliability, affordability, and community support, while being an environmentally friendly practice.
Here’s a snapshot of public power by the numbers, according to the American Public Power Association.
Economical
- Homeowners with public power experience the lowest rates available—13 percent less than those who use private utilities as a source of electricity.
- Town-owned electricity saves the average American household $176.79 per year.
- Through savings of taxes, special services, and fees, public power gives 33 percent more back to the community from operating revenues than private energy.
Dependable
- Those with public power lose electricity less often, and when the power does go out, residents are without power for approximately 74 minutes per year. Those who lose private power can expect to wait for an average of 136 minutes per year for the lights to go back on.
- For businesses, less time without power equals more gain, like higher productivity, fewer lost working hours, and reduced interruptions to end-users and consumers.
Green
- From 2005 to 2017, town-owned and operated power facilities lowered carbon dioxide emissions by 33 percent.
- Non-carbon emitting sources accounted for 40 percent of electricity generation by public power sources in 2017.
If you’re ready to harness the power of town-owned and operated energy for the benefit of your business and employees, consider Mansfield for your relocation, and join a movement of municipalities across the nation that support public power utilities.