Massachusetts power outages by utility
12 Massachusetts utilities report outage minutes to EIA. The state median is 48 minutes a year; the range runs from 3 to 193.
Ranking by outage minutes
Massachusetts, SAIDI without major event days, 2024; lower is better; 12 utilities.
| Rank | Massachusetts utility | Owner type | Massachusetts home accounts | SAIDI min | Interruptions (SAIFI) | SAIDI with storms | Massachusetts storm share | Price ¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Town of Braintree | Municipal | 14,039 | 3 | 0.04 | 3 | 0% | 15.79 |
| 2 | Town of North Attleborough | Municipal | 12,607 | 6 | 0.09 | 6 | 0% | 15.91 |
| 3 | Town of Mansfield | Municipal | 9,399 | 10 | 0.10 | 16 | 37% | 15.16 |
| 4 | Town of Reading | Municipal | 27,405 | 23 | 0.27 | 46 | 50% | 15.86 |
| 5 | City of Norwood | Municipal | 13,601 | 25 | 0.46 | 64 | 61% | 17.67 |
| 6 | City of Westfield | Municipal | 16,200 | 46 | 1.00 | 123 | 62% | 17.59 |
| 7 | Nantucket Electric Co | Investor Owned | 12,823 | 50 | 0.33 | 138 | 64% | 20.68 |
| 8 | City of Holyoke | Municipal | 15,040 | 62 | 1.26 | 62 | 0% | 16.58 |
| 9 | Fitchburg Gas & Elec Light Co | Investor Owned | 26,290 | 65 | 1.05 | 65 | 0% | 23.97 |
| 10 | NSTAR Electric Company | Investor Owned | 1,303,076 | 66 | 0.64 | 81 | 18% | 19.92 |
| 11 | Massachusetts Electric Co | Investor Owned | 1,210,113 | 91 | 0.84 | 134 | 32% | 23.07 |
| 12 | City of Taunton | Municipal | 35,684 | 193 | 2.37 | 193 | 0% | 21.46 |
Massachusetts outage minutes by owner type
In Massachusetts, 92% of 2,924,535 home accounts sit with the 12 qualifying utilities out of 20 in the file. Massachusetts customer-weighted SAIDI is 77 minutes against a median of 48, and 1 of 12 Massachusetts utilities exceed the U.S. median of 99. Counting major event days adds a median 25% to SAIDI.
| Massachusetts owner type | Massachusetts utilities | Massachusetts home accounts | Massachusetts median SAIDI | Massachusetts weighted SAIDI | Massachusetts median SAIFI | Massachusetts storm share | Massachusetts median price ¢/kWh |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Investor Owned | 4 | 2,552,302 | 65 | 78 | 0.74 | 25% | 21.88 |
| Municipal | 8 | 143,975 | 24 | 68 | 0.36 | 18% | 16.24 |
By owner type, Municipal utilities have the lowest median SAIDI in Massachusetts (24 minutes, 8 of 12) and Investor Owned the highest (65 minutes, 4 of 12).
Massachusetts utilities that stand out
| Why it stands out | Massachusetts utility | Massachusetts owner type | Massachusetts accounts | Massachusetts SAIDI min | Massachusetts SAIDI rank | Massachusetts SAIFI | Massachusetts SAIDI with storms | Massachusetts price ¢/kWh | Massachusetts price rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| the most reliable | Town of Braintree | Municipal | 14,039 | 3 | 1 of 12 | 0.04 | 3 | 15.79 | 2 of 12 |
| the least reliable | City of Taunton | Municipal | 35,684 | 193 | 12 of 12 | 2.37 | 193 | 21.46 | 10 of 12 |
| the largest | NSTAR Electric Company | Investor Owned | 1,303,076 | 66 | 10 of 12 | 0.64 | 81 | 19.92 | 8 of 12 |
| the most storm-driven | Nantucket Electric Co | Investor Owned | 12,823 | 50 | 7 of 12 | 0.33 | 138 | 20.68 | 9 of 12 |
| the most improved | City of Westfield | Municipal | 16,200 | 46 | 6 of 12 | 1.00 | 123 | 17.59 | 6 of 12 |
| the one that slipped most | City of Holyoke | Municipal | 15,040 | 62 | 8 of 12 | 1.26 | 62 | 16.58 | 5 of 12 |
| the cheapest | Town of Mansfield | Municipal | 9,399 | 10 | 3 of 12 | 0.10 | 16 | 15.16 | 1 of 12 |
| the priciest | Fitchburg Gas & Elec Light Co | Investor Owned | 26,290 | 65 | 9 of 12 | 1.05 | 65 | 23.97 | 12 of 12 |
Does a higher price buy fewer outages?
Each dot is one of 12 Massachusetts utilities.
Massachusetts, 2024: first 8 of 12 rows
| Home price, cents per kWh | SAIDI, minutes a year | |
|---|---|---|
| Town of Braintree | 15.79 | 3 |
| Town of North Attleborough | 15.91 | 6 |
| Town of Mansfield | 15.16 | 10 |
| Town of Reading | 15.86 | 23 |
| City of Norwood | 17.67 | 25 |
| City of Westfield | 17.59 | 46 |
| Nantucket Electric Co | 20.68 | 50 |
| City of Holyoke | 16.58 | 62 |
12 rows from EIA-861 survey.
CSVMassachusetts utilities, change in their own SAIDI
First to last year each utility reported, best change first.
| Rank | Massachusetts utility | Massachusetts years | Massachusetts SAIDI first | Massachusetts SAIDI last | Massachusetts change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City of Westfield | 2019 to 2024 | 80 | 46 | -43% |
| 2 | City of Norwood | 2021 to 2024 | 38 | 25 | -35% |
| 3 | Town of Braintree | 2018 to 2025 | 5 | 4 | -30% |
| 4 | NSTAR Electric Company | 2015 to 2024 | 75 | 66 | -12% |
| 5 | Massachusetts Electric Co | 2021 to 2025 | 98 | 91 | -7% |
| 6 | Town of Reading | 2015 to 2025 | 20 | 21 | +1% |
| 7 | Town of Mansfield | 2015 to 2025 | 10 | 10 | +7% |
| 8 | Fitchburg Gas & Elec Light Co | 2015 to 2024 | 55 | 65 | +17% |
| 9 | Town of North Attleborough | 2015 to 2025 | 8 | 10 | +26% |
| 10 | Nantucket Electric Co | 2021 to 2025 | 56 | 103 | +83% |
| 11 | City of Taunton | 2016 to 2025 | 27 | 64 | +139% |
| 12 | City of Holyoke | 2015 to 2024 | 21 | 62 | +192% |
Analyst note
The Massachusetts median of 48 minutes ranks 37 of 40 states from the worst. Of 12 Massachusetts utilities with 1,000+ home accounts that report SAIDI, Town of Braintree is lowest at 3 minutes a year and City of Taunton highest at 193, a 76.3 to 1 spread. The state median is 48 minutes, -51% against the U.S. median reporter. Over each utility's own record, City of Westfield improved most (80 to 46 minutes, -43%, 2019 to 2024) and City of Holyoke changed the other way (21 to 62, +192%); 5 of 12 fell. Home price and outage minutes line up at r = +0.66 across 12 Massachusetts utilities: the pricier ones report more minutes. That is Massachusetts's pattern, not a cause.
Questions on Massachusetts outages
Is Massachusetts outage time high or low?
Median 48 minutes, rank 37 of 40 states from the worst; customer-weighted 77.
Which Massachusetts utility has the fewest outage minutes?
Town of Braintree: 3 minutes a year, SAIDI without major events, 2024.
Which Massachusetts utility has the most?
City of Taunton: 193 minutes a year in 2024.
What is the typical SAIDI in Massachusetts?
The median of 12 reporting utilities is 48 minutes, -51% on the U.S. median reporter.
Do cheaper Massachusetts utilities have more outages?
Across 12 utilities r = +0.66, so the link is positive: higher price goes with more outage minutes.
How much of Massachusetts outage time comes from storms?
At Nantucket Electric Co 64% of all-event SAIDI is major event days.
How reliable is the largest Massachusetts utility?
NSTAR Electric Company serves 1,303,076 home accounts and reports 66 minutes, rank 10 of 12; weighted by customers the state figure is 77.
Do Massachusetts co-ops and investor-owned utilities differ?
2 owner types report in Massachusetts: Municipal 8 utilities with 143,975 home accounts, Investor Owned 4 utilities with 2,552,302 home accounts.
What share of Massachusetts home accounts do these utilities serve?
92% of 2,924,535 accounts, 12 of 20 utilities; 1 are above the U.S. median of 99 minutes.
More on Massachusetts
- Massachusetts state hubprices, map, utilities