In Newburyport, the electricity supplier is the one utility you can change from month to month.
Key Takeaway
Most Newburyport utilities are set by the address, and the one real choice is electricity supply. Start by comparing the city's Community Choice Power Supply rate with the utility's basic service rate. A competitive supplier only makes sense if it beats both on a fixed term. The bigger, longer-lasting costs come with the house itself: heating fuel and system age, septic versus city sewer, a solar lease, and what an HOA covers. Inspection findings on those systems are where you have room to negotiate.
Who This Guide Is For
This guide is for anyone buying or moving into a Newburyport home who needs to know which utilities come with the address, which are a choice, and which house-specific costs to check before committing.
How Utilities Work in Newburyport, MA
Utilities here fall into three groups:
- Set by your address: water, sewer, electricity delivery and trash. You can't shop these providers.
- Chosen by you: your electricity supplier, which can change monthly.
- Set by the house: heating fuel, boiler age, insulation, septic and solar. You buy these once, with the property.
The single-family median sale price fell 10.2% year over year, yet single-family homes still sell at 100.7% of list, and 38.1% of homes sell above list. Discounts aren't coming from the asking price, so system findings are your main lever. Add these bills to your household budget when weighing the cost of living in Newburyport. Factoring these expenses into your budget provides a clearer picture of the pros and cons of living in Newburyport.
Utilities Set by Your Address
State regulators and city departments decide who delivers your power, water and municipal services. Their rates form the baseline of your monthly housing costs.
Electricity Delivery
Wires, poles, meters and outage response come from the regional distribution utility, whichever supplier you choose. Newburyport is served by Massachusetts Electric Company, doing business as National Grid, for electric distribution service. State regulators set the delivery charge.
Switching suppliers doesn't change who fixes the lines after a storm. No supplier choice lowers the delivery half of your bill.
Natural Gas Service
Gas distribution is also tied to location, and gas mains don't reach every street in the city. That decides whether gas heat or a future conversion is possible at all, before pricing comes into it.
A home without a gas line at the street may face connection costs and a wait. Ask the gas company whether service is available at the specific address before you assume a conversion is straightforward.
City Water
Water comes from the city's Water Department, which draws on surface water sources and two gravel-packed wells along Ferry Road. The city's annual water quality report details those sources, and you can read it before you buy. Water customers are billed quarterly.
Water is billed by use, often in rising tiers, so a big lawn and an irrigation system show up on the bill. Ask the seller for a full year of water and sewer statements to see what the property uses.
City Sewer
Sewer is billed with water and calculated from the water meter readings. The sewer rate for Newburyport and Plum Island customers, effective as of July 1, 2025, is:
- $11.04 per 100 cubic feet for the first 3,000 cubic feet
- $13.14 per 100 cubic feet above that
Because sewer tracks water use, filling a pool or running sprinklers raises both bills at once. The seller's year of statements will show that seasonal swing.
Trash and Recycling
Newburyport collects trash once a week and recycling every other week. Bulk trash stickers cost $15 for oversized items like furniture and rugs and arrive by mail in about three to five days. Construction material, metal and electronics aren't accepted.
Some condo associations run their own hauling instead of using city pickup. Ask the HOA how trash is handled and whether private collection is included in the dues.
Choosing Your Electricity Supply
You can't choose who delivers your power, but you can choose who supplies it. That choice affects only the supply portion of your National Grid bill, and you have three options.
Basic Service from the Utility
Basic service is the regulated default supply you get if you choose nothing else. Its price resets on a schedule set by state rules, and winter and summer rates can differ considerably.
The rate holds only for each pricing period, so a winter reset can raise your bill even when your usage doesn't change.
Newburyport Community Choice Power Supply
The city buys power in bulk for residents through its aggregation program. Newburyport homes are placed in it automatically unless the account holder opts out. The city's current 36-month contract with Dynegy Energy Services, which began with the November 2025 meter reads, sets the rate at $0.13747 per kilowatt-hour, replacing the prior $0.14178.
There are no enrollment or exit fees, and you can opt out or back in at any time. The program rate isn't guaranteed to beat basic service every period, so check the term end date and compare the two rates when you move in.
Competitive Electricity Suppliers
Private suppliers sell fixed or variable plans directly to consumers. A January 2025 report from the Massachusetts Attorney General looked at July 2023 through June 2024. It found that individual residential electric supply customers had $73.7 million in net losses compared with utility basic service. It also found that low-income customers are disproportionately harmed, because they are more likely to sign up for competitive supply and to be charged higher rates.
Introductory or variable rates can jump after a few months, and early termination fees can apply. Read the renewal terms before you sign.
How to Compare Electricity Supply Rates
Take the statewide average household usage of 570 kilowatt-hours a month:
- Community Choice: at $0.13747, supply costs about $78.36.
- Basic service: at the National Grid rate in effect at the same time, $0.15484, supply costs about $88.26.
Delivery charges are identical either way. No supplier stays cheapest for good. To find the cheapest option at any point, run the same math with the current basic service rate, the current Community Choice rate and any fixed-rate offer. Choose a competitive plan only if its rate and term beat both.
Rates change on different schedules, so recheck the math when basic service resets or the city's term ends.
Utility Costs That Come with the House
A home's physical systems set your baseline utility costs for years. From heating fuel type to window age, they limit how low your bills can go, so look hard at them during the inspection period.
Heating Fuel
Fuel type drives the winter budget more than any supplier decision. Natural gas is the most common heating fuel in Newburyport, and fuel oil serves a smaller share of homes.
Oil and propane are delivered fuels whose prices swing by season. Converting to gas or a heat pump is a project to cost out, so get a contractor quote before you count on a switch.
Heating System and Oil Tank Age
The age and condition of the boiler, furnace and any oil tank are standard inspection items. With homes selling near asking, findings on these expensive systems can support a request for a credit or a price reduction.
An older tank can also affect your insurance options. Before you remove your inspection contingencies, ask your insurer how they treat the tank's age and location: indoor, outdoor or buried.
Older Homes and Energy Efficiency
Newburyport has a significant stock of historic properties, particularly near downtown. Many predate modern insulation standards, which raises heating and cooling costs.
Window and exterior changes on older homes can face local review. Ask the city Planning Office what approvals apply before you build efficiency upgrades into your renovation budget.
Private Wells and Septic Systems
Most of the city is on municipal water and sewer. In Massachusetts, a home with a septic system generally needs a Title 5 inspection when it's sold, and a private well needs its own water quality testing.
Private systems come without municipal maintenance. A failed Title 5 inspection can mean a full system replacement before or after closing. Confirm sewer or septic status with the city and read the inspection report before you commit.
Solar Panels and Solar Leases
Owned solar panels can lower your electricity bills right away. With leased panels or a power purchase agreement, the buyer typically has to assume the third-party contract at closing.
That transfer needs the solar company's approval and carries the remaining payments. Ask for the contract, the buyout terms and a year of production data before you decide whether it's a benefit.
Condos and Townhouses: What the HOA Covers
Condominiums are the lower-entry option in the city, with a median sale price around $529,946 for the 90 days ending September 30, 2026, based on 11 condo sales. Some associations fold water, sewer, trash or even heat into the monthly dues.
Utilities in the dues aren't free; they rise with the building's budget. A master-metered building can't show your individual usage. Ask the HOA for current dues, what they cover and the last two budgets.
Newburyport Housing Market at a Glance
Single-family homes still sell near list despite the lower median, so utility and system findings carry more weight than haggling over price. The townhouse and condo figures rest on small samples of 13 and 11 sales, so treat them as directional.
- All homes: median sale price $1,012,018, up 10.6% year over year (67 sales, 90 days ending 2026-09-30)
- All homes: 29 median days on market, 100.3% sale-to-list, 37.9% sold above list (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
- All homes: 3.3 months of supply, 72 homes in inventory, $558 median price per square foot (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
- Single family: 3.4 months of supply, 47 homes in inventory, $568 median price per square foot (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
- Condo: 99% sale-to-list, 45.4% sold above list, 3.1 months of supply, 12 in inventory, $486 median price per square foot (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
- Townhouse: median sale price $995,012, up 8.7% year over year, 29 median days on market (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
- Townhouse: 100.1% sale-to-list, 30.7% sold above list, 2.4 months of supply, 11 in inventory, $584 median price per square foot (90 days ending 2026-09-30)
How to Set Up Utilities in Newburyport
Handle these steps around closing to avoid billing gaps and a prior owner's unpaid balances.
Final Water and Sewer Reading Before Closing
A Newburyport property can't change hands without a final water and sewer bill. The final meter read request must be submitted at least seven days before closing through the city's online Final Reading Request form, completed by the realtor or closing attorney. The city states it is not responsible for unpaid water or sewer bills from a transfer where no final bill was requested.
Under Massachusetts law, unpaid water and sewer charges can become a lien on the property. Ask your closing attorney to confirm the reading is ordered and the bill is settled alongside your other buyer closing costs.
Transferring Electricity and Gas Service
Start service in your name with the electricity and natural gas distribution companies so delivery runs without interruption on the day you take ownership.
A new account may default to a supply option you didn't pick. Check the supply line on your first bill to see whether it enrolled in the city aggregation or carried over the seller's choice, and switch if needed.
Internet and Cable Service
Internet coverage varies address by address, and speeds can differ from one block to the next. Before you rely on a home for remote work, look up the exact address on the FCC broadband map to see which wired providers serve it.
Mass Save Home Energy Assessment
Mass Save requires homeowners to start with a no-cost Home Energy Assessment, which opens access to incentives for insulation, air sealing and heating upgrades. For 2026, air-source heat pump rebates for whole-home installations are $2,650 per ton, up to $8,500. The equipment must be installed between January 1 and December 31, 2026, by an approved contractor. Standard insulation and air-sealing work is covered at up to no cost for income-eligible households.
Rebates have eligibility rules and change each program year, so confirm current offers with Mass Save before you plan a renovation around them.
Questions to Narrow Your Home Search
- Does the home heat with oil, natural gas, propane or a heat pump? See heating fuel and system age, and confirm gas is at the street under natural gas service.
- Is it on city sewer or septic, and on city water or a private well? See city water, city sewer, and private wells and septic systems.
- Do you want an HOA to absorb some utilities, or a single-family home where every bill is yours? See the condo section and the market figures.
- Would you rather take the city's default electricity supply or shop for a fixed-rate plan? See choosing your electricity supply and its worked comparison.
For the fewest utility accounts and a lower entry price, start with condo listings near that $529,946 median, then read the HOA documents, since some associations fold water, sewer or trash into dues. For room to negotiate, start with single-family homes that have older heating systems, oil tanks or septic. With prices near list, inspection findings are the clearer basis for a credit.
For the simplest electricity setup, stay in the city's Community Choice Power Supply and compare it against basic service at each reset, since enrollment is automatic. For control over heating costs, start with homes already on natural gas or a heat pump, because delivered fuel prices swing by season. Fold property taxes into the same budget as these bills, and build utility transfers into your plan for moving to Newburyport; if you need help evaluating a property's systems, reach out to Rick Zaniboni.
Newburyport Utilities FAQs
Is Eversource the Only Electric Company in Massachusetts?
No. Massachusetts has more than one investor-owned electric distribution company, plus dozens of municipal light plants. Newburyport's delivery comes from National Grid, not Eversource.
Which Towns Near Newburyport Have Municipal Electricity?
Several nearby towns, including Rowley, Georgetown and Ipswich, run their own municipal light plants; Newburyport does not. Those plants set their own delivery and supply rates, so their bills don't compare directly with a National Grid address.
Who Has the Cheapest Electricity in Newburyport Right Now?
It changes with each pricing period. Run the comparison above with current rates, and check live offers on the state's official supplier comparison site, Energy Switch Massachusetts.
Why Are Electric Bills so High in Newburyport?
Bills combine supply and delivery charges, and only supply can be shopped. Basic service also resets seasonally, so winter bills can jump even when usage stays flat.
What Is the Average Electric Bill in Newburyport?
No official city-level average is published. Statewide, EIA's 2024 data put the average Massachusetts residential bill at $167.20 a month, at 29.35 cents per kilowatt-hour. Ask the seller for 12 months of bills for the specific house.
How Do You Lower Your Electric Bill in Newburyport?
Compare the aggregation and basic service rates at each reset, and book the no-cost Mass Save assessment to qualify for insulation and heat pump incentives. Also check eligibility for the utility's low-income discount rate.
Do You Pay Separately for Trash Pickup in Newburyport?
No. The city provides weekly curbside trash and every-other-week recycling, and only bulk items need a paid sticker. Condo buyers should ask whether the HOA uses private hauling covered by the dues.
Sources
- Redfin: Data Center
- Massachusetts EEAC: Appendix B Maps of Service Areas
- City of Newburyport: 2024 Consumer Confidence Report
- City of Newburyport: FY26 Water and Sewer Rates
- City of Newburyport: Curbside Recycling and Trash Collection
- City of Newburyport: Community Choice Power Supply Notice
- Mass.gov: Competitive Electric Supply
- EIA: 2024 Average Monthly Bill – Residential
- Massachusetts General Laws: Chapter 40 Section 42A
- Mass Save: Air-Source Heat Pumps
