POLLING: Bay Staters Sweating High Energy Costs Want Practical Solutions

This week as thermometers hit 101 degrees in Boston, shattering June temperature records, Bay Staters are cranking up their air conditioners. While residents fight to stay cool in the heatwave, many are still sweating over the high cost of the energy bills.

With the extreme heat, our energy infrastructure is being tested just as much as our wallets, and the debate over Massachusetts’ energy future has reached a boiling point. According to recent MOA polling,* residents support pragmatic energy reforms that bring costs down and reliability up. 

Feeling the Burn of High Costs

Massachusetts families are struggling with energy costs that have skyrocketed in recent years. Natural gas prices have increased 93 percent over the last decade, while electricity costs have risen 65 percent. For many families, energy bills now consume a disproportionate share of household income. 

The numbers tell the story: according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) most recent data from March 2025, Massachusetts has the fifth highest average residential retail price of electricity in the country and the second highest natural gas residential prices.

Massachusetts households paid 76.34 percent more than the U.S. average for electricity and 71.45 percent more than the national average for natural gas. 

Renewable Roadblocks

The state’s aggressive emissions reduction mandates of achieving net zero emissions by 2050, while well-intentioned, have contributed to skyrocketing utility costs without providing corresponding affordability protections for working families.

Offshore wind was positioned as a key solution to our energy challenges, but the reality has proven more complex. Turbine blade failures, legal challenges, idle turbines in Worcester and across the state due to safety and quality-of-life concerns, and the Trump administration’s freeze on new offshore wind permits have created a perfect storm of uncertainty. 

Massachusetts residents hit with soaring energy costs recognize that domestic natural gas is a necessary solution to the energy supply crisis. Notably, Massachusetts only produces energy via noncombustible renewables as well as wood and waste as of 2022. Voters want a reliable energy source, not a gamble. 

Fifty-four percent of Massachusetts voters agree that using more domestic natural gas, instead of renewables or expensive imports, would help lower prices.

Pipeline Dreams

Residents also seem supportive of more concrete projects that could increase access to natural gas. Nearly 6 in 10 voters (59 percent) support building the Constitution Pipeline, which would deliver affordable natural gas from Pennsylvania to New England. 

Nearly two-thirds of New England’s electricity is generated by natural gas, but the region’s infrastructure for transporting natural gas is severely limited. Voters realize that the Constitution Pipeline would help remedy this problem.

Perhaps most telling, only 13 percent of Bay Staters oppose the pipeline with a mere 4 percent strongly opposing it.

The Nuclear Option

When it comes to long-term energy stability, nuclear power is firmly back on the table. A majority (56 percent) support expanding nuclear energy in Massachusetts with only 25 percent opposed to the idea.

The state’s last nuclear facility—Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth—was permanently shut down in 2019 after powering the region for nearly half a century.

Voters understand that nuclear energy offers a path to both lower costs and reduced carbon emissions—a win-win solution that addresses both economic and environmental concerns.

Governor Healey also gets it. Her proposed Energy Affordability, Independence & Innovation Act would open the door to greater deployment of newer, more reliable nuclear energy facilities as part of a push to save ratepayers $10 billion over a decade.

Conclusion

Massachusetts families deserve energy policies that work for their budgets. Energy prices are a crucial element to people’s overall cost of living, but the impact extends far beyond individual households. Lower energy costs also provide relief to businesses, especially small businesses that are already operating on razor-thin margins and can’t absorb yet another cost increase. By driving energy costs down, we can make Massachusetts a more affordable place to live, and increase our state’s economic competitiveness across the board. 

As we continue to blast the AC this summer—grateful for the comfort but worried about the upcoming utility bill—we should remember that effective and affordable energy solutions exist, if only our policymakers are willing to pursue them. 

*Polling was conducted among a sample of 504 residents of Massachusetts who are 18 years of age and older and registered voters.  This survey was live on June 17-20, 2025 and statistical significance testing in comparisons was performed at 95 percent confidence level.