National Grid has scheduled multiple customer assistance events in Worcester, Massachusetts, starting June 4, 2026, to help residents manage rising summer energy costs.
The utility also submitted a £4.5 billion transmission upgrade proposal to British regulator Ofgem.
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The community initiatives target households facing financial strain from high utility costs after a cold New England winter.
Representatives will offer one-on-one guidance on summer energy-saving strategies, tiered discount rates, budget billing, and the company's arrears management program.
The first Worcester event is set for Thursday, June 4, from 10 a. m.
to 1 p. m.
at St. Bernard’s Church Community Room. A second session will be held Friday, June 5, from 9 a.
m. to noon at El Buen Samaritano, followed by a third meeting on June 15 at Centro Inc.
“From cooling tips to billing help, our teams are taking a proactive approach to ensure that our customers have the support they need to stay cool and to keep costs down throughout the summer season,” said Bill Malee, National Grid’s chief customer officer.
The utility also introduced a Payment Assistance Bundle that combines deferred payment agreements, automatic monthly payments, and budget billing.
Additional assistance events are scheduled for June 17 at the Uxbridge Senior Center and June 22 at WHEAT Community Connections in Clinton.
On the infrastructure side, the submission to Ofgem under the re-openers process seeks approval for 25 transmission reinforcement and upgrade projects across England and Wales.
The portfolio includes grid connections for data centres, major industrial users, and new low-carbon generation to strengthen network resilience.
These investment proposals build on a prior agreement reached through the RIIO T3 price control settlement.
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The funding is part of National Grid’s broader strategy to invest £70 billion across its UK and US networks over the next five years.
“Britain's energy system is changing rapidly, and the transmission network must keep pace.
These submissions set out the investment needed to expand capacity, maintain resilience and support future growth, while enabling the delivery of secure, affordable and cleaner energy,” said Rob Salter-Church, regulation director at National Grid Electricity Transmission.
The utility also unveiled plans for a new 2GW transmission line between Scotland and England to carry wind farm power.
Alongside these upgrades, National Grid launched the Qualifying Utilities Dynamic Market (QUDM) to find partners capable of delivering a minimum 10 percent Biodiversity Net Gain on new projects.
“They are designed to ensure we can continue to support major new industries and meet growing demand on the system, and to connect new low-carbon generation.
This is an important step in the regulatory process, and we will continue to work closely with Ofgem to help ensure the right investments are delivered efficiently, at the right time, for consumers and the wider economy,” said Rob Salter-Church.
The QUDM system will prioritize nature-based solutions and off-site biodiversity units within areas identified in the Local Nature Recovery Strategies.
Interested organisations can apply through the government's Find a Tender service.
“Launching the QUDM is an important step in how we collaborate with partners to deliver meaningful environmental outcomes alongside our infrastructure projects,” said Kat Stanhope, strategic BNG manager at National Grid.
The company stated that the network expansions are designed to lower long-term consumer costs while supporting ecosystem recovery.
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Ofgem will now conduct a consultation process on the 25 upgrade applications before deciding on final funding approvals.
