States › Massachusetts › Town of Sterling
municipal utility · EIA utility 18087
Town of Sterling
Average price is revenue divided by sales for the sector and year; it is not a tariff rate. Reliability figures are as reported by utilities to EIA on Form 861 and may use different calculation methods. Annual figures: Form EIA-861 for 2023, final release. Monthly state figures run to July 2026.
Town of Sterling is a municipal utility that reported 3,600 residential customers in Massachusetts on Form EIA-861 for 2023, with a service territory that touches 1 county.
Its average residential price that year was 15.24¢ per kilowatthour, 49% below the Massachusetts average of 29.61¢ and 4.7% below the US average of 16.00¢. The figure is residential revenue divided by residential sales, so it folds in fixed charges, riders and every rate schedule the utility bills under.
That works out to an average residential bill of $113.56 a month on average use of 745 kWh a month. Across Massachusetts the average bill was $165.55 on 559 kWh, so a bill gap reflects how much power households use as well as what each kilowatthour costs.
For reliability it reported a SAIDI of 3.2 minutes per customer with major event days included and 3.2 minutes with them excluded, calculated under another method. The median among Massachusetts utilities reporting was 53.8 minutes with major event days; this utility's figure is 94% below that median.
The average price is up 1.9% on 2018, and down 9.8% on 2022.
Compared with Massachusetts, the US and other municipal utilities
| Measure, 2023 | This utility | Municipal utilities, US median | Massachusetts | United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average residential price per kWh | 15.24¢ | 12.45¢ | 29.61¢ | 16.00¢ |
| Average monthly residential bill | $113.56 | $113.02 | $165.55 | $136.84 |
| Average monthly use, kWh | 745 | 905 | 559 | 855 |
| Residential price change, 1 year | -9.8% | — | +14.0% | +6.4% |
| Residential price change, 5 years | +1.9% | — | +37.0% | +24.3% |
| SAIDI, all events (minutes) | 3.2 | 64.4 | 53.8 median | 184.5 median |
| SAIDI, without major event days | 3.2 | 40.3 | 35.5 median | 99.8 median |
State and US prices, bills and use are EIA's own averages over every customer. The ownership column and the reliability columns are medians across utilities with at least 1,000 residential customers, computed on this site from the final 2024 file. Among the 16 filings by municipal utilities in Massachusetts, the median price was 15.89¢.
Average price by year
Town of SterlingMassachusetts averageUS average
Year by year
| Year | ¢ per kWh | Massachusetts ¢ | Monthly bill | kWh a month | Residential customers | All sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 15.24¢ | 29.61¢ | $113.56 | 745 | 3,600 | 64.9 GWh |
| 2022 | 16.90¢ | 25.97¢ | $128.87 | 763 | 3,567 | 66.4 GWh |
| 2021 | 15.19¢ | 22.89¢ | $111.98 | 737 | 3,561 | 64.1 GWh |
| 2020 | 15.34¢ | 21.97¢ | $112.20 | 731 | 3,490 | 62.5 GWh |
| 2019 | 14.87¢ | 21.92¢ | $104.98 | 706 | 3,492 | 63.5 GWh |
| 2018 | 14.95¢ | 21.61¢ | $110.22 | 737 | 3,472 | 59.8 GWh |
| 2017 | 13.12¢ | 20.06¢ | $91.07 | 694 | 3,449 | 57.1 GWh |
| 2016 | 13.72¢ | 19.00¢ | $95.54 | 696 | 3,452 | 58.2 GWh |
| 2015 | 13.73¢ | 19.83¢ | $98.72 | 719 | 3,406 | 61.7 GWh |
| 2014 | 14.35¢ | 17.39¢ | $101.93 | 710 | 3,365 | 60.5 GWh |
| 2013 | 13.99¢ | 15.83¢ | $101.77 | 727 | 3,349 | 60.3 GWh |
Bundled residential service only in the price, bill and use columns. Bill = residential revenue ÷ customers ÷ 12; use = residential sales ÷ customers ÷ 12.
Sales by sector, 2023
| Sector | Customers | Sales | Share of sales | Revenue | ¢ per kWh, bundled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 3,600 | 32.2 GWh | 50% | $4,905,700 | 15.24¢ |
| Commercial | 383 | 5.6 GWh | 9% | $1,187,900 | 21.03¢ |
| Industrial | 94 | 27 GWh | 42% | $3,935,900 | 14.55¢ |
Customers, sales and revenue count every service type the utility reported (bundled, energy-only and delivery-only). The price column uses bundled service alone, because part-bill revenue would understate it.
Reliability
Minutes of sustained interruption per customer in 2023, as the utility reported them under another method. SAIFI: 0.06 interruptions per customer with major event days, 0.06 without; CAIDI 53.0 minutes per interruption. EIA's Massachusetts total across all reporting utilities was 102.0 minutes with major event days and 76.1 without. Major event days are storms and similar events that a utility's chosen method sets apart; methods differ, so treat comparisons as approximate. What SAIDI and SAIFI mean.
| Year | SAIDI, all events | SAIDI, no major events | SAIFI, all events | SAIFI, no major events | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3.2 | 3.2 | 0.06 | 0.06 | Other |
| 2022 | 47.8 | 12.8 | 0.72 | 0.28 | Other |
| 2021 | 53.3 | 12.1 | 0.64 | 0.26 | Other |
| 2020 | 54.2 | 8.7 | 1.25 | 0.32 | Other |
| 2019 | 58.3 | 3.3 | 0.87 | 0.06 | Other |
| 2018 | 27.8 | 4.6 | 0.50 | 0.05 | Other |
| 2017 | 116.9 | 6.4 | 1.26 | 0.09 | Other |
| 2016 | 70.7 | 6.4 | 0.76 | 0.14 | Other |
| 2015 | 109.7 | 40.7 | 1.40 | 0.55 | Other |
| 2014 | 65.0 | 8.0 | 1.10 | 0.14 | Other |
| 2013 | 18.5 | 8.2 | 0.28 | 0.13 | IEEE 1366 |
Counties in its service territory
Counties the utility listed on Form EIA-861 for 2024. Listing a county does not mean the utility serves all of it.
Other utilities in Massachusetts
| Utility | Ownership | Residential customers | ¢ per kWh | Monthly bill | SAIDI, all events | SAIDI, no major events |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Town of Littleton | Municipal | 6,738 | 14.12¢ | $119.96 | — | — |
| Town of Mansfield | Municipal | 9,399 | 15.16¢ | $109.93 | 15.7 | 10.0 |
| Town of Wellesley | Municipal | 9,437 | 16.20¢ | $158.36 | 8.0 | — |
| Town of Hudson | Municipal | 11,448 | 13.39¢ | $101.78 | 77.5 | 72.4 |
| Town of Danvers | Municipal | 11,594 | 16.45¢ | $114.03 | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Town of North Attleborough | Municipal | 12,607 | 15.91¢ | $121.16 | 5.9 | 5.9 |
| City of Norwood | Municipal | 13,601 | 17.67¢ | $97.52 | 64.1 | 24.8 |
| Town of Braintree | Municipal | 14,039 | 15.79¢ | $111.59 | 2.5 | 2.5 |
All Massachusetts utilities · Municipal utilities nationwide
Questions and answers
How much does electricity cost from Town of Sterling?
Residential customers paid an average of 15.24¢ per kilowatthour in 2023. EIA derives this by dividing residential revenue by residential sales; it is an average across all rate schedules and charges, not a tariff rate.
How does that compare with Massachusetts?
The Massachusetts average residential price in 2023 was 29.61¢ and the US average 16.00¢; Town of Sterling was 49% below the state figure.
What is the average Town of Sterling bill?
$113.56 a month in 2023, on average residential use of 745 kWh a month (annual revenue and sales divided by customers and by twelve). The Massachusetts average was $165.55 on 559 kWh.
How reliable is Town of Sterling service?
It reported 3.2 minutes of interruption per customer (SAIDI) including major event days and 3.2 minutes excluding them, with 0.06 interruptions per customer (SAIFI) in 2023. Utilities calculate these under differing methods, so comparisons are approximate.
Is the Town of Sterling price rising?
The average residential price was down 9.8% in 2023 compared with 2022 and up 1.9% compared with 2018.
Which counties does Town of Sterling serve?
Its Form EIA-861 service territory lists 1 county: Worcester County, MA. A county can appear in several utilities' territories.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration. Annual figures are from Form EIA-861 (sales to ultimate customers, reliability, operational data and service territory files), final release for 2023, respondent "Town of Sterling - (MA)", utility number 18087. State and US averages are from the Form EIA-861M sales and revenue workbook, published through July 2026. All are US government works in the public domain. Page built 1 Oct 2026. Errors in processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. For tariffs and rate schedules, consult the utility or the state utility commission.