What lighting costs to run in Massachusetts
Massachusetts homes use 525 kWh a year on lighting. Priced on top of the rest of the bill, that costs $50.28 to $177.60 a year across 39 published Massachusetts plans — a $127.32 gap. Checked September 2, 2026.
Not indexed. This page does not yet meet the site’s own publication threshold — 82.6% similar to /cost-to-run/refrigerator/massachusetts, limit 82%. It is shown because the data behind it is real, not because it is complete.
Cheapest 25 of 39 priced plans, average
| Plan | Per year | vs cheapest | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $47.40 | −$2.88 | 10.3¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $47.40 | −$2.88 | 10.3¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)✓ cheapestflat rate | $50.28 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $50.28 | — | 10.8¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential R-1 (01)flat rate | $50.28 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore Residential R-1 Annual BS (32)flat rate | $50.28 | — | 10.8¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $54.48 | +$4.20 | 11.5¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $57.60 | +$7.32 | 12.1¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $58.32 | +$8.04 | 12.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $59.28 | +$9.00 | 12.4¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $65.52 | +$15.24 | 13.7¢ |
| Western Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3 (A4)flat rate · needs electric heating | $65.88 | +$15.60 | 13.7¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $66.60 | +$16.32 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $66.84 | +$16.56 | 13.9¢ |
| Eastern Massachusetts Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $75.12 | +$24.84 | 15.5¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating R-3flat rate · needs electric heating | $84.12 | +$33.84 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Space Heating Low Income Rate R-4flat rate · low-income rate | $84.12 | +$33.84 | 17.7¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1)flat rate | $87.36 | +$37.08 | 18.3¢ |
| Cape Cod Residential Discount Rate (R-2)flat rate · assistance rate | $87.36 | +$37.08 | 18.3¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard Residential Space Heating R-3 BS (86)flat rate · needs electric heating | $125.64 | +$75.36 | 25.1¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A4 (R-3) without electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $129.48 | +$79.20 | 25.9¢ |
| Cambridge Electric Light Company Residential Space Heating R-3 (04)flat rate · needs electric heating | $129.48 | +$79.20 | 25.9¢ |
| South Shore, Cape Cod and Martha Vineyard Residential R-1 Annual CLC (32)flat rate | $130.44 | +$80.16 | 26.0¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)flat rate | $132.36 | +$82.08 | 26.5¢ |
| Greater Boston Residential Assistance A2 (R-2) with electric heatflat rate · assistance rate | $132.36 | +$82.08 | 26.5¢ |
14 further schedules are published and priced but not listed here — mostly regional and seasonal variants of the plans above. The dearest of them costs $177.60 a year at this usage.
Cost across usage levels
The cheapest plan at each consumption level, showing whether the ranking holds as usage changes.
- Lighter use — cheapest $15.36 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $54.24, a $38.88 spread
- Average — cheapest $50.28 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $177.60, a $127.32 spread
- Heavier use — cheapest $62.76 (Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1)), dearest $221.64, a $158.88 spread
What lighting costs here
Across 39 plans priced in Massachusetts, lighting adds $50.28 to $177.60 a year — $4.19 to $14.80 a month. The median plan puts lighting at $130.44 a year.
Cheapest for lighting: Greater Boston Residential R-1 (A1), NSTAR Electric Company. Dearest: Cape Cod Residential Rate (R-1), NSTAR Electric Company.
Those 525 kWh are billed at 9.6¢–33.9¢, against a 26.0¢ whole-bill average on the median plan: they land in the last tier the household reaches, so the average rate understates them by up to 7.8¢ per kWh.
What Massachusetts homes use
EIA's 2020 residential survey found 525 kWh a year across 552 sampled homes that run one, 20% under the national 654 kWh. The middle half spans 160 kWh to 655 kWh, so lighting varies by 494 kWh between one household and another.
Every light fixture and lamp in and immediately outside the home. That average covers all homes — 100% of homes here.
That makes lighting about 7% of the electricity a Massachusetts home uses. The remaining 6,713 kWh is what lighting is billed on top of, and on a tiered or time-of-use plan that is what sets the rate it meets.
Light and heavy use of lighting
A household in the lighter quarter runs lighting for 160 kWh a year and pays $15.36 on the cheapest plan. One in the heavier quarter runs it for 655 kWh and pays $62.76 — $47.40 more for lighting on the same tariff.
Limits
A 2020 survey average for Massachusetts, not a measurement of any one home, priced against the 39 Massachusetts tariffs WattClear has ingested — not every plan sold there.
New to these terms? The methodology page explains tiered bands, time-of-use periods and fixed charges, and sets out exactly what the rate engine assumes.
Estimate — your actual bill may differ.
Tariff structures from NREL/OpenEI Utility Rate Database (CC0 1.0), retrieved September 2, 2026.
Location resolved through the US Census Bureau Geocoder (Public domain) at 42.3601, -71.0589.