Massachusetts Electric Rates Shoot Up 37 Percent

Many Massachusetts households are going to see their electric bills shoot up 37 percent this winter.

State regulators have approved a 37 percent increase for National Grid household customers that would mean an average of $33 per month more for the typical residential customer. Large business customers will see even higher increases.

National Grid has almost 1.3 million electric customers in Massachusetts.

The utility says the rate hikes are out of its control, and blame them on the cost of buying electricity from power plants, which have soared because of an increased demand for natural gas used to generate electricity.

The state's other major utilities have not yet determined their winter rates, but they are expecting steep price hikes.