Electricity rates in Maine

Maine is a restructured state: Central Maine Power and Versant Power own the wires, but the generation portion of the bill comes either from a competitive supplier the customer chooses or from standard offer service that the Maine Public Utilities Commission puts out to bid, so bills show separate supply and delivery charges. Northern Maine is tied to the Canadian grid in New Brunswick rather than to the New England grid that serves the rest of the state.

Generation draws heavily on hydro, biomass and wind, along with natural gas. Long, cold winters have traditionally been heated with oil, but Maine has pushed heat pump adoption harder than almost any other state, shifting more heating onto electricity, while summers are mild and air-conditioning use is modest. Net energy billing lets rooftop and community solar customers earn credit for the power they send to the grid.