‘Use the benefits’: National Grid hosts event in Lawrence to teach how to save on utility bills

LAWRENCE, Mass. — Well over a hundred people came out to a National Grid event in Lawrence Tuesday night to learn how they can save on their energy bills.

“This winter has been very, very cold and those bills are not cute, so I’m amazed and I’m happy they’re doing this,” said Joselin Medina Henriquez, who lives in Methuen.

Henriquez lives with her husband, mother, and four children in Methuen. Like many others, she says they’ve been struggling to pay the utility bills this winter.

“We’re even afraid to raise the heat because once you raise the heat that bill is going to go very high and it’s ridiculous,” said Henriquez.

The higher costs for heat this year have left families trying to decide which bills to pay each month.

“We got the mortgage, we got the cars, we got the other bills we got to pay and it’s not easy,” said Henriquez.

That’s why Henriquez and dozens of other families came out to seek assistance in Lawrence Tuesday night.

National Grid and Eversource met with customers to show them how to lower their bills.

“We want to meet our customers where they live, where they work and make sure they know we’re here for them during these difficult times,” said Damaris Dominguez, consumer advocacy group manager for National Grid.

Dominguez says they’ve been offering this in-person assistance across the state all winter, but lately, there’s been a huge demand for help.

Their meeting was at capacity in Lynn a few weeks ago.

“We literally saw over 180 customers came in to see us and we actually had to take callbacks of over 150 people that we had to close the doors at 6 o’clock to really be able to manage the people that were already signed in,” said Dominguez.

Their staff is hoping to show customers how to apply for discounts and forgiveness programs if they’re eligible.

“Don’t be afraid to seek the assistance, it’s there to use and we want our customers to use the benefits,” said Dominguez.

National Grid and Eversource will be hosting another one of these events on Thursday night in Quincy if you’d like to speak with someone in person about your own bills.

You can always go online to see if you qualify for discounts and apply.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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