Energy affordability is a leading talking point, both around the dinner table and on Beacon Hill. As our customers and policymakers continue to appropriately prioritize our region’s affordability challenges within the broader public discourse, the focus on the Mass Save programs has understandably increased.

That conversation is important. These programs are funded by customers, and transparently discussing both their costs and benefits is the responsible thing to do. At Eversource, we welcome that conversation because we are among the strongest advocates for energy efficiency and decarbonization, and we take tremendous pride in the role these programs have played in helping Massachusetts families, businesses and communities save money and energy, lower emissions and improve comfort.

We strongly believe in the Mass Save programs, the model of the Program Administrators (PAs), and Massachusetts’ accomplishments to date, and we want to ensure they remain financially sustainable and effective for customers in the short, medium and long term.

At the same time, it is important to understand the role the PAs play in making these programs successful.

For nearly two decades, the Massachusetts PAs have represented one of the most successful public-private partnerships to combat climate change in the history of not just the Commonwealth but the country as well. Mass Save is built on a simple but powerful premise: Massachusetts policymakers establish ambitious goals, while PAs are responsible for delivering results and are held accountable for achieving them.

Massachusetts PAs do not set state energy policy. The Legislature, administration, Department of Public Utilities and Energy Efficiency Advisory Council establish the state’s priorities, goals and oversight requirements. Our role is to turn those priorities into results for customers.

At times, some question whether utilities should continue to administer these programs as part of the important discourse around the need for the programs to continuously improve. But any discussion about alternative delivery models should begin with an honest assessment of what the current model has achieved. By nearly every meaningful measure, it has delivered significant results for customers.

Massachusetts has long been regarded as one of the nation’s leading states for energy efficiency, and the Mass Save programs have repeatedly been recognized by the American Council for an  Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as a model for the rest of the country.

Since 2013, the programs have helped weatherize more than 400,000 homes, including more than70,000 low-income households, supported the installation of more than 105,000 heat pumps, reduced greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 3.7 million tons, delivered billions of dollars in customer benefits and helped families and businesses lower energy use and improve comfort.

Additionally, our ConnectedSolutions demand response initiative exemplifies innovation at work and has become a model for implementing virtual power plants nationwide. The overall energy savings over the lifetime of these programs is almost incomprehensible, representing the equivalent of offsetting five times the annual output of the recently closed Mystic power generating unit – which cannot be understated given the extremely constrained availability of energy supply in our region. These outcomes are the product of thoughtful policymaking and a delivery model built to turn ambitious goals into measurable results.

As Massachusetts’ energy and climate priorities have evolved, so too have the objectives of Mass Save programs. Earlier generations of energy efficiency programs focused on helping customers reduce energy use. Today, they deliver a broader range of benefits, including lifetime energy savings, greenhouse gas reductions, reduced reliance on delivered fuels and support for electrification.

At the same time, policymakers and the PAs must continue balancing those objectives with the need to ensure programs remain affordable and attainable for customers over the long term. These goals include increased support for low-income and underserved populations, reflecting state policy that provides important benefits but also requires significant investment.

As a result, program performance is increasingly evaluated using a broader set of metrics than annual electric savings alone as these programs continue to set a national standard in innovation. Technologies such as high-efficiency heat pumps can reduce fossil fuel consumption and lower greenhouse gas emissions – and with our seasonal heat pump rate, customers increasingly use these systems as their primary heating source.

But because they use electricity, traditional electric savings metrics capture only part of their impact. In short, the metrics have evolved because the mission has evolved.

Throughout these changes, however, accountability and nationally recognized innovation to deliver customer benefits have remained constant.

The Massachusetts PAs operate under one of the most comprehensive and transparent oversight structures in the nation. Program performance, spending, evaluations and savings results are made publicly available and are regularly scrutinized by regulators, policymakers and consumer advocates to ensure accountability to customers.

The PAs also deploy capabilities that would be difficult to replicate elsewhere. Utilities have deep expertise in energy systems, program implementation and longstanding relationships with customers and communities. We work alongside contractors, community organizations, municipalities and state leaders to deliver programs at scale while maintaining rigorous standards for performance and quality.

Importantly, these efforts also drive much of our state’s clean energy workforce as the solutions are designed and delivered locally – supporting thousands of jobs with a first-in-the-nation model for protections to ensure living wages and health benefits for the highly skilled people turning the Commonwealth’s goals into a reality.

Like any large initiative, the Mass Save programs are not perfect, and constructive scrutiny is both appropriate and necessary. When challenges are identified, they should be addressed. Strong oversight, quality control and continuous improvement are essential.

Reasonable and informed people can debate policy, and they should. But as those conversations continue, it is important to remember what has made Massachusetts so successful: ambitious goals, comprehensive oversight and a shared commitment to delivering measurable results for customers. Those efforts have delivered billions of dollars in customer benefits, reduced emissions and helped make Massachusetts a national leader in energy efficiency and innovation.

We are proud of the role Eversource plays in that success and remain committed to ensuring theMass Save programs continue to deliver value to customers for years to come.

Penni Conner is executive vice president of customer experience and energy strategy with Eversource.