Western Mass. Electric Co. says its residential and commercial and industrial who purchase their energy supply through WMECo will see a decrease in supply rates beginning July 1.

The drop in price is a result of the latest round of competitive bidding, according to Peter Clarke, president and chief operating officer of WMECo. He added that "Summer, however, is traditionally the time of year when energy consumption increases, so we encourage all customers to review their energy use and consider ways to conserve."

From July 1 to Dec. 31, residential customers will see a supply rate of 7.647 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), a 7 percent decrease over the current fixed rate of 8.237 cents. Small C&I customers will see a nearly 6 percent decrease from 8.972 cents per kWh to 8.44 cents starting in July. Both residential and small C&I customers' supply rates change twice a year (in January and July) and remain in effect for six months. 

Medium and large C&I customers on basic service will see a fixed rate of 7.052 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) beginning in July, a decrease of 17 percent over the current fixed rate of 8.528 cents. Medium and large C&I customers' rates change quarterly.

For more information about energy saving measures and programs, visit www.wmeco.com or follow the company on Twitter and Facebook.