September 2025
Member Spotlight
In 2025, we will recognize one member each month, providing an organizational profile and highlighting the member's accomplishments in the smart energy space.
About Reading Municipal Light Department
Established in 1894, Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) is a leading municipal electric utility serving more than 70,000 residents in Reading, North Reading, Wilmington and Lynnfield Center, Massachusetts. RMLD is the largest of the 40 municipal light departments in Massachusetts based on electricity load, is not-for-profit and is locally owned and controlled. RMLD is fully committed to serving its customers with reliable, low-cost and increasingly non-carbon energy.
Energy Efficiency Programs
RMLD offers a broad range of energy programs that help its customers use energy more efficiently in their home or business and reduce electricity usage during expensive peak demand times. These programs also support the environment by reducing carbon emissions and reliance on fossil fuels.
RMLD’s customer-focused programs are a combination of education, services and financial incentives, such as rebates that work to generate awareness and promote energy efficiency and the adoption of increased electrification.
AMI
RMLD is leveraging an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) upgrade beginning in 2025 to transform its meter infrastructure into a forward-looking grid. AMI upgrades will allow RMLD to fully automate the integration of grid data across devices and systems. This enhancement will help RMLD improve power quality, proactively manage outages and expand demand response efforts. Accelerating grid modernization through AMI further equips RMLD to bring customers reliable, low-cost and increasingly non-carbon energy.
“Shred the Peak” Demand Response Program
RMLD engages customers to reduce energy use during expensive peak demand times through its “Shred the Peak” demand response program. Shred the Peak includes multiple customer-focused initiatives, including multichannel peak alerts, community education through events and webinars, an incentivized commercial peak demand response program, a partnership with Connected Homes to offer automated energy reductions for customers with Wi-Fi enabled devices, and a time-of-use (TOU) rate structure. This robust program encourages customers to reduce or shift their energy usage during peak energy demand times, helping to maintain grid stability and keep rates low.
Community Commitment
RMLD is locally owned and operated and wholly dedicated to serving its customers with excellence. This customer-centric approach drives RMLD to reinvest back into the community through events, educational offerings and training, innovative energy solutions, deep programming, and truly excellent customer service.
Sustainable “Choice” Programs
RMLD offers additional ways for customers to opt in to a more sustainable grid. The RMLD Solar Choice program is a Community Shared Solar (CSS) program, where customers share both the costs and the energy, capacity and transmission savings from large solar arrays within RMLD’s service area.
RMLD also offers an optional Renewable Choice program in which customers support additional non-carbon energy resources beyond RMLD’s annual non-carbon energy obligations. Customers can choose to bring their monthly electricity usage to 75 or 100 percent renewable/non-carbon.
Dynamic Customer Portal
RMLD offers a powerful online energy portal designed to help customers to take control of their energy use. With this easy-to-use tool, customers can track hourly, daily and monthly energy summaries, view usage trends and compare current use with past months. The portal is another active example of how RMLD works to make energy reduction simple and accessible, helping customers make informed decisions and save money while benefiting the environment.
