First to Get Bill is First to Get Edison Refund-October 8, 1980

The first batch of refund checks stemming from a massive $3.7 million rate case settlement with Boston Edison will go out to local customers within a week.

For the average longstanding residential customer of the Norwood Light Department, the payout translates to approximately $118. To kick off the program last night, the Board of Selectmen ceremoniously singled out Ray C. Perry of 407 Nahatan Street, presenting him with a check for $113.33.

Town Manager John J. Carroll explained that Perry was chosen because he is listed as account No. 1 in the town’s monthly billing cycle. However, the check handed to Perry was purely symbolic and bogus; formal warrants authorizing actual refund payments were slated for selectmen’s signatures by Wednesday or Thursday.

Pleased with the windfall, the 63-year-old Perry—who works as a quality control inspector for CDI Corp. in Needham, a job that frequently keeps him on the road—remarked that he expects to use the funds to pay bills or “buy gas for the car, most likely.”

Breakdown of Refund Categories

Light Department Superintendent William J. Kates outlined the approximate refund averages across various customer rate categories, calculated based on the seven-and-a-half-year period from January 1, 1973, through June 30, 1980—the exact timeframe affected by Boston Edison rate hikes that the town successfully challenged as wholesale electricity overcharges:

• Residential (Standard): ~$118 (based on 400 kWh average monthly use)
• Electric Hot Water: ~$80 (based on 400 kWh average monthly use)
• Electric Heat: ~$508 (based on 2,000 kWh average monthly use)
• Commercial: ~$920 (based on 2,800 kWh average monthly use)

Kates noted that customers who did not reside in town for the entire 7.5-year duration will receive proportional refunds, while any delinquent accounts will have their refund amounts directly credited to their balances. Furthermore, individual payouts will reflect actual usage patterns that diverge from the established monthly averages.

Disbursement Schedule and Inactive Accounts

Out of the total $3,711,000 slated for distribution:

• Active Customers: $1,680,000 will be disbursed by mid-November, the targeted completion date for standard residential accounts.
• Large Industrial & Special Accounts: $1,342,000 is scheduled for distribution by November 30 to active large industrial customers, electric-heated schools, and street lighting accounts.
• Inactive Accounts: $689,000 is earmarked for past customers, with processing expected to wrap up by December 15.

Town Manager Carroll reported a strong response from former residents who have since moved away. Roughly one-fourth of the 8,000 former customers who had on-file forwarding addresses have already replied, supplemented by public advertising campaigns designed to reach others among the more than 25,000 total “inactive” historical accounts. Ultimately, between 12,000 and 13,000 individual refund checks will be mailed out.

To ensure absolute transparency and accuracy, Carroll advised the selectmen to order a professional audit to closely monitor the entire refund disbursement process.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger