Two months before the launch of a new electricity service in Northampton, Amherst and Pelham called Valley Green Energy, officials in the three municipalities are gearing up to hold three information sessions to outline the new program for residents and business owners and answer questions.

The new service is being billed as a cleaner and cheaper energy option in those communities. Valley Green Energy is a regional group electricity buying program, designed to allow Northampton, Amherst and Pelham to use their collective buying power to purchase cleaner electricity and provide stable energy prices to businesses and residents.

The information sessions begin in Amherst on Tuesday, from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Bangs Community Center, 70 Boltwood Walk. A similar session will take place in Northampton on Tuesday, Sept. 17, also from 1 to 2 p.m. at the Senior Center, 67 Conz St. The final session will take place over Zoom on Sept. 26 from 7 to 8 p.m. The link is amherstma.zoom.us/j/81381124425. Closed captioning and language interpretation are available.

Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman said in July that the initial program would achieve goals of lower prices and greener electricity through the partnership between the three communities, which inked a deal with electricity supplier First Point Power to launch Valley Green Energy.

Residents will be automatically enrolled in the program, which switches the energy supplier to First Point Power. However, the electric utilities, National Grid in Northampton and Eversource in Amherst and Pelham, will continue to deliver electricity, send bills and provide low-income discounts. Residents have the option to opt-out of the program, and those who receive power from a third party supplier will not be automatically enrolled, but may opt-in.

Program prices for Valley Green Energy will be fixed until November 2026.

At its launch, residents will be paying 13.994 cents per kilowatt hour for their electricity supply, compared to the expected National Grid rates of 16.005 cents per kilowatt hour and the Eversource rate of 14.023 cents per kilowatt hour, according to officials in Northampton and Amherst. Participants will automatically receive an additional 10% of their electricity, over the minimum required by state law.

While the price will be lower than both the Eversource and National Grid residential electricity supply prices at the time of launch, officials note that because the utilities’ prices change and future prices are unknown, future savings cannot be guaranteed.

Two additional program options will be available by request. Participants can choose to receive electricity from 100% renewable energy sources at 16.474 cents per kilowatt hour, or the minimum amount of renewable content required by law at 13.594 cents per kilowatt hour.

The regional service received state regulatory approval in April. More than 150 Massachusetts communities already have similar programs, including Greenfield, Hatfield, Leverett and Northfield.

Any account holder eligible for automatic enrollment will receive a notification by mail before the program launches and will have the opportunity to opt out.

For more information, visit ValleyGreenEnergy.org or call customer support with the program consultants at 1-844-202-6033.