After a flood of complaints from consumers and lawmakers over high natural gas bills, the state Department of Public Utilities on Friday trimmed $500 million from the three-year budget for the state’s Mass Save energy efficiency program, which is funded by a surcharge on gas and electric bills.

Regulators at the state Department of Public Utilities rejected the size of the proposed Mass Save plan Friday, telling the utilities their customers can't afford the costs. The original plan, to grow the program by 25% to $5 billion,

After a cold winter of skyrocketing energy bills, Massachusetts state officials are taking the biggest step yet to cut electric and gas rates.Regulators at the state Department of Public Utilities rejected the size of the proposed Mass Save plan Friday,

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities slashed the Mass Save budget by $500 million in an order put out Friday afternoon.

Moving the clocks forward an hour during the summer, when daylight is naturally longer, was first widely instituted globally during World War I as a way to save energy. The idea was that taking an hour of daylight from the morning and adding it to the evening would mean less electricity used to light homes and businesses at night.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities approved the 2025-2027 Mass Save plan, but told the utilities that run the program to slash the budget by $500 million and look for other sources of revenue.