Monadnock Ledger-Transcript – New Hampshire Community Power Coalition Announces New Energy Rates

The Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire (CPCNH) has announced new electricity rates that will go into effect August 1.

Community Power allows municipalities to purchase electricity in bulk for residents, with the goal of negotiating lower rates and the ability to obtain more energy from renewable sources. CPCNH is a nonprofit energy agency created by New Hampshire cities and towns to manage the administration and supply of electricity. Locally, Peterborough and Temple are members. Dublin is a member of Cheshire Community Power, which is part of CPCNH.

Granite Basic, the default energy rate, has been set at 8.6 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Customers looking for cleaner energy can choose between Granite Plus, Clean 50 and Clean 100, which provide 33%, 50% and 100% renewable energy, respectively. Granite Plus has been set at 9.3 cents per kWh, Clean 50 at 10 cents and Clean 100 at 12 cents.

According to CPCNH, Granite Basic represents a 22% savings over Liberty’s rates and an 18% savings over Eversource and Unitil. CPCNH estimates that these new rates will generate an additional $11 million in savings on top of the $14 million it claims to have already saved.

“CPCNH empowers communities to take greater control of their energy future through enhanced local control, greater customer choice and competitively low rates,” said Brian Callnan, CEO of CPCNH. “We are excited to continue to achieve these goals and generate significant cost savings for our communities, including customers seeking more renewable energy.”

Temple is the latest city in the Monadnock Region to offer CPCNH rates to its residents. On June 25, Temple’s Board of Trustees gave its official approval to join the coalition.

“I think this is a very exciting time for Temple,” said Robert Wills, chair of the Renewable Energy Task Force.

For more information, call 866-603-POWR (866-603-7697) or visit communitypowernh.gov.

New local tariffs help finance energy projects

Peterborough residents who currently receive their electricity on CPCNH’s Granite Basic rate will soon benefit from a new “Peterborough Local” rate. The new rate is set at 9.3 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh), which is 0.7 cents more than the new Granite Basic rate.

The additional 0.7 cents will be placed into a discretionary reserve fund, exclusive to Peterborough, dedicated to funding local renewable energy initiatives. CPCNH customers currently on Granite Basic will automatically be enrolled in the new tier unless they opt out.

“The rates are in line with our expectations for price and renewable content,” said Tony Cassady, co-chair of the Peterborough Community Power Committee. “We are pleased with these rates and that we can beat Eversource’s proposed rate while providing renewable energy options above their default rate.”

Noting that the committee’s goal is to save our residents money on their electricity bills while providing additional renewable energy options, Cassady said, “Community electricity is working as intended for Peterborough.”

Dublin, under the umbrella of Cheshire Community Power, has also decided to participate in a new “local” tier. According to board member Susan Peters, Dublin’s local tier is 0.3 cents higher than the default rate. This extra 0.3 cents will be paid into a discretionary fund for possible future energy projects.

“That would still be below Eversource’s default rate,” Peters said, adding that, according to the CPCNH, “based on Dublin’s population, a 0.3 cent increase in that local community could put Dublin up to $15,000 in a reserve account.”

At the Dublin Select Board’s June 17 discussion, board members were open to the idea of ​​a reserve account for funding energy projects, but felt adding a new tier could confuse customers and put the burden on them to opt out.

“It’s a hidden expense, a hidden burden on any resident or utility payer in this city to have a reserve for the unknown,” said Chris Raymond, chairman of the Dublin Select board.

Ultimately, the Dublin Select Board decided to trial the system for a period of six months from August 1, but will withdraw from the new tier if it is not effective.