Notice of Adjudicative Proceeding by NHEC | Dec 5, 2022 | UncategorizedOn November 28, 2022, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, Inc. (NHEC) filed a petition requesting that the NH Public Utilities Commission waive certain provisions of the newly adopted Chapter Puc 2200 “Municipal and County Aggregation Rules” pursuant to Puc 2201.03(b) and/or Puc 201.05. The petition and subsequent docket filings, other than any information for which confidential treatment is requested of or granted by the Commission, are available on the Commission’s website at: www.puc.nh.gov/Regulatory/Docketbk/2022/22-080.html. Click here to see the complete Notice of Adjudicative Proceeding
NHEC to Offer Used Vehicles for Sale by NHEC | Oct 31, 2022 | UncategorizedNew Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) is preparing to offer for bid, vehicles and equipment that are ready for disposition. This bid offering is being made available to the membership, Co-op employees and retirees with the disposal process as follows: Tentative list of vehicles for disposition (subject to change, please attend one of the viewing dates below for complete vehicle details) 1 Digger Truck 3 Bucket Trucks 8 Pick-up Trucks *Member Solutions representatives cannot answer questions regarding vehicles and equipment being disposed. All questions will be answered during the two vehicle and equipment viewing dates listed. Bid sheets for submitting bids may be picked up at the viewings. A separate sheet for each vehicle bid must be submitted. Sealed bids are due by the end of the workday (4:30 p.m.) Monday, November 28th. Vehicles are sold “As Is” and “Where Is” without warranties of any kind whatsoever. NHEC reserves the right to reject any and all bids. NOT responsible for bids lost in the mail or late. Viewing dates and times: Wednesday, November 16, 2022, 9 am to 6 pm Thursday, November 17, 2022, 9 am to 6 pm Bids due: Monday, November 28, 2022, by 4:30 p.m. Keep in mind that NHEC will be closed on November 24th and 25th. Post offices will be closed November 24th. Pick up dates: First day to pick up vehicles will be Thursday, December 5, 2022 Last day to pick up vehicles will be Friday, December 16, 2022 Vehicle viewing location: NHEC Vehicle Maintenance facility 533 Tenney Mountain Highway Plymouth, NH Successful Bidders: Payment must be made, and vehicle(s) removed by Friday, December 16, 2022. Payment will only be accepted in the form of certified check. You will be called before December 2nd if you are the highest bidder, and an appointment must be made to process the paperwork. *Information on the vehicles and equipment will be provided only at the scheduled viewing dates listed. Please do not contact the Co-op about vehicle and equipment conditions.
NHEC Wins $50 Million Grant to Expand Rural Broadband by NHEC | Oct 19, 2022 | Broadband, UncategorizedPLYMOUTH, NH (October 19, 2022) – New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) has been awarded a $50 million grant to expand its fiber-optic broadband internet service to more than 23,000 homes, businesses and municipalities in 73 New Hampshire towns. The grant, awarded by the New Hampshire Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) following a competitive bid process, is part of $221 million in federal funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act to expand broadband access in New Hampshire. “This is great news for the thousands of NHEC members who’ve had to make do with slow internet service, or in some cases, no service at all,” said NHEC President/CEO Alyssa Clemsen Roberts. “NHEC is a member-owned, nonprofit electric cooperative and our business is providing essential services to rural New Hampshire. We welcome the opportunity to provide much-needed high-speed internet to the same areas that NHEC first electrified more than 80 years ago. Grant funding is helpful to our plans to reach all underserved members, and we are grateful for the trust placed in us by the BEA to get the job done.” NHEC and its partners have already begun pre-construction work in Grafton County, where fiber-optic networks will be built in the coming months to serve NHEC members in 32 towns. It marks the largest expansion to date in NHEC’s efforts to make high-speed internet available to underserved parts of the state. Through its subsidiary, NH Broadband, NHEC has built fiber-optic networks providing high-speed internet service to residents in Acworth, Clarksville, Colebrook, Lempster, Sandwich and Stewartstown. Grant funds awarded by the BEA will enable the construction of additional fiber-optic networks to serve members in parts of Grafton, Belknap, Carroll, Coos, Sullivan and Merrimack counties. NH Broadband’s fiber-optic networks can provide upload and download speeds in excess of 2 Gigabits per second to meet NHEC’s members’ needs today and into the future. NHEC has partnered with rural fiber-optic construction leader Conexon to provide a comprehensive range of services including network design, construction project management, engineering, and operations support. Additionally, through its internet service provider subsidiary, Conexon Connect, the company is also providing services including customer sign-ups, installations, billing, technical support and access to multi-gigabit speed packages. In this early stage of planning, service availability dates are not yet available for Grafton County towns, or towns located in other counties. A full schedule of towns and areas to be served will be made available as construction plans are confirmed. However, all NHEC members can go online now at www.NHBroadband.com to select a speed package and express their interest in receiving service. NH Broadband will be in direct contact with members when expected service dates by town are established. About NHEC & NH Broadband NHEC is a member-led electric distribution cooperative serving 86,000 homes and businesses in 118 New Hampshire communities. Learn more at www.NHEC.com. NH Broadband was founded in 2020 to provide high-speed internet access to all NHEC members who lack it. Since then, NH Broadband has built fiber-optic networks and is currently serving members in Acworth Colebrook, Stewartstown, Clarksville, Lempster and Sandwich. Follow construction updates and learn more at www.NHBroadband.com.
Cold Cash: Energy Efficiency Pays Off for Patch’s Market by NHEC | Oct 17, 2022 | Energy Efficiency, UncategorizedRon Patch knows all about the cost of doing business these days. As the owner of Patch’s Market & Deli in Glen, NH, he’s seen his costs go up on everything from the gas at the pumps to the meat in the subs. So when the cost of power went up too, he turned to NHEC and the NHSaves energy efficiency programs for help. “We’re all stuck in it together, especially with the increases in the cost of energy,” Patch said. “So to have these programs really helps out.” With advice and financial incentives from NHEC and NHSaves totaling 50% of the project cost, Patch was able to invest in the energy efficiency of his business. The result – nearly 30,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity savings per year! Like the dozens of other small markets that are dotted across NHEC service territory, the biggest energy savings opportunities are in the coolers with the beer and soda. At Patch’s, that meant replacing fan motors that ran 24 hours a day with Electrically Commutating (EC) motors that operate only when needed. On a busy summer day, a steady stream of customers is in and out of the walk-in cooler, buying an estimated 300 cases of beverages a day. “The main cooler is so much more efficient now,” Patch said. “I used to have trouble keeping it defrosted but had no problem whatsoever with it this summer, which was the hottest we’ve had in years.” He also swapped out older fluorescent lights in the 40’ X ’16 cooler with highly efficient LEDs, a change that Patch said elicited hundreds of comments from customers. “The product just sparkles now and they really notice it,” he said. Other efficiency measures included the installation of anti-sweat heater controls in the cooler doors. All told, Patch’s Market can expect to save more than $6,000 a year in electric costs (based on current rates). “It’s been a very successful conversion for me,” Patch said. “I came away thinking this was a win-win situation for everyone.” Looking to save energy at your small business? Call or email our business energy experts: Joe Lajewski Chelsea Smith (603) 536-8663 (603) 536-8855 lajewskij@nhec.com smithc@nhec.com
With Arrival of Broadband At Last, Sandwich Celebrates a Milestone by NHEC | Oct 14, 2022 | Broadband, UncategorizedSANDWICH, NH – Throughout its modern history, the residents of Sandwich, NH could only hear the distant sound of the information superhighway as it passed them by. But with the start of NH Broadband fiber-optic internet service to town, they’ve got their own onramp and all the benefits it brings. Internet speeds up to 2 gigabits per second are now available to New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) members in Sandwich, thanks in large part to the persistent advocacy of its townspeople. The town played an important role in the drive to improve high-speed internet access in rural New Hampshire. Well before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Sandwich Broadband Advisory Committee and town officials were lobbying for providers to do more to reach unserved and underserved residents. Richard Knox, a member of the Sandwich Broadband Advisory Committee and Chair of NH Broadband Advocates, called the start of fiber-optic broadband service to Sandwich “momentous.” “When a small group of frustrated Sandwich residents nudged NHEC toward getting into broadband, we had no notion that a pandemic would magnify the need. Or that rural broadband would become a bipartisan issue in Congress and our state,” Knox said. “We’re proud to think that we began something that will benefit many other rural communities.” For Joanne Haight, Chair of the Sandwich Select Board, the start of NH Broadband service in Sandwich is the realization of a community goal that was a long time in coming. “The work began in early 2019 and those of us involved thought the pathway to securing a fiber-optic network in a small, rural community of over 90 square miles was nearly impossible, but today it is here,” Haight said. “Thanks to the pioneering spirit of NHEC, NH Broadband and a resident-driven initiative, the town of Sandwich has access to a fast, affordable fiber-optic network.” NH Broadband, NHEC’s internet subsidiary, now serves NHEC members in six towns, and is currently expanding its fiber-optic networks to serve members in more than 30 towns in Grafton County, which has some of the highest concentrations of New Hampshire residents who lack access to high-speed internet. NHEC and its project partner, Conexon, continue to pursue federal and state grant funds to support the construction of fiber-optic networks in areas that lack high-speed options. Construction of the expansive fiber-optic network in Sandwich, which required the installation of 107 miles of fiber-optic lines, was supported in part by a $1.6 million grant secured by Congressman Chris Pappas. “We’re proud to have worked with our members in Sandwich to achieve this important milestone,” remarked Alyssa Clemsen Roberts, the President/CEO of NHEC and CEO of NH Broadband. “Broadband internet is no longer a luxury, it’s an essential service that NHEC is committed to providing to all our members who need it. We see the difference that reliable, high-speed internet makes in the life of a small community, and we can’t wait to see it repeated across the state as we reach more members.” To follow construction updates and service dates when they become available, please visit www.NHBroadband.com.