Covid-19 update: NHEC temporarily suspends non-essential work and appointments until April 1st by NHEC | Mar 23, 2020 | Covid, UncategorizedThe Governor of New Hampshire has declared a state of emergency and governments, schools, businesses and citizens are all taking action to limit interaction and spread of the coronavirus. New Hampshire Electric Co-op is temporarily suspending any non-essential work and appointments that require a technician to enter a home or come in close, physical contact with other individuals. This includes but is not limited to our Home Performance with ENERGY STAR, Home Energy Assistance, and Small Business programs. This suspension began on Thursday, March 19, and will last through at least Monday, April 1st. If you have any questions you can contact our Member Solutions team at 1.800.698.2007, or email us at solutions@nhec.com. We thank you for your patience and understanding during this time.
NHEC Response to COVID-19 Pandemic by NHEC | Mar 16, 2020 | Covid, UncategorizedPLYMOUTH, NH (March 16, 2020) – In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) is taking the steps necessary to ensure it can continue providing safe and reliable electricity service to its members throughout the crisis. This includes making necessary changes to our operations to limit the potential spread of the virus, while we continue to provide uninterrupted service to our members. NHEC continues to coordinate its COVID-19 response efforts with New Hampshire state officials, and we are closely monitoring this fluid situation. NHEC’s mission is to provide our members the ability to access affordable, reliable electric service options that support and simplify their lives. To do this we need to protect the health and welfare of our employees, members, and the communities we serve. NHEC recognizes that the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a significant impact on our economy and cause stress and financial challenges for many of our members. To assist our members who are struggling financially due to this pandemic, NHEC is suspending late payment charges and service disconnections for nonpayment. Members who are having difficulty paying their bills are encouraged to contact NHEC through our website, www.nhec.com, or by calling (800) 698-2007, to learn about bill assistance programs, special payment arrangements, and community support services that are available. “We appreciate our members’ understanding and patience, as NHEC responds to this public health crisis, while continuing to provide our communities with the electricity they need,” said Steve Camerino, president and CEO of NHEC. “We encourage all our members to follow public health officials’ guidance on what they can do to protect themselves and their community.”
Scam Calls Offering to Join NHEC Reported by NHEC | Feb 27, 2020 | UncategorizedTO OUR NON-NHEC MEMBER FRIENDS: we’re receiving numerous requests to join the Cooperative today, no doubt as a result of yesterday’s news that we’re dropping our power supply rate by 26%! It seems would-be scammers are calling with offers to switch non-members to NHEC. While it’s flattering, it’s also not possible to switch to a different utility and you should ignore these offers. We are not making outbound calls offering to switch anyone to NHEC! In order to be served by NHEC, you must reside within our service territory. If you are served by another utility (Eversource, Unitil, Liberty or municipal utility), you cannot switch to NHEC unless you move into our service territory. If you are called with this or a similar offer, JUST HANG UP!
NHEC Announces 26% Reduction in Electricity Supply Rate by NHEC | Feb 26, 2020 | UncategorizedPLYMOUTH, NH – New Hampshire Electric Cooperative’s (NHEC) Board of Directors has approved a 26% reduction to its members’ electricity supply rate. The rate reduction applies to the Co-op Power portion of members’ bills, and will result in an overall bill decrease of over $11.00, for the average residential member using 500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per month. NHEC typically adjusts its Co-op Power rate in November and May every year. This rate reflects the cost NHEC pays to purchase electricity from the market on behalf of its members. The price NHEC pays for this power is directly passed along to its members who do not buy their electricity from a competitive supplier. Since the winter period Co-op Power rate was set in November, the market cost of electricity has plummeted. This precipitous drop in market prices, below what was forecast, has allowed NHEC to procure electricity for its members at a lower cost. Recognizing the difference between the current rate and market prices, NHEC has adjusted the Co-op Power rate outside of the normal cycle, which will provide the benefit of these low market prices back to members as soon as possible. The lower than expected market prices are due to many factors that have impacted electricity costs over the past few months. Most notably, New England has experienced a very mild winter, which kept the cost of electricity low. Temperature is closely linked to the price of electricity, as it drives the demand for more energy during the cold, dark months of winter, and hot, humid summer months. As a result of the Board of Directors’ vote, NHEC’s Co-op Power rate will drop from 8.8¢ per kWh to 6.6¢ per kWh. NHEC’s members will see the benefits from this rate reduction starting in their March bills. “I am pleased that we were able to move quickly to reduce our rates and pass along the benefit of the low market prices to our members,” said Steve Camerino, president and CEO of NHEC. “NHEC is a nonprofit cooperative and we operate at cost, so our rates reflect the expenses we incur to serve our members. We are a member-driven organization so passing along these savings to our members as quickly as possible is a priority for us.”
NHEC Foundation awards $237,668 in grants in 2019. by NHEC | Feb 17, 2020 | UncategorizedThanks to the generosity of NHEC members who participate in the Round Up program, the NHEC Foundation was able to award $237,668 in grants to 56 nonprofit and charitable organizations in 2019. Foundation grants supported worthy programs and projects from Raymond to Colebrook and in all parts of NHEC’s service territory. The NHEC Foundation Board of Trustees encourages all groups working to improve the quality of life for our members to find out more about awards and challenge grants. Organization Name Amount of Award Adaptive Sports Partners of the North Country $5,000 Advice to the Players $2,500 American Red Cross of NH/VT $10,000 Appalachian Mountain Club $2,500 Believe in Books Literacy Foundation $2,500 Boys & Girls Club of Central NH $2,500 Bridge House $10,000 Campton Elementary Park & Recreation Department $2,550 Circle Program $2,500 Communities for Alcohol & Drug-Free Youth (CADY) $5,000 Copper Cannon Camp $1,000 Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) $2,000 Cub Scout Pack 53 $1,500 D Acres of NH $1,500 Deerwood Foundation $500 Easter Seals NH $2,500 Friends of Meredith Parks & Recreation $2,500 Friends of the Libby Museum $3,500 Friends Program $3,000 Got Lunch! Campton / Thornton $2,000 Got Lunch! Colebrook $2,000 Got Lunch! Plymouth $2,000 Harbor Homes $10,000 HHB Healing Foundation $1,800 Hooks N Needles $1,000 Kathy Anderson Scholarship $2,500 Make-A-Wish Foundation of NH $1,000 Margret and HA Rey Center $2,500 Mayhew Program $5,000 New Hampshire Audubon $3,000 NH Food Bank $10,300 NH LAKES $3,500 New Hampshire Public Radio $2,500 NHEC Foundation Scholarship Awards $9,000 North Conway Public Library $5,000 North Country Cares $1,000 Pemi Baker Community Health $3,454 Pemi Youth Center $2,000 Plymouth Area Community Closet $6,250 Plymouth Area Renewable Energy Initiative $10,000 Plymouth Elementary Park and Recreation Department $2,325 Project Care $44,178 Reach High Scholars Program $5,000 Russell Elementary School $2,000 Salvation Army of Laconia $2,054 Sandwich Children’s Center $2,000 School District SAU 48 $5,000 Society for the Protection of NH Forests $3,607 Spaulding Youth Center $2,000 Squam Lakes Natural Science Center $4,150 Tapply-Thompson Community Center $2,500 Tillotson Center $3,000 Visiting Nurse Home Care & Hospice of Carroll County $6,000 Winnipesaukee Playhouse $1,000 YMCA Camp Nellie Huckins $2,000 YMCA of Greater Boston $2,000 $237,668