North Country Welcomes First EV Fast Charger by NHEC | Aug 29, 2024 | Energy Efficiency, UncategorizedCOLEBROOK, NH – A new “fast charger” installed recently at LaPerle’s IGA in Colebrook will offer an oasis for Electric Vehicle (EV) drivers in what had been described as a charging desert in New Hampshire’s North Country. Owned and operated by ReVision Energy, this new direct current (DC) charging station can add up to 200 miles of range in just 15 minutes of charging. It also features an integrated battery, which can be charged during off-peak hours and discharged during times of high electrical demand. This design not only eases the load on the grid but also reduces charging costs for drivers. Additionally, the location of the charger near the Canadian border fills an important gap in the fast charging network between Boston and Quebec. As the provider of electric service to the charging station, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) played a key role in its installation. NHEC provided technical and financial support for the project as part of its Commercial EV Charging program. To learn more about siting an EV charger at your business, please visit www.nhec.com/drive-electric.
NHEC Offers New Renewable Energy Rate by NHEC | Jul 24, 2024 | Energy Efficiency, Rates, UncategorizedPLYMOUTH, NH – New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) now offers an optional Renewable Energy Rate for members who wish to support the development of renewable energy in the region. Members who enroll in the Renewable Energy Rate have the choice to purchase Co-op Power with 50 percent or 100 percent renewable attributes. For the Aug. 1, 2024 to Jan. 31, 2025 rate period, the 50 percent renewable option is 1.861 cents more per kWh than the Basic rate. The 100 percent renewable option is 3.861 cents more per kWh than the Basic rate paid by most members. The added revenue received will be used by NHEC to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), which are a way to account for and encourage renewable energy production and use. “Our purpose is to serve our members, and to provide them with affordable, reliable electric service. We have a diverse membership, a number of whom are passionate about supporting and growing sources of renewable energy. Offering this new renewable rate aligns with our goal as a cooperative to provide energy solutions for all the segments of our membership,” said Alyssa Clemsen Roberts, President & CEO of NHEC. “Increasingly, our members have expressed a desire to have more of the power they use come from renewable sources. Recognizing this, the board worked to create this option for our members who want to do more to increase the use of renewable energy,” said NHEC Board Chair William Darcy. The Renewable Energy Rate is available to all members who purchase Co-op Power at the Basic residential classification of service (rate codes B or N01A). To learn more about NHEC’s Renewable Energy Rate, please visit: www.nhec.com/renewable-energy.
Notice of Commencement of Adjudicative Proceeding for 2024–2026 Statewide Triennial Energy Efficiency Plan by NHEC | Jul 14, 2023 | Energy Efficiency, UncategorizedCOMMENCEMENT OF ADJUDICATIVE PROCEEDING On June 30, 2023, New Hampshire’s joint utilities, consisting of Liberty Utilities (Granite State Electric) Corp. d/b/a Liberty; New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, Inc.; Public Service Company of New Hampshire d/b/a Eversource Energy; Unitil Energy Systems, Inc.; Liberty Utilities (EnergyNorth Natural Gas) Corp. d/b/a Liberty; and Northern Utilities, Inc. (together, the “joint utilities”) filed a petition requesting approval of the 2024–2026 Statewide Triennial Energy Efficiency (Plan), as required by RSA 374-F:3(d)(5). The petition, Plan, and subsequent docket filings, other than any information for which confidential treatment is requested of or granted by the Commission, will be posted to the Commission’s website at https://www.puc.nh.gov/Regulatory/Docketbk/2023/23-068.html. READ THE FULL DOCUMENT HERE
Millions in Federal Energy Efficiency Funds Coming to NH by NHEC | Jan 18, 2023 | Energy Efficiency, UncategorizedThe Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has significant funding of almost $70 Million for home electrification and energy efficiency for New Hampshire homeowners. High Efficiency Electric Home Rebate (HEERA) Rebate Caps Heat pump hot water heater: $1,750 Heat pump for space heating and cooling: $8,000 Electric stove, cooktop, range, or oven: $540 Heat pump clothes dryer: $840 Electric load service center upgrade: $4,000 Insulation, air sealing, and ventilation: $1,600 Electrical wiring: $2,500 Installation: $500 and is commensurate with scale of upgrades installed The guidance Federal Government has not issued guidance programs and it is not anticipated that these rebates will be available to homeowners until late 2023. DUE TO A LACK OF FEDERAL PROGRAM GUIDANCE, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DETERMINE IF A SPECIFIC PROJECT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR A REBATE OR IF ALREADY COMPLETED WORK WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR A REBATE. For program details and updates as they become available, check out the NHDOE’s web page: https://www.energy.nh.gov/rules-and-regulatory/inflation-reduction-act-funding-programs
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
NHEC to Participate in Connected Community Grant by NHEC | Dec 2, 2021 | Energy Efficiency, UncategorizedPLYMOUTH, NH – (December 2, 2021) New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) will be getting hands-on experience in “transactive energy” as part of a project aimed at meeting the future energy needs of rural and urban communities across the U.S. NHEC will participate in a Connected Community grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and will collaborate with the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Efficiency Maine, Knowledge Problem LLC and the Post Road Foundation to see how smart grid technology, enabled by high-speed internet, can improve the efficiency and reliability of regional and national power grids. The five-year project will help demonstrate how transactive energy can: facilitate more effective use of electricity distribution systems through load flexibility, with applications such as peak management; reveal the financial value of Distributed Energy Resource (DER) deployment on the distribution system, which can provide revenue to motivate the installation of DER and other efficiency measures; and lower financial and engineering hurdles to beneficial electrification — replacing fossil-fuel-powered heating and transportation with lower cost heat-pumps and electric vehicles. Brian Callnan, NHEC’s Vice President of Power Supply & Resources, said the project will help NHEC learn how to use its existing smart grid technology and its growing high-speed internet network to develop new relationships between the utility and its members. “In the traditional utility business model, the utility sets the price of the product once or twice a year,” Callnan said. “In a transactive energy business model, price signals are published the day before, allowing a member to decide how and when to use the utility’s services. NHEC doesn’t control a thing, our members control the transaction. A member may choose to reduce energy if they see really high prices or even export energy to the utility for payment with a home-based or electric vehicle battery. We’re trying to use the Co-op’s distribution system to give our members more control, while recognizing the value of their energy investments and compensating them for that value.” NHEC’s involvement in the Connected Community project will also provide an opportunity to improve the reliability of the NHEC electrical distribution system. NHEC has been investing for years in a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system that provides information about the performance of the Co-op’s electrical distribution system. Working with other partners in the Connected Community project, NHEC will be able to use that information to identify potential constraints on the system and mitigate problems before they occur. This will also allow NHEC to make it easier for members to site solar, batteries and other energy resources on its system. “One of the biggest advantages of the Connected Community project is the access NHEC will have to forward-thinking people and organizations working on these cutting-edge utility issues,” Callnan added. “The Co-op has made a lot of technology investments over time and the relationships we will build as part of this project will allow us to maximize the potential of those investments for our members.”