NHEC to Hold Informational Session on Selective Herbicide Treatments by Alicia Melanson | Sep 14, 2022 | UncategorizedMEREDITH, NH – New Hampshire Electric Cooperative will host a public information session about the selective use of herbicides in power line rights-of-way on September 21 at 6 p.m. at the Meredith Community Center. The meeting, which was organized with help from the Waukewan Winona Watershed Protective Association, is free to attend and open to anyone with questions about herbicide treatments and their impact on local ecology. A Q&A session will follow brief presentations by NHEC Arborists and representatives of Vegetation Control Service (VSC), NHEC’s licensed contractor that applies approved herbicides under the supervision of NHEC Arborists. WHERE: Meredith Community Center; 1 Circle Drive, Meredith, NH 03253 WHEN: Wednesday, September 21 at 6 p.m.
NHEC Announces Hiring of Alyssa Clemsen Roberts as President/CEO by weduadmin | Jul 29, 2022 | Uncategorized PLYMOUTH, NH – New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) Board Chair Jeffrey Morrill is pleased to announce the hiring of Alyssa Clemsen Roberts as NHEC’s new President/Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Clemsen Roberts comes to NHEC from Colorado, where she most recently served as CEO of the Delta-Montrose Electric Association (DMEA), and President of DMEA’s wholly-owned for-profit fiber internet subsidiary, Elevate. Prior to joining DMEA and Elevate, Clemsen Roberts served as the chief strategy officer at Platte River Power Authority in Fort Collins, CO, where she led Platte River’s government relations and community engagement activities, energy efficiency and distributed resource programs, internal and external communications, human resources and safety. She served four years in the United States Navy and graduated summa cum laude from Park University with a B.S. in business management. “We are excited and fortunate to be welcoming Alyssa to NHEC at this time,” said Morrill. “Her skills, experience and energy separated her from a strong, national field of candidates during the board’s search. She is deeply committed to the principles of member-owned cooperatives and the value they provide to members and their communities. She is also a nationally recognized expert on rural broadband issues, which will be a big boost to NHEC’s ongoing efforts to make high-speed internet access available to all members.” “I’m honored and excited to be joining the team at New Hampshire Electric Cooperative,” said Clemsen Roberts. “It’s clear that NHEC is a forward-thinking and member-focused organization, as they’ve demonstrated in their efforts to expand broadband access, which is a vital need in rural areas. There are challenges ahead for NHEC and its members, not least of which is the affordability of energy in New Hampshire, but I look forward to working together with the board, staff and members of NHEC to find solutions.” Clemsen Roberts will officially assume her duties on September 6, 2022.
Acworth, NHEC Celebrate a Rural Broadband Milestone by Alicia Melanson | Jul 19, 2022 | Broadband, UncategorizedACWORTH, NH – It used to take more than 18 hours for the United Church of Acworth to upload one weekly church service to the internet, recalled parishioner Sally Eaton, if its slow connection didn’t time out first. But since the launch this month of New Hampshire Electric Cooperative’s (NHEC) town-wide fiber-optic service, the job is done in minutes. “Our mission is to share our services with everyone, and this is making it much easier to do that,” Eaton told a gathering of town officials, residents and others celebrating the arrival July 14 of high-speed internet to this Sullivan County town of fewer than a thousand residents. Some parishioners are not physically able to attend services, Eaton explained, others are traveling but want to feel part of the congregation when they’re away. A new 1-Gig fiber internet connection in the historic church is already providing new ways to bring people together in a place that’s been the center of town life for more than 200 years. The start of service to Acworth this month marks the fifth town that NHEC has connected to broadband internet via its subsidiary, NH Broadband. Fiber-optic networks built in Colebrook, Clarksville, Stewartstown and Lempster are online and serving NHEC members in locations where high-speed service options have been limited or non-existent. NHEC and NH Broadband will start service to the Town of Sandwich later this summer, and recently announced plans to expand into more than 30 Grafton County towns in the next 18 months. “All the credit goes to you, the members,” said NHEC Board Chair Jeffrey Morrill, explaining that NHEC’s push for high-speed internet access began as a member-driven response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which exposed New Hampshire’s digital divide and made rural access to high-speed internet “an essential service.” Gregg Thibodeau, an Acworth resident and Lead of the Acworth Broadband Committee, said that townspeople had been getting by with slow connections for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic exposed the need for faster service that could keep up with the new demand for bandwidth. “On behalf of the several hundred anxious, internet customers in town, I can’t begin to tell you what high speed broadband service means to them,” Thibodeau said. “And even though COVID is abating, we are not likely to turn back the clock on the internet demand. More often folks are looking for jobs online, remote working opportunities, training, and schooling, which can be very time consuming and limited in our rural community.” Thibodeau said high-speed internet is also helping his work on the Acworth Conservation Commission, as the group seeks to protect and conserve the town’s resources. “We need access to online tools and data, such as GRANITView, ARCGIS, NH Fish & Game and DES studies and maps and UNH’s Cooperative Extension information. Accessing layers of maps for two or three properties in GRANITView was a two-to-four-hour exercise for me, now it takes minutes.” PHOTO CAPTION: Celebrating a rural broadband milestone in Acworth on July 14 were representatives of the Town of Acworth, state government, United Church of Acworth, NHEC, NH Broadband and its project partners.
NHEC Sets New Power Rate by NHEC | Jun 28, 2022 | Rates, UncategorizedPLYMOUTH, NH (June 28, 2022) – New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) is increasing its Co-op Power Charge from 9.62 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to 16.98 cents per kWh. The new rate will take effect with bills rendered on or after August 1, 2022. The Co-op Power Charge includes the cost that NHEC pays to purchase electricity on behalf of its members from the wholesale electricity market. The cost of these electric market purchases is directly passed through to members who have not chosen to purchase power from a competitive supplier. NHEC does not add any additional charges or fees to its Co-op Power Charge, and it does not fund NHEC’s operations. In New England, natural gas is the predominant fuel used to generate electricity. The price of natural gas is nearly three times higher than this time last year. Natural gas prices are impacted by global supply and demand, which has led to historically high electricity prices in New England and across the country. The new Co-op Power Charge and Regional Access Charge will result in a $37.55 a month increase for the typical residential member using 500 kWh per month, or 32% total bill increase. Members using 1,000 kWh per month will see a total bill increase of $75.09 per month, or 37%. “The price of the electricity NHEC purchases for our members who opt to take Co-op Power energy service has continued to climb,” said Brian Callnan, NHEC’s VP of Power Resources and Access. “An adjustment to the Co-op Power Charge will help stabilize our members’ electricity costs through the upcoming fall and winter.” “From the supermarket to the gas station to the electric meter, costs are up across the board,” said Jim Bakas, NHEC’s Interim General Manager. “We know that any rate increase is difficult for our members, many of whom are on fixed incomes or already struggling to pay their bills. We want our members to know that we are here to help and there are Co-op, state and local assistance programs available. We encourage members to call us at (800) 698-2007, or visit www.nhec.com/financial-assistance. Our Member Solutions representatives are ready to create payment plans or budget billing that works for you. Our Energy Solutions department is also ready to help with efficiency programs that offer incentives, rebates, and advice for getting the most from your energy dollars.” Co-op Power Rate Adjustment Schedule NHEC has traditionally adjusted the Co-op Power and Regional Access Charges in May to reflect power and transmission costs for the upcoming summer period, and again in November for the winter period ahead. To mitigate seasonal price fluctuations and provide NHEC members with more stable rates, NHEC is changing the time of year it sets these charges to August and February of each year. Setting the Co-op Power Charge in August and February will align NHEC with other New Hampshire utilities and avoid the large swings in electricity prices that have occurred over the past several years.
Members Reelect Four Incumbents to NHEC Board of Directors by NHEC | Jun 14, 2022 | Board of Directors, UncategorizedPLYMOUTH, NH – Members of New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) have reelected four members to the company’s Board of Directors. A total of six candidates were running for election to four open seats on the Co-op’s 11-member Board of Directors. As a member-owned cooperative, NHEC is governed by Directors who are elected by the membership. The four candidates elected by NHEC’s members were Alana Albee of Center Tuftonboro, Carolyn Kedersha of Melvin Village, Thomas F. Mongeon of Rumney and Sharon L. Davis of Campton. All four winning candidates are incumbent Board members and will serve three-year terms. Below are the full results of the 2022 Board of Directors election. Alana Albee 4,849 Carolyn Kedersha 4,815 Thomas F. Mongeon 4,439 Sharon L. Davis 4,027 David S. Boyce 3,968 John M. Goodrich 3,589 At NHEC’s Board Organizational Meeting on June 14, 2022 the Board of Directors elected the following officers to serve one-year terms: Chair of the Board – Jeffrey Morrill Vice Chair of the Board – Sharon Davis Treasurer – Edward French Assistant Treasurer – Carolyn Kedersha Secretary – Brenda Boisvert
2022 Annual Meeting Is June 14 by NHEC | May 16, 2022 | Annual Meeting, Uncategorized 83rd Annual Meeting of Members…Welcome Back! We’re glad to welcome members back in-person to Annual Meeting, but you can attend online as well! All NHEC members are welcome to attend. WHEN: Tuesday, June 14, 2022 10 a.m. (In-person registration begins at 9 a.m.; please RSVP here before the meeting) WHERE:| Merrill Place Conference Center on the campus of Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH ONLINE: If you wish to join us by Zoom, you must register here in advance of the meeting. Once your registration has been confirmed, you will receive an email link to the Annual Meeting URL, which you can bookmark and add to your calendar. All members will be in view and listen mode until we open up the meeting to address member questions.