Electric Bills Trending Lower in 2023 for NHEC Members by NHEC | Dec 21, 2022 | Rates, UncategorizedPLYMOUTH, NH – The New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) Board of Directors has approved changes to rates that by February 1, 2023 will result in an overall bill decrease of 9.3%, or $14.43 per month for the typical residential member using 500 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month. The first change will occur with bills rendered on or after January 1, 2023, when the Member Service Charge portion of members’ bills will increase by 1.3%, or $2.01 per month, from $31.02 per month to $33.03 per month. On February 1, 2023 a reduction in the Co-op Power Charge and the Regional Access Charge will result in a 10.5% decrease for typical residential members. The combined effect of these changes will result in an overall bill decrease of 9.3% per month, effective with bills rendered on or after February 1, 2023. The Member Service Charge is a fixed, monthly fee that helps cover the operating expenses of the cooperative, including the maintenance and improvement of its electric distribution system. The change was approved in part to fund increased investment in right-of-way clearing and other system reliability improvements. It will also help NHEC to keep pace with rising local property taxes, increased interest expenses and inflationary costs. The Member Service Charge is assessed to all NHEC members, regardless of how many kilowatt-hours of electricity they use. The reduction in the Co-op Power Charge and the Regional Access Charge rates reflect an easing of energy prices in the region, which is welcome news for NHEC members after a period of escalating energy costs. The Co-op Power rate and the Regional Access Charge are adjusted twice a year to reflect the actual cost of power that NHEC purchases for use by its members. NHEC does not mark up the rate it charges for power, nor does it profit from the sale of electricity. Effective with bills rendered on or after February 1, 2023, the Co-op Power rate will decrease from 16.98 cents per kWh to 13.78 cents per kWh. The Regional Access Charge reflects the cost NHEC pays to have electricity delivered to its substations, as well as a state-required refund of Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) proceeds. The Regional Access Charge will decrease from 2.85 cents per kWh to 2.76 cents per kWh with bills rendered on or after February 1, 2023. A complete list of NHEC rates, charges and fees is available here: https://www.nhec.com/rates-tariffs/.
After Powerful Weekend Storm, NHEC Expects Restoration by Monday by NHEC | Dec 18, 2022 | Outage, UncategorizedPLYMOUTH, NH (12/18/22; 11 a.m.) – New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) line crews, with help from tree and line crews across the region, have worked around-the-clock to restore power to more than 15,000 members since a damaging storm dropped more than a foot of heavy, wet snow on the state. As of 11 a.m. on Sunday, December 18, approximately 1,700 NHEC members remained without power in more than 40 towns. With the exception of some small, scattered outages, NHEC expects to be fully restored by 10 p.m. on Monday, December 19. Outages peaked on the NHEC system at 4 a.m. on the morning of December 17, 2022. By that time, trees and branches had caused damage to power lines in more than 200 locations, knocking out power to 16,582 members. After making good progress restoring the largest outages on Saturday, crews are spending Sunday and Monday restoring smaller taps and service lines. It’s a labor-intensive process that will continue until power is restored to all NHEC members. “We appreciate the continued patience of our members as we deal with the aftermath of this challenging storm,” said NHEC Director of Operations Joshua Mazzei. “The damage caused by this storm was extensive and statewide. We salute the lineworkers and support teams that have worked nonstop to get the lights back on for the people we serve. Their skill and dedication have resulted in the safe restoration of power to thousands of members. We expect further progress today and remain confident that we will be substantially restored by Monday night.” As crews work to repair damage in more than 100 locations today, Estimated Times of Restoration (ETORs) for remaining outages will be updated on the live outage map on NHEC’s website: https://www.nhec.com/outage-dashboard/
Notice of Adjustment to Energy Efficiency Portion of System Benefits Charges by NHEC | Dec 14, 2022 | UncategorizedThe State of New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission approved tariff change filings reflecting a 4.247 percent increase to the energy efficiency charge (EEC) collected by electric and natural gas utilities in New Hampshire. The General Court mandated this increase to the EEC. RSA 374-F:3, VI-a(d)(2), as amended. Under the law, the increase is calculated by the New Hampshire Department of Energy (DOE). CLICK HERE TO READ ENTIRE NOTICE
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.