• Welcome to New Hampshire Underground.
 

News:

Please log in on the special "login" page, not on any of these normal pages. Thank you, The Procrastinating Management

"Let them march all they want, as long as they pay their taxes."  --Alexander Haig

Main Menu

Electric rates around NH

Started by slim, June 29, 2008, 07:55 AM NHFT

Previous topic - Next topic

slim

I was wondering if anyone knew where in NH the lowest electric rates (including delivery charges) are at? Where I currently live there are some towns have very cheap electricity some are very expensive. I am pretty sure anywhere I move to in NH will be lower because I live in a area that has the 2nd highest rates in the US. I would like to live somewhere that I can put in a outdoor hot tub and these usually heat the water using electricity and if you have high electricity rates this can get very expensive.


Kat Kanning

Public Service of NH in Keene:

Customer charge 8.94
KWH distribution charge .02919
KWH transmission charge .00826
KWH stranded cost recovery charge .00774

taxes
system benefits charge $.003/KWH
electricity consumption tax $.00055/KWH

There are only two power companies, PSNH and NHEC.

John Edward Mercier

I could be wrong, but I think we have 4 distribution companies (PSNH, NHEC, Unitil, and National Grid)... and several choices of power suppliers... including private on-site through a net-metering program.

I don't have the latest rates (PSNH will increase cost by 6.8% on the next billing)...


Porcupine_in_MA

We need some more of these here in New Hampshire please -

John Edward Mercier

NH produces most of its base power through nuclear. In 2005... it attributed 41.4% of total electric production. Not including natural gas used to meet peak demand (20.2%) , that is more than all other sources combined. I believe I read somewhere that Seabrook currently has the ability to increase through efficiency the amount of electricity it provides, and it would be pretty hard to site another nuclear plant of its size and power generation due to the cooling water needs.

jaqeboy

Quote from: John Edward Mercier on July 05, 2008, 12:48 PM NHFT
I could be wrong, but I think we have 4 distribution companies (PSNH, NHEC, Unitil, and National Grid)... and several choices of power suppliers... including private on-site through a net-metering program.

I don't have the latest rates (PSNH will increase cost by 6.8% on the next billing)...


I believe there are 6 or 7 power companies- one is a muni serving only a couple of towns - I think it's called CVEC, Connecticut Valley Electric Co.

CRR - the Campaign or Ratepayers Rights advocates for consumers and small businesses and has been recognized/authorized as an intervenor in all relevant PUC dockets where ratepayers interests are at stake. When I joined the Board, it was all explained to me and we had a service area map posted on the wall in the office. Website: http://www.ratepayersrights.org/

The PUC regulates the public utilities, including electrical, water, gas and telephone. Their site: http://www.puc.state.nh.us/. They hear all "rate cases" where the utility proposes an increase.
QuoteThe NHPUC is vested with general jurisdiction over electric, telecommunications, natural gas, water and sewer utilities as defined in RSA 362:2 for issues such as rates, quality of service, finance, accounting, and safety.

The PUC site says, though, at: http://www.puc.state.nh.us/Electric/electric.htm
QuoteFour electric distribution companies operate in New Hampshire, each serving a mutually exclusive franchise territory. They include: Public Service Company of New Hampshire (PSNH), Granite State Electric Company (GSEC), Unitil Energy Systems, Inc. (UES) (formerly Concord Electric Company and Exeter and Hampton Electric Company), and the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, Inc. (NHEC).

OK, I see. This page referenced above describes who gobbled up who so now there are only 4.

Porcupine_in_MA

Quote from: John Edward Mercier on July 05, 2008, 07:57 PM NHFT
NH produces most of its base power through nuclear. In 2005... it attributed 41.4% of total electric production. Not including natural gas used to meet peak demand (20.2%) , that is more than all other sources combined. I believe I read somewhere that Seabrook currently has the ability to increase through efficiency the amount of electricity it provides, and it would be pretty hard to site another nuclear plant of its size and power generation due to the cooling water needs.


I was told that most of NH's electricity was from hydro-electric and that Seabrook didn't even sell it's power to New Hampshire.

John Edward Mercier

Technically the power enters the New England grid...
The numbers I posted were what percentage of electricity produced in NH is from which source.
It may be the greatest amount of electricity in the grid is hydro produced, mostly due to HydroQuebec.

jaqeboy

How it works, again from the PUC, @ http://www.puc.state.nh.us/Electric/wholesaleandregionalissues.htm

QuoteThe state of the electric industry in New Hampshire depends crucially on two entities outside New Hampshire and outside the jurisdiction of the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission: the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the Independent System Operator – New England (ISO-NE). FERC regulates transmission and wholesale sales of electricity in interstate commerce, licenses and inspects hydroelectric projects, oversees environmental matters, and administers accounting and financial reporting regulations and the conduct of jurisdictional companies. The ISO-NE, which was established as a not-for-profit private corporation on July 1, 1997 following its approval by the FERC, manages the New England region's electric bulk power system and administers the region's wholesale electricity marketplace, providing open access to the transmission system and ensuring a safe and reliable system.

Searching ISO-NE's site, there are basic pages on How Electricity Flows, About the Power System and Key Facts - New Hampshire. I'll bet the data you're looking for are on that last page.

Free libertarian

There are two options. Buy your electricity or make it.  If anyone is interested in making their own
check out Solar Fest in Tinmouth, VT.  It's happening the weekend of 7/11, 7/12 and 7/13 (gates open at 3:00 pm Friday). One caution, there will be Birkenstocks and Dreadlocks, maybe even Vegetarians there!!

I won't get into the cost analysis of making vs buying, but making it sure gives you that independant feeling.  If anyone is a do it your selfer you can save alot of money. The obstacle isn't the physical  putting it together, it's the "they" won't let you put stuff together unless you jump thru all the regulatory hoops.  We've got a ton of small streams and rivers in NH...I've seen very little micro hydro...why?

I've often wondered how micro electric companies would do.  Say a voluntary participation  wind, hydro or solar generation for several homes to spread the cost.... Maybe you really smart guys could figure out howto make mini nuclear reactors too. 

Roycerson

Quote from: Free libertarian on July 07, 2008, 06:51 AM NHFT
Maybe you really smart guys could figure out howto make mini nuclear reactors too. 

The problem lies in finding the requisite quantities of naquedah.

Lloyd Danforth

Back yard Nuclear Reactors have already been discussed in Grafton.

error

Quote from: Lloyd Danforth on July 07, 2008, 07:07 AM NHFT
Back yard Nuclear Reactors have already been discussed in Grafton.

Just one of these in one person's back yard would supply enough electricity to power a town the size of Keene.

41mag

Quote from: slim on June 29, 2008, 07:55 AM NHFT
I was wondering if anyone knew where in NH the lowest electric rates (including delivery charges) are at? Where I currently live there are some towns have very cheap electricity some are very expensive. I am pretty sure anywhere I move to in NH will be lower because I live in a area that has the 2nd highest rates in the US. I would like to live somewhere that I can put in a outdoor hot tub and these usually heat the water using electricity and if you have high electricity rates this can get very expensive.


As another option I know Maineshark has mentioned a wood burning hot tub.  You may want to ask him about one.

jaqeboy

Quote from: Free libertarian on July 07, 2008, 06:51 AM NHFT
...If anyone is interested in making their own
check out Solar Fest in Tinmouth, VT.  It's happening the weekend of 7/11, 7/12 and 7/13 (gates open at 3:00 pm Friday). One caution, there will be Birkenstocks and Dreadlocks, maybe even Vegetarians there!!

Oh, yeah, I meant to start a thread on this. I'm definitely going and there's camping there. Was going to try to set up a Pocrupine village there in the woods like last year. We had 4 in the village last year - let's shoot for 8 this year! There were some inspiring music (solar-powered stage) and people and products there last year! I expect even more this year... FSP should have a table here.

I'll just bump up the thread from last year's event and add this year's details.