Different Electric companies-Different rates? (Manchester, Nashua: Valentine's day, co-op, loans)

[mosrto]

Can someone please explain the electric companies in NH? I notice in different towns some elec companies are called PSNH. some PSNH coop, some like Wolfesboro just say Wolfesboro Electric Co. Does that mean they own their own Elec Co Are there plus's or minus's in the rates because of these differant companys such as the coops or owning their own Companys? such as Wolfesboro

[DareToDream]

Originally Posted by mosrto

Can someone please explain the electric companies in NH? I notice in different towns some elec companies are called PSNH. some PSNH coop, some like Wolfesboro just say Wolfesboro Electric Co. Does that mean they own their own Elec Co Are there plus's or minus's in the rates because of these differant companys such as the coops or owning their own Companys? such as Wolfesboro

It's confusing, isn't it When we first moved here, we set up an account at Littleton Water and Electric, but assumed it was a "local branch" of PSNH - nobody told us any different and where we came from had only 1 electric company for most of the area. We lost power once and I called PSNH to report it and they explained to me that they had nothing to do with us and I had to call our local company - I felt like an idiot, but they were very nice about it

Littleton and I *think* parts of Bethlehem and Lisbon (but I'm not sure) are, or at least can be served by the Littleton Water and Electric company. From what I've read on the forum, they are cheaper than PSNH. When we rented and lived about 5 miles out of town, there was one time we were without power for 2 or 3 days and that was because of a transformer problem. Since we moved into town, we've never been without power for more than 4 hours and that was during the Valentine's Day blizzard.

I don't know if that answered your question very well, but figured I'd throw it out here to either help clear up your confusion or make it worse

[GregW]

Public Service of New Hampshire is the biggest privately owned electric power company in New Hampshire. It provides service for most of the state. However, because New Hampshire was industrialized before electric power became available there were a number of companies set up to provide gas lighting derived from coal. When electric power was developed many of these municipally owned light (the Light in Littleton Light and Power) companies just added electricity to their services and replaced the gas plant with an electric plant. Most of the mills also converted from mechanical hydropower to electric motors for the machinery. Some of the towns sold their power plants to PSNH. Other privately owned power plants were also consolidated into PSNH.

The Co-Op is a descendant of the Federal Rural Electrification Administration of the 1930’s. This organization built the distribution lines to provide electric power to the more remote farms and houses of the smaller towns such as Landaff. Before the REA the cost of building the distribution systems was higher than the revenue provided by the low density rural customers. With electricity, modern farming, including electric water pumps and electric refrigeration for the bulk milk tank, became possible. (Political aside - IMHO The REA is the finest example of necessity of government interference in the marketplace. This investment was needed but private investors just would not do it. We need more of this sort of investment where the private sector does not want to play.)

Eventually electric power companies became a mixture of private, municipal and Federal. Generally the electricity can be provided by the municipal and co-op at a lower cost then PSNH because the private power company has to pay more for loans than the others. Most of the companies generate some of their own electricity but all of them, through grid interties, buy and sell electricity to each other. If you are fortunate and are supplied by a municipal or the co-op I suggest fighting all efforts to privatize these assets. If they become private property you will pay more for less reliable power.

[mosrto]

Originally Posted by DareToDream

It's confusing, isn't it When we first moved here, we set up an account at Littleton Water and Electric, but assumed it was a "local branch" of PSNH - nobody told us any different and where we came from had only 1 electric company for most of the area. We lost power once and I called PSNH to report it and they explained to me that they had nothing to do with us and I had to call our local company - I felt like an idiot, but they were very nice about it

Littleton and I *think* parts of Bethlehem and Lisbon (but I'm not sure) are, or at least can be served by the Littleton Water and Electric company. From what I've read on the forum, they are cheaper than PSNH. When we rented and lived about 5 miles out of town, there was one time we were without power for 2 or 3 days and that was because of a transformer problem. Since we moved into town, we've never been without power for more than 4 hours and that was during the Valentine's Day blizzard.

I don't know if that answered your question very well, but figured I'd throw it out here to either help clear up your confusion or make it worse

Thanx DTD, That really helped. Also I just found out what repp jail is.

Greg-Thanx also.

[buck naked]

One of the outcomes of the oil crisis, the Public Utilities Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA), encouraged alternative generating capacity and also required utilities to purchase electricity from small power producers (SPPs). As an important side note, this particular requirement remains a major issue today in New Hampshire's electric industry. At the time PURPA was enacted, the state mandated the purchasing of power from SPPs at rates that appeared reasonable given what was happening to energy costs in the 1970s. Long-term agreements to purchase power at set rates were entered into at that time. Today, PSNH continues to be obligated to purchase power from SPPs even though the rates paid to these producers are significantly higher than the current market prices.

In January of 1988, a significant upheaval in the state's electric industry occurred when Public Service Company of New Hampshire (PSNH) filed for bankruptcy protection
In 1989, the State of New Hampshire reached an agreement with Northeast Utilities (NU) that allowed NU to bring PSNH out of bankruptcy and acquire the utility. The approved plan included seven annual rate increases of 5.5 percent. In December of 1989, the legislature endorsed the reorganization plan, with its rate increases, and in July of 1990, the Public Utilities Commission gave its approval as well.
While that plan allowed PSNH to reorganize and emerge from bankruptcy, the effect of the annual rate increases began to affect New Hampshire residents and businesses.


Now, New Hampshire's electric rates surpassed those of the region and are among the highest in the nation.



at last count, there are more than a dozen electricity suppliers in NH. Wolfeboro is just one of many.

[buck naked]

• Municipal owned utilities
  • Ashland
  • Littleton
  • New Hampton
  • Wolfeboro
  • Woodsville

Municipal utilities do not fall under the jurisdiction of the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission.



Municipal utilities are not required to open their markets to consumer choice.

A choice is available to a good portion of NH's electric customers. A pilot program was started in NH i 1996 that allowed more than 33 companies to offer electricity at competitive rates. The Pilot has been, and continues to be, a valuable experiment for both consumers and electric suppliers.

Power Suppliers Who Served New Hampshire
In Retail Competition Pilot Program AGF, Inc. Edison, NJ KCS Power Manchester, NH Alternate Power Source, Inc. Boston, MA Louis Dreyfus Electric Power Wilton, CT ANP Energy Direct Company, Inc. Milford, MA Montaup Electric West Bridgewater, MA Bangor Hydro-Electric Company Bangor, ME Oceanside Energy Lebanon, NH Central Maine Power Company Augusta, ME Plum Street Enterprises Syracuse, NY Central Vermont Public Service Corporation Rutland, VT PSI Energy Plainfield, IN Cincinnati Gas & Electric Company Cincinnati, OH PSNH Energy Manchester, NH Connecticut Light and Power Company Berlin, CT QST Energy Peoria, IL Duke/Louis Dreyfus Energy Services West Bridgewater, MA Sprague Energy Portsmouth, NH Eastern Power Distribution, Inc. Alexandria, VA Strategic Energy Partners Pittsburgh, PA Enron Power Houston, TX United Illuminating Hartford, CT Freedom Energy Company, L.L.C. Concord, NH Unitil Resources Exeter, NH Global Petroleum Corp. Waltham, MA Virginia Electric & Power Richmond, VA Granite State Energy Concord, NH Wheeled Electric Power Company Nashua, NH Great Bay Power Corp. Dover, NH Working Assets Funding Service San Francisco, CA Green Mountain Energy South Burlington, VT XENERGY Burlington, MA KBC Energy Services Woburn, MA

[GregW]

Thanks, Buck. Too bad PSNH had to sell Seabrook Station as part of the reorg. That machine has ben a tremendous cash cow for it's Georgia owners.

[buck naked]

is it Georgia now? I thought it was FP&L