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Town hears options for Community Power renewal: 30-month stable contract, green default and potential small program fee
Summary
Staff briefed the board on the Community Power program renewal timeline, the town's current default product (35% renewable), options to keep or change the green default, a proposed small customer fee to fund local weatherization/assistance, and timing for a decision before contract renewal in December.
Town staff and the energy commission discussed options for renewing the town's Community Power supply contract, the composition of default products and an optional program fee to support local energy assistance and weatherization.
The program: a town-supported community power product Town staff said Swanzey Community Power launched in June 2023 and currently supplies roughly 2,600 customer accounts and about 18.5 million kilowatt-hours annually. Staff reported the program's default product includes an additional 10 percentage points of renewable energy on top of the state minimum (making the town default 35 percent renewable in 2025). The presenter said about 91 percent of customers remain on the default product.
Contract term and timing The current supply contract renews in December. Staff recommended beginning renewal pricing work in the spring; suppliers can present renewal pricing typically in April. Staff said the town commonly seeks longer-term stability (a 30-month fixed-price contract) to reduce exposure to price volatility, and several members of the energy commission and the board indicated a preference for preserving the 30-month stability if acceptable pricing is available.
Green default versus program fee Energy commission members discussed two program design levers: - Keep a green default (the town's current default includes an extra 10% renewable energy). Staff said keeping the green default imposes a small per-kWh premium (described in discussion as a few tenths of a cent per kWh) but increases the program's renewable content. - Create a small per-kWh user fee (discussed for Keene and other towns at between 0.07' and 0.125' per kWh) to fund local assistance such as weatherization or emergency bill help. Staff said any fee would be town-managed and would require a policy for how funds are disbursed; the Public Utility Commission review could add 60 days to implementation if required.
Participation, sweeps and new accounts Staff explained the administrative sweep process: new accounts are initially served by Eversource and the town can run a sweep report to enroll new customers into the community power default (with an opt-out letter sent to new customers). The board discussed the practical timing of sweeps for multifamily developments and other incoming meters; staff said new meters produce individual mailers for each meter.
Decision process The energy commission planned a recommendation meeting in early March; staff said the town can proceed with a supplier and a 30-month product if the commission recommends it. Board members asked staff to be prepared to finalize a decision at the board's March meeting if the energy commission reached a recommendation.
What was not decided No contract was signed at the meeting. The board did not vote to implement a new customer fee or to change the default product; those items were left to the energy commission to recommend and to a future board decision.
