Merrimack County votes to pursue lower default electricity rates for its largest accounts

County staff told commissioners that Community Power of New Hampshire would be unable to provide a continuing annual supply contract and that Unitil (the default supplier) had submitted low proposed rates for the coming months. Staff recommended shifting the county’s two largest G1 accounts (the nursing home and the jail), which account for roughly 64% of county consumption, to the default supplier to capture near‑term savings.

Speaker 8 said the previous Community Power rate for the county’s accounts had been about 8.09 cents per kilowatt-hour in the initial year, and Unitil’s submitted rates for February were close to 11.944 cents per kWh for G1 accounts; however, Unitil’s load‑weighted average over coming months could be materially lower, producing a projected savings. "Just for those 2 accounts, it's about a $150,000, you know, based on last year's consumption," Speaker 8 said.

Commissioners discussed the tradeoff between honoring the county’s role in launching Merrimack County Community Power and securing immediate budget savings for taxpayers. Speaker 2 said the county may need to revisit its support for the community power umbrella if market dynamics keep producing lower default rates.

Motion and outcome: A motion to continue negotiations with Unitil and take actions in the county’s best interest (including moving affected accounts as appropriate) was moved and seconded and the board approved the motion.

What happens next: Staff will continue negotiations and implement changes for the specified accounts consistent with the board’s direction. Commissioners said they expect to monitor market changes and revisit the county’s community‑power participation over the next six months.