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Jewett City greenhouse owner asks the legislature to reset gas demand ratchets quarterly
Summary
A Jewett City greenhouse owner testified that Eversource’s current natural‑gas demand ratchet bases a year's demand charge on a single 24‑hour peak day, creating unpredictable annual bills. He and Rep. Lanou urged a bill to reset the demand ratchet quarterly for agricultural accounts to better align charges with seasonal use.
Lou D’Amico, owner of Jewett City Greenhouses, told the Energy and Technology Committee that his fourth‑generation family greenhouse faces steep, unpredictable natural‑gas demand charges because the utilities’ method locks a 12‑month demand ratchet to the single worst 24‑hour day in the year.
Under current Eversource practice D’Amico described, a single high‑use day during the peak heating season can set a demand component that remains on a customer’s bill for 12 months. He said a recent rate change increased his demand charge from roughly $2.93 to $3.79 per 100 CCF and that a high‑day ratchet can add several hundred dollars a month to a small grower’s bills for a full year. D’Amico said agriculture is seasonal and the current methodology penalizes farms that concentrate use in a short season.
Representative Lanou sponsored a proposal (SB 246 / HB 5246) to compute demand ratchets on a rolling quarterly basis for agricultural and farm‑permit customers so recorded peaks reflect recent seasonal usage rather than a single outlier day. Eversource representatives said during committee discussion that they do not have the authority to unilaterally change tariffs outside a rate proceeding and that policy questions of which customer classes should be treated differently properly belong in a rate case or Commission rulemaking.
Members of the committee asked Eversource whether it had previously discussed bespoke relief with affected growers and whether an expedited regulatory pathway exists; Eversource said it would consider testimony in the next rate case and that a legislative change could be discussed. The committee did not adopt legislation at the hearing; the company urged growers to participate in regulatory or rate‑case processes to make their case formally.
