Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Power topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Energy committee warns Community Power has underperformed; awaits utility reconciliation
Summary
Pembroke’s Energy Committee reported that Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire has underperformed against Eversource rates in recent periods, flagged high ancillary DAISY charges and hedging shortfalls, and said it had filed a reconciliation request with Eversource; the committee will seek detailed data and invited CPCNH to present on June 24.
The Pembroke Energy Committee told the Select Board on June 1 that the town’s Community Power program (Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire, CPCNH) has not consistently delivered lower electricity supply rates compared with the utility default this year. The committee highlighted two metrics to watch: whether CPCNH rates trend competitive with Eversource and whether CPCNH financial reserves normalize to a positive balance.
Committee members explained market changes over the past year, including a new IS0-New England day‑ahead ancillary service (DAISY) charge and a shift allowing utilities to procure more supply in the real‑time market. Presenter said DAISY charges have been larger than expected and that CPCNH’s hedging during a colder-than-normal winter increased its exposure. The presenter cited approximate comparisons given in the packet: Eversource at about 11.3¢/kWh and CPCNH at about 14¢/kWh for a recent period (figures as presented in the committee’s table).
The Energy Committee said CPCNH filed a reconciliation request with Eversource on May 5 seeking detailed monthly revenue, supply-cost and under‑collection data; Eversource had 10 business days to respond. The committee said that if utilities did under‑collect, any chargebacks should apply only to the customers for whom the utility under‑collected, not to CPCNH participants more broadly (a prior proposal to spread chargebacks broadly had been defeated in an earlier proceeding). The committee also said it had asked CPCNH to stop automatic enrollments unless CPCNH’s rate is lower than the utility’s.
The Energy Committee invited CPCNH to present detailed figures to the committee on June 24 at 5 p.m. and said staff would provide the board with month‑by‑month numbers to aid a future decision on whether to remain with CPCNH or to disenroll the town.
