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May 7, 2008 - Seasonal Rate Adjustment Effective May 1, 2008
A seasonal rate adjustment caused by increases in the cost of electricity and transmission services took effect on May 1, 2008.
The effect on a typical residential member using 500 kilowatt-hours per month is a total bill increase of approximately 7.6%.
The increases are reflected in the Co-op Power and Regional Access Charge line items on your monthly bill. Effective May 1, the Co-op Power rate increased from 8.9 cents per kWh to 10.2 cents per kWh; the Regional Access Charge increased from $0.00849 per kWh to $0.00983 per kWh.
NHEC typically adjusts its rates in late spring to reflect the seasonal increase in the cost of electricity. Driving that increase is the rising cost of natural gas, which is the fuel most commonly used in New England to generate electricity.
Increases in the Regional Access Charge reflects NHEC’s share of costs associated with expanding and improving the New England power transmission grid.
Apr 23, 2008 - Online Outage Map Goes Live
PLYMOUTH – New Hampshire Electric Cooperative has made real-time information on power outages available on its website.
The online map of New Hampshire displays the same information used by the company’s outage management system to track power outages at the county and town level. Color-coded circles indicate the approximate location and time of outages, number of Co-op members affected, the status of line crews in the field and the expected time of restoration. To protect member privacy and security, the outage map tool does not display outage locations to a specific street address.
When outages are occurring, an alert box will appear on the NHEC website home page indicating the number of outages and members affected. The alert box links to the real-time outage map for more detailed information. The alert box does not appear when there are no active outages.
The online outage map was designed with many audiences in mind, said NHEC Vice President of Public and Member Relations/CFO Dena DeLucca.
“During periods of heavy outages, real-time information is valuable for state and local emergency officials as well as the media,” DeLucca said. “It’s also helpful for seasonal members – nearly 30% of our total membership – who may be planning to visit the area.”
Mar 31, 2008 - Co-op Aims to Reduce Carbon Footprint
PLYMOUTH – In a landmark initiative for a utility, the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) has announced a partnership with Portsmouth-based Clean Air - Cool Planet (CA-CP) to quantify and reduce the company’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Clean Air - Cool Planet will provide its expertise in the area of greenhouse gas (GHG) calculation, and then assist NHEC in preparing a plan to reduce or eliminate emissions from its use of electricity and other fuels in the direct operations of the company.
“We have worked in various capacities with utilities in the past, but this is the first time we’ve helped a power company tackle emissions from its operations,” said Adam Markham, CEO of Clean Air - Cool Planet, the leading nonprofit finding and promoting solutions to global warming.
“NHEC is to be congratulated on taking pioneering steps in this area.” Markham said.
He noted that the Coop, which is a member-owned and -controlled electric distribution company serving 116 cities and towns, intends to use what it learns in the process with CA-CP to help other utilities.
“We see this partnership with Clean Air – Cool Planet as a reflection of our social and environmental responsibilities,” said NHEC President/CEO Fred Anderson. “This program, which focuses on our business operations, is part of our strategic actions to reduce our carbon footprint across the three major segments of our organization: energy procurement, business operations and members’ energy usage.”
The New Hampshire Electric Cooperative serves approximately 80,000 members and maintains more than 5,400 miles of energized line that traverse nine of the 10 counties in New Hampshire.
The first step in the process will be to collect data on the company’s use of electricity, fuels for space and water heating, fuel used in its fleet of line trucks and other vehicles, and employee travel.
Ultimately, the process will give NHEC tools to examine and reduce its energy use, according to CA-CP COO Bob Sheppard.
“More and more corporations are realizing that in order to control costs and stay competitive, managing energy costs is a key,” Sheppard said. “The truth is, you can’t manage what you don’t measure, so this is a critical step.”
The inventory, planning, and implementation process will take the company through the summer.
Mar 25, 2008 - NHEC Foundation Passes Half-Million Dollar Mark
From local health care clinics to statewide food banks, more than 80 organizations have benefited from the generosity of NHEC members, who fund the Foundation through monthly contributions. NHEC serves approximately 78,000 members, two-thirds of which agree to have their monthly electric bill rounded up to the next dollar with the proceeds benefiting the Foundation.
The average Foundation grant has been approximately $5,000. Charitable and educational organizations in every region of the state served by NHEC have received funding. The largest single donation made by the Foundation was a $24,000 grant awarded to the Plymouth Main Street program to finish the façade renovation of the Pemi Youth Center.
The NHEC Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 entity, is overseen by a board of directors, which last year received more than 80 requests for funding. According to Foundation Executive Director Judy Gove, meeting the needs of local non-profit organizations has been a truly cooperative effort.
“We are very pleased and fortunate that we can support so many organizations and programs,” said Gove. “It’s the support of NHEC members who contribute to Round Up that makes such a difference. The grants will help strengthen our communities, provide educational opportunities and improve the lives of individuals and families across New Hampshire.”
Mar 6, 2008 - Ski Partnership Wins National Energy Efficiency Award
ANAHEIM, CA - The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) presented a National Community Service Award to New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) for the co-op’s multi-faceted program to help Cranmore Mountain Resort in North Conway reduce its energy consumption by applying new, efficient technologies and participating in a demand response program.
Implementing this comprehensive program boosted the bottom line of a major commercial member that is a vital part of the state’s economy.
After a thorough review of the member’s energy usage, NHEC provided Cranmore Mountain Resort a rebate of $15,000 toward the purchase of 20 low-energy tower snow guns estimated to be sixty percent more efficient than conventional snowmakers. On top of this rebate, the co-op provided $56,300 for new fan guns through its SmartSTART program (Savings Through Affordable Retrofit Technologies), which allows the co-op to be repaid over time on the member’s electric bill using energy savings.
The cooperative also enabled the resort’s participation in ISO-New England’s demand response program. When the cooperative started the program, it was the only New Hampshire utility participating in the ISO’s demand-response program.
Under the terms of the demand response program, during high-price/high-demand periods the co-op notifies the resort, which is then able to curtail usage and get paid for energy not consumed. ISO NE pays the cooperative for the energy saved; the cooperative in turn gives that money to the member. NHEC is the only utility in New England to pass 100% of the money on to the consumer. Says NHEC Account Executive Bill Johnstone: “It took a lot of time to educate the ski areas about the demand response program, but once they understood the benefits of the program they were excited to participate.”
Said NRECA President Jack Wolfe, “NHEC is helping reframe the energy equation: this program shows that everybody profits when we reduce the amount of energy consumed.”
According to Johnstone, reducing Cranmore’s energy usage required not just one strategy. “We spent a lot of time getting to understand the member’s business and identified several different strategies for helping the ski area to reduce energy costs.”
The efficiency efforts will save the resort over $1 million over their lifetime.
NHEC provides electricity to 116 towns in the state. The cooperative believes in finding unique ways to succeed and thrive by controlling peak demand, which benefits all members. These programs also help maintain the integrity of the grid and prevent a situation in which the utility can’t meet demand. NHEC worked with other ski resorts to find similar opportunities to reduce consumption.
NHEC received the award at NRECA’s annual meeting last month in Anaheim, California, which was attended by nearly 9,000 representatives from cooperative electric utilities across the nation. NRECA is the national service organization that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 40 million people in 47 states.
Jan 29, 2008 - Committee Sets Feb. 15 Deadline for BOD Nominations
PLYMOUTH – Members of the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, Inc. (NHEC) interested in being considered for nomination to the Board of Directors should submit their material to the Nominating Committee by noon on February 15, 2008.
More information about the Board of Directors election process is available here.
"The Co-op seeks broad representation from members with diverse personal, professional and geographical backgrounds, as well as broad education and experience,” says Fred Anderson, President/CEO at the Co-op. “As a member-owned, non-profit organization, serving on the Board of Directors is one of the ways members have a direct impact on how this democratically controlled organization is run. It is an important and rewarding job.”
Board members are elected to three-year terms. Three of the 11 seats are up for election this year. Election ballots will be mailed to all members in May. Winners will be seated at the Annual Meeting of Members, Saturday, June 21, 2008.
The nominating committee meets numerous times in late winter to review the applications and interview candidates for the Board of Directors. After completing the process, they nominate a slate of candidates to be included on the ballot. The candidates selected will be identified on the ballot as having been nominated by the Nominating Committee.
If you are interested in applying, contact Sharon Yeaton at 603-536-8801 or yeatons@nhec.com for a candidate packet.
Jan 16, 2008 - A New Home for Squam's Ospreys
When a pair of Ospreys was spotted on Squam Lake last spring, it was cause for celebration…and concern.
The birds were the first of their kind known to take up residence at the lake, but the location of their nest – atop the crossarms of a Co-op utility pole near the shore of the lake – put them dangerously close to live wires. That’s when Iain MacLeod knew he’d finally found a use for the osprey nest he had stashed in his garage for the past 15 years.
MacLeod, Director of the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center, oversaw the Co-op's removal of the pole top nest and set in motion a plan to relocate the pair to safer accommodations once the birds flew south for the winter. On January 15, with labor and equipment donated by the Co-op, MacLeod supervised the setting of a 50-foot pole topped by the nest he built years ago when he worked for the Audubon Society.
Erecting the pole required a small fleet of vehicles and some off-road ingenuity. Dragging the pole several hundred yards behind a tracked excavator over narrow woodland trails, a contract crew from J.C. Reed maneuvered the pole into place while Co-op Operations Supervisor Brent Fysh hauled the nest behind a snowmobile in an aluminum boat. After the nest was bolted to it, the pole was set in an 8-foot deep hole and carefully raised into position.
Located in the center of an open field close to the shore on Science Center land, the new nest is in an ideal location for the pair to settle down for the summer and, hopefully, raise a family.
“They’ll stay together and return to the same place year after year,” MacLeod explained. “So if all goes well, they’ll spot this new location and move right in.”
Built of interwoven sticks and padded with straw, the nest appears inviting enough. Bird watchers and Science Center naturalists will have their fingers crossed this spring that the Ospreys think so, too.
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Dec 13, 2007 - NHEC Wins National Energy Efficiency Award
Plymouth, NH – The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) announced that New Hampshire Electric Co-op is the recipient of its 2008 Community Service Award for Energy Efficiency.
NHEC is receiving this award for its energy efficiency efforts at Cranmore Mountain in North Conway. Thanks to these efforts, Cranmore Mountain was able to save more than $50,000 in energy costs last winter.
NHEC bested more than 60 electric cooperatives from across the country in winning the award, which is given annually to a cooperative that has done the most to provide their member-owners with the most efficient systems and practices possible.
Working in partnership with the Cranmore staff, NHEC provided a rebate of $15,000 toward the purchase of 20 low energy tower snow guns that are estimated to be 60% more energy efficient than conventional guns. NHEC also provided the capital to purchase two fan guns costing $56,300 through its SmartSTART program (Savings through Affordable Retrofit Technologies), to be repaid over time on the member’s electric bill using the energy savings generated from the products.
NHEC will receive the award at NRECA’s 2008 Annual Meeting to be held February 24-27 in Anaheim, CA. NRECA is the national association that represents the nation’s more than 900 private, not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric cooperatives, which provide service to 40 million people in 47 states.
Nov 27, 2007 - Lighting Project Brings Out the Stars in Waterville Valley
WATERVILLE VALLEY, NH – With the town’s installation of nearly 50 “Dark Skies” streetlights, the future is looking bright for a new earth and sky observatory in Waterville Valley.
Working with New Hampshire Electric Co-op (NHEC), town officials have overseen the replacement of conventional street lighting with new fixtures that will save money and reduce sky glare. That’s good news for the partnership between the Rey Center and the McAuliffe Planetarium, which is planning to build a permanent observatory in Waterville Valley.
The Rey Center honors the legacy of Margret and H.A. Rey, children's book author and illustrator of Curious George, Whiteblack the Penguin, and The Stars: A New Way to See Them. The Rey's were active members of the Waterville Valley community and well-known for their passions, particularly astronomy. The Rey Center will soon have a new and permanent home in Waterville Valley, from which stargazers will have an exceptional view of the heavens.
Like a growing number of New Hampshire towns, Waterville Valley has enacted a so-called Dark Skies ordinance to protect the nighttime sky. Under the ordinance, all new outdoor lighting must direct light downwards and not above the horizontal plane. The retrofit of the Co-op’s 30 streetlights in town and an additional dozen lights at Golden Eagle Lodge was designed and completed by NHEC using fixtures that feature “full cutoff” technology. As a result, says Town Manager Mark Decoteau, the town has lights that are more focused, use 30% less wattage and reduce the glare that can obscure the stars from the night sky.
“It’s been a very easy process,” Decoteau commented. “The Co-op and our town residents have been very supportive of the effort and the reasons for doing it.”
Waterville Valley is the first community in Co-op service territory to completely retrofit their outdoor lighting to Dark Skies technology.
“I commend the town of Waterville Valley and The Golden Eagle Lodge for taking the initiative to reduce the negative effects of outdoor lighting,” said Co-op Account Executive Bill Johnstone. “Their efforts will certainly have a positive impact in the community and I am pleased that the Co-op was able to play a role in making it happen.”
NHEC’s Outdoor Lighting Program uses only Dark Skies fixtures. To learn more about how the Co-op can help municipalities that are considering replacement lighting, contact Bill Johnstone at 536-8651, or johnstoneb@nhec.com.
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09/03/2007
Cooperative Covered Bridge 5K Nets $6,000 for Pemi Youth Center
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08/22/2007
NHEC Foundation Awards $46,000 in Grants
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08/22/2007
Co-op Lineman Named 'Huskie Tools Hero'
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08/06/2007
2nd Annual Pemi Youth Cooperative Covered Bridge 5K Set for September 1
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07/30/2007
Co-op's Revolving Loan Fund Is Open for Business
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06/18/2007
Annual Meeting 2007 Focuses on Changing Energy Landscape
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06/18/2007
Four Incumbents Re-Elected to NHEC Board
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05/25/2007
NHEC Joins 25x'25 Renewable Energy Coalition
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05/08/2007
68th Annual Meeting to be held June 12 at Plymouth State University
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04/22/2007
Power Fully Restored Following April Nor'Easter
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04/21/2007
APRIL STORM PICS
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04/16/2007
Four Candidates Nominated for Board of Directors
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03/30/2007
NHEC Honored for Board Development
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02/13/2007
Energy Efficiency Puts NHEC in National Spotlight
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01/18/2007
Wanted: Exceptional High School Juniors for 2007 Youth Tour
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01/15/2007
Now Accepting Applications for 2007 Scholarships
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01/03/2007
NHEC Seeks Board Candidates for Nomination
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01/03/2007
NHEC Foundation Grant Brings History Alive
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11/01/2006
Hard Work, Teamwork, Key to Storm Restoration
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10/25/2006
NHEC Foundation Donates $10,700 to NH Food Bank
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10/04/2006
State Announces New Eligibility Requirements for Electric Assistance Program
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09/07/2006
Miller, Westerling Blaze to Victory at Pemi Youth Cooperative Covered Bridge 5K
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07/20/2006
NHEC Receives Grant for Economic Development Loan Program
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06/28/2006
NHEC and Pemi Youth Center Hosted Cooperative Covered Bridge 5K Road Race
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06/08/2006
Annual Meeting 2006: Another Good Year, but Challenges Lie Ahead
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05/25/2006
Mount Cranmore and NHEC Team Up for Energy Efficiency
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05/18/2006
Former Board Member Wins Aiken Award
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04/27/2006
NHEC Honored for Board Development
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04/27/2006
NHEC Board Member Achieves National Certification
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04/27/2006
Renewable Energy Group Gets Boost From NHEC Foundation
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04/03/2006
NHEC Foundation Completes First Round of Grants
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03/14/2006
NHEC to Launch WildBlue™ Satellite Internet Service
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03/06/2006
NHEC Foundation Makes Wish Come True
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02/28/2006
Candidates Nominated for BOD
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02/21/2006
Storm Recovery Complete
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12/16/2005
Winter Heating Assistance
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12/16/2005
Your Space Heating Solution
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