Gov. Chris Sununu should enact Senate Bill 286. New Hampshire would become an industry leader, having designed this “community choice energy” policy more expertly than the 14 states where it’s authorized or under consideration. It would create a new choice for individual customers by allowing communities to self-govern their retail electricity supply, serving customers unless they select a competitive supplier or switch back to utility default service. Those communities would also build an ongoing working relationship with their local distribution utility – and that’s what will generate a big win for every Granite Stater.
The bigger picture is that utilities and regulators across the nation are evaluating “grid modernization” investments. It hasn’t gone well. The people involved don’t fully understand what communities and customers want, so they fall short on building the “block and tackle” infrastructure required to support advanced retail electric services. In New Hampshire, Unitil deployed “advanced metering infrastructure” that has proven operationally insufficient and is infrequently used by retail customers. Eversource rolled out an “automated meter reading” system so outdated that regulators are fielding protests from consumer advocates saying customers shouldn’t pay for a “bridge to nowhere.”
In contrast, elected officials and locals in Lebanon are working with Liberty Utilities on technology pilots providing customer-focused, innovative retail services that work. They would like to scale-up their initiative by launching “Lebanon Community Power.” New Hampshire should allow these local collaborations to close the gap between how infrastructure is designed and what market innovation can deliver for customers. SB 286 fits the bill.
SAMUEL GOLDING
Concord