PLYMOUTH, NH – Rate changes effective with bills rendered November 1, 2018 will result in an overall bill increase of 7%, or $7.04 per month, for a typical residential member of New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC).
The bill increase is the net result of rate changes to two charges on members’ bills – Co-op Power (the actual electricity used) and the Regional Access Charge (the cost to access the regional transmission grid in order to get power to the NHEC distribution system).
For most residential NHEC members, the Co-op Power charge is increasing from 7.4 cents per kWh to 9.26 cents per kWh.  That is slightly higher than last year’s winter period rate of 9.08 cents per kWh.
The Regional Access Charge is decreasing during the winter period for most residential members from 2.9 cents per kWh to 2.5 cents per kWh. That is lower than last year’s winter period rate of 2.8 cents per kWh.
The increase in the Co-op Power rate is primarily due to the expected increase in the winter price of natural gas, which is used to generate nearly half the power produced in New England. Millions of homes and businesses in New England heat with natural gas in the winter. This added demand results in higher natural gas costs, which adds to the cost of wholesale power. The decrease in the Regional Access Charge rate is due to a decrease in the costs to deliver energy to the NHEC distribution system.
Also effective November 1, 2018 are changes to some fees for services. The changes were made to keep applicable fees in line with the cost of doing business. For a complete listing of NHEC’s rates and fees, please visit the Billing & Rates menu at www.nhec.com.
NHEC is a member-owned electric distribution cooperative serving 84,000 homes and businesses in 115 New Hampshire communities.