DOVER – Since launching a community energy program, Dover has registered approximately 12,800 accounts, saving residents and business owners a combined more than $772,000 in electric bills in the first five months.
Only 51 users opted for plans that use higher renewable energy content, while most chose plans that result in greater cost savings, said Jackson Kaspari, the city’s resilience manager.
City Council members were briefed Wednesday by Kaspari on several energy projects in Dover, including the city’s efforts to expand renewable energy sources and gradually reduce electricity bills through the Community Energy Program. Dover is one of nearly five dozen members of the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire.
Since the start of the program, approximately 40,000 megawatt hours have been consumed among all users in Dover.
Dover officials will work to promote the city’s entire community energy program in hopes of attracting more customers.
“There are currently efforts among the communities of Seacoast New Hampshire to see how we can expand reach, especially regarding the higher renewable content options and their credit pricing, so we will be working on ways to engage the public, just but to give them the opportunity to know that they have that available to them,” he said. “Hopefully more people will consider that choice if it makes sense.”
Dover is a founding member of the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire.
The coalition reported that it had 57 municipal members and two provincial members as of April 1. Locally, Barrington, Durham, Epping, Exeter, Hampton Falls, Newmarket, Portsmouth, Rye, Somersworth and Stratham have joined the coalition.
What are the choices for community power customers regarding their monthly electric bills?
The community energy program offers four options for electricity customers. The standard “Granite Basic” plan matches Eversource’s 23.4% renewable content offering, although the community’s electricity rate of 8.1 cents per kilowatt hour and estimated monthly wage of $53 is slightly lower than Eversource’s rates. The “Granite Plus” plan for 33% renewable energy costs 8.4 cents per kilowatt hour and is estimated to cost $55 per month, while the “Clean 50” plan with 50% renewable content costs 9.4 cents per kilowatt hour and is estimated to $61 per month. The 100% renewable energy ‘Clean 100’ option costs 12.4 cents per kilowatt hour and an estimated $81 per month.
Officials with the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire want to lower the “Clean 100” cost per kilowatt hour in Dover, Kaspari told the council.
“They have been able to increase their staff capacity as more communities join in, which is good because they provide a really high level of support, including legislative support on behalf of the communities and technical support for programs and projects,” Kaspari said.
Participants in the Dover power community are currently locked into a six-month plan that began on February 1 and ends on July 31.
Councilor Fergus Cullen reminded his colleagues that the 51 city community energy program account holders who have opted into a higher renewable content plan represent approximately 0.4% of all enrolled Dover members.
“Let’s not kid ourselves that this really makes a difference. It’s fine that we offer the choice, but consumers act on it and don’t choose it,” he said.
The approximately 12,800 accounts currently enrolled in the Dover program represent a 1.4% decline in the number of registered users since the city’s initiative began.
Kaspari speculated that the city saw a small drop in account holders due to Dover apartment renters switching and residents being automatically enrolled in Eversource. Kaspari said the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire is combating this trend by sending mailers to potential new customers in communities like Dover.
Program touted as ‘great success’
According to Kaspari, participating power users in the statewide coalition in New Hampshire have realized a total of about $23 million in savings to date.
“It has been a great success for Dover and for the state of New Hampshire in general,” he added.
“I think this is an incredibly useful program that has been rolled out in Dover,” said Councilor April Richer, a member of the Dover Energy Committee.
Kaspari sits on the board of directors for the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire and is the chief city staffer overseeing the program in Dover.
City Manager Michael Joyal Jr. noted that Kaspari’s position with the city is grant-funded and has resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars saved for Dover residents and businesses under the community energy program.
“That almost paid for more than ten times the cost of the position that Jackson occupies here in the city,” Joyal said. “So if grant funds run out, there is clearly an opportunity to demonstrate that there has been a significant return on the investment made. That was one of the objectives of the grant: to demonstrate that significant savings and community benefits can be achieved by investing in projects and activities that promote sustainable practices, the use of renewable energy, etc.”
The Dover community electricity launch took place at the end of October last year.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Dover NH promotes saving on electricity bills with community electricity
