JAFFREY — Two public information sessions are scheduled in coming weeks as enrollment starts for Jaffrey Community Power ahead of a planned launch this spring, according to a news release from Nashua-based Standard Power.
The program, which voters approved at last March's town meeting, will pool electricity demand in Jaffrey, The Sentinel previously reported. It will allow the town to negotiate lower rates with electricity suppliers like Eversource, the town’s primary provider, the release stated.
“[It] provides stable rates for 20 months, from March 2024 to November 2025, and options with more renewable energy for electricity customers,” according to the release. The default option has a total of 34.3 percent renewable energy, which is 10 percent more than the state requirement.
The first session is set for Thursday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m., and the second for Saturday, Feb. 10, at 1 p.m. Both will be held at the Jaffrey Fire Station. Enrollment will begin on or before Jan. 20, according to the release.
Standard Power is the service provider for Jaffrey, according to Emily Manns, the company's community power adviser. She told The Sentinel that this involves helping the town develop, approve, launch and implement its community power plan.
Manns said each meeting will include a brief presentation followed by time for questions, and she encouraged residents to bring their electric bills to the session if they have questions about them.
As enrollment starts, residents will be able to choose whether to opt into or out of the program, Manns said.
“Customers on competitive electric supply are not eligible for automatic enrollment in the program, but they can opt in,” she wrote in the release, stating that as of December, 25 percent of Jaffrey residential and small commercial power customers had this type of supply.
According to the N.H. Public Utilities Commission website, a competitive supplier is any company other than the local electric utility that sells electricity to residents.
Residents can determine if they use a competitive supplier based on their electricity bill from Eversource, Manns noted. If the section on the front of the bill lists a customer's supplier as anything besides Eversource, it is a competitive contract, according to the release.
All Jaffrey customers whose supplier is Eversource will be automatically enrolled in the program’s default option, according to Manns.
“If you take no action you will be enrolled in the default option starting on your March monthly meter read date, and will see the change reflected on your April electric bill,” she wrote. “… Eligible customers can also choose another program option, opt out before the program starts, or opt out any time after the program starts, effective on their next available meter-read date.”
Residents can opt in, opt out or change their plans by visiting jaffreycommunitypower.com.
Other communities, including Keene and Swanzey, have launched community power plans in recent years. In October, Cheshire County launched its community power program, the first county power aggregate in New Hampshire, with Dublin, Fitzwilliam, Nelson and Roxbury.
Christopher Cartwright can be reached at ccartwright@keenesentinel.com or 603-352-1234, extension 1405.
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