Weather, Power Costs, Savings Updates
 

Literally every electric/conservation thread is locked, so please keep this civil.

I just received my Eversource bill, and we used 47% less energy last month than a year ago. Obviously, much of that was the weather, but I have also completed the swap to all LED bulbs, reduced my outdoor lights to one-minute instead of five-minute timeouts, etc. $140 for the month.

The weather has been so great that we've only had to use the heat for a couple nights at our (S. NH) home.

Since we shut camp down on October 28, our NHEC bill was only $60 or something, but it appears those rates have increased as well?

Sent from my SM-G990U1 using Tapatalk

https://www.nhec.com/nhec-sets-new-p...%201%2C%202022.

I wonder how this will affect the value of mini splits over other heat sources now that electricity has taken a big jump?
I know oil and propane have gone up but they fluctuate in price. When electric companies increase rates they never go down.

Actually they can.
The Eversource request for changes coming in Jan-Feb include a decrease in cost of delivery (the cost of lines and such) and an increase in cost of supply (the electricity they have to purchase from the power plant owners).

Congratulations, Thinkxingu. Thanks for posting your results. Each small action adds up.

It's not as hard as I thought it would be to reduce my electricity usage. My November Eversource bill was $64. My usage was down 54% from last year. Hot water still eludes me but I will solve that problem next when I've mastered wood heat.

Regardless of how wealthy or poor we are, we should all make an attempt to scale back our use of energy and resources. None of us can afford a degraded environment and we should not passively hand profits to energy companies.

Demand for expansion has been strong... energy efficiency, not so much.

Electric and Heating Fuel Assistance
 

For those in serious dire straits financially, NH has a program to residents which helps to manage their 'Electric and Heating Fuel' bills this season.

'Community Action Program Belknap and Merrimac Counties'. This program is funded by the state of NH, which I believe gets their money for this project through the Fed. You have to qualify based on income, but their are many out there who are living on Social Security and maybe a small pension who could fit into this category.

Here's a link to the website https://www.capbm.org/contact-us
Click on 'Services' then 'Energy Assistance' for more details.

Please pass along to others who could benefit.

Absolutely--there has been a huge increase in the value of mini splits, and all the people who installed stuff like mini splits, solar, insulation, and LEDs are getting much higher ROIs than they originally expected.

I think on the mini-splits it depends on some various factors.
They may be opting to only use them periodically rather than what was originally intended and using a secondary heat source as a primary - thinking pellets and wood.

The reason I am guessing that... we are out, and stove pipe sales are dramatically increasing.

The new Inflation Reduction Act will also change toward mini-splits and from biomass.

Didn't Eversource attempt to get a power line down from Canada for some of that cheap Hydro power produced there and many people went insane recently?

Yes, years ago. That was PSNH. There was a good route, mostly in VT, but being a NH company, that was less interesting for them. As power companies go, PSNH was small, but wanted to play with the big boys. That was part of the problem with Seabrook...the project was too big for their abilities, along with their own delays, the Clamshell Alliance added to their delays. I think the most recent owner is Florida Power and Light, now part of NextEra.
The folks in the north country fought the Quebec Hydro project, as destroying their way of life. Many saw the (horrible) changes that growth and development brought to southern NH, and wanted no part of it. (Do you watch "Yellowstone"? Same theme).

Before applying for this type of assistance, homeowners should carefully investigate the relationship between electric and heating assistance and Medicaid. An application for fuel assistance triggers a referral to Medicaid based on low income. New Hampshire is a Medicaid estate recapture state. Make sure you understand estate recapture before you accept "free" government money. Medicaid is not "free." It's a loan that's recovered by the government when you die or sell your house. It could prevent you from leaving a home that no longer suits you.

PSNH went bankrupt during the Gregg Administration.
And you don't think high electric costs are going to ''destroy their way of life''?

The imaginary Governor John Dutton proposes to double non-resident property taxes... and make them register everything at twice the cost of a resident. Not because he is fighting off an electric grid... but fighting off tourism and second home owners. He is trying to protect ranching.

I seriously doubt it was the intent of any of the opposition to return northern NH to sheep ranching.