The Community Power Committee was formed as a sub-committee of the Energy Committee in 2023 to bring lower cost electricity to the residents of Bradford. Sub-committee members are Jenny Locke Howley and Kathleen Bigford.
Public hearings were held on Tuesday, December 12, and on Tuesday, January 9, 2023 at 6:00 pm at the Bradford Area Community Center, 134 East Main Street, Bradford to give residents an opportunity to learn about the Bradford Community Power Plan.
Residents are invited to attend monthly meetings of the Bradford Energy Committee on the third Tuesday of the month.
Bradford Community Power EAP Final Draft 2024
What is Community Power?
New Hampshire cities, towns, and counties procure electric power supply on behalf of their residents and businesses and provide related services.
Pooled Purchasing Power for Energy Supply
Access to competitive markets
Joint risk management = lower costs & price stability
Option to source power locally & build new renewables
Eversource Delivers Power
Eversource owns & maintains power grid
Connecting generation to load
Ensuring reliable electric service
Communities Benefit from Value Added Services
Affordable rates
Access to green power options
Time-of-Use rate options
Solar, storage, electric vehicle support
Enabling Legislation: RSA 53-E, Relative to Aggregation of Electric Customers by Municipalities & Counties
Bradford: We can buy electricity as a community-wide group!
A recent change in NH law lets towns like Bradford pool residential and small business electric users into a single group-buy account to bargain for the best possible electricity rates. That means we would have the group-buying power of hundreds of individual accounts to get the best prices from independent electricity producers throughout New England. And as individuals in the group we could choose one of several options from 100% renewable to mostly fossil fuel sources.
By creating what is, in effect, a town-wide electricity buyers’ club, we can take control of our electricity purchases, getting better rates and more choice about the sources of our power.
As a group, we would buy power from the vendors who give us the best choices and rates, but Eversource would continue to handle the distribution on their poles and wires.
What is Bradford Community Power?
The Bradford Select Board appointed the Bradford Community Power committee to put together a plan spelling out how the group-buy would work. With input and ideas from Bradford residents the plan should be ready for a vote at Town Meeting in March 2024.
Bradford has joined the Community Power Coalition of NH with other NH towns and cities which are exploring options and sharing ideas and information about bringing Community Power to their communities. Some towns in the coalition like Warner and New London have recently adopted their plans..
No Cost to the Town & Opt-out Anytime
The Bradford Community Power Plan won’t affect the town’s budget or raise taxes. All the costs for administering the Plan would be included in the electricity rates.
If the town votes to accept the plan at the March 2024 Town Meeting, all residents and small businesses would be included. To stay with Eversource or another source as your supplier, it will be easy to opt out of the Bradford Community Power Plan anytime.
Long-term Goals: More Renewable Energy & Control over Rates
In the coming years we expect more volatility in default electric rates as fossil fuel costs rise and renewable energy (hydro, solar, and wind) become more competitive. More towns and cities across New England will probably be adopting community power plans, encouraging more producers of renewable energy to enter the market. And the leverage of long-term group-buy contracts would ensure Bradford residents get low costs and stable rates year after year.