City’s community power program to begin April 1

LACONIA — The city’s participation in a community power program is moving forward as anticipated, after rates more favorable than those available through Eversource were achieved. 

Because of significant changes in the cost of electricity supply in 2021 and 2022, city councilors voted to create an Electrical Aggregation Committee in November 2023, in accordance with state law. 

RSA 53-E:3 authorizes any municipality or county to aggregate retail electric customers within its boundaries, who do not opt out of, or who consent to, being included in an aggregation program.  

Over the course of the committee’s meetings, city leaders explored the possibility of participating in an existing community power program, or creating a new one. The goal: to provide a cheaper and more stable electric supply to city residents. The committee eventually landed on Freedom Energy Logistics to help manage the community power program.  

In November 2024, following the drafting of an electric aggregation plan, councilors held two public hearings to solicit citizen input. Councilors approved the final plan on Feb. 10, 2025, and authorized City Manager Kirk Beattie to work with Freedom to implement and manage the community power program. On April 2, 2025, the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission approved the city’s plan.

Since the adoption of the plan, city leaders and representatives of Freedom had been working to determine the right time to begin operating it. Now, because of increases to Eversource's default electric supply costs, the program will launch on Wednesday, April 1.

Howard Plante, Freedom’s vice president of procurement, told councilors during a presentation at their meeting on Feb. 23, they waited to launch the program until prices were favorable, and would represent savings for ratepayers. 

“We have been working with the City of Laconia to find an electricity supply price that would be below the utility — Eversource — utility supply rate,” Plante said. “We cannot and will not launch the program unless we have a rate that is below that utility supply rate.”

The program works like this: the city, in consultation with Freedom, selects a program supplier through a competitive process — at present, they’ve selected Direct Energy Services LLC; Eversource, the default utility, continues to provide the delivery and billing services; and eligible customers are enrolled in the program by default, unless they opt out.  

Eligible customers are both residential and business consumers who take default service from Eversource and aren’t already receiving it from a competitive supplier. Consumers who are already taking energy supply from a competitive supplier are not automatically enrolled, unless they opt in voluntarily. Participation in the program is voluntary. Participants can opt out with no penalty.  

Those who wish to opt-out of the program should do so by Friday, March 27, in order to beat the first meter-read date, though individuals can opt out at any time they wish. Changes would be in effect upon the next meter read date. To opt out, mail the opt-out postcard included with the notification letter, or call 866-986-8065. Alternatively, visit felpower.com/opt-in-opt-out-laconia. 

For others who may wish to opt in to the program, call the same number or visit the same web address.

At present, the community power program rate is $0.10286 per kilowatt hour. The Eversource default service rate is $0.11303 per kilowatt hour, which Assistant Planning Director Tyler Carmichael said will result in an average savings to city customers of about 10% each month. The community power program rate is locked in from April 1 to Oct. 31, while the Eversource rate is set from Feb. 1 to July 31.

“Ultimately, we were able to get a seven-month rate that will start on April 1,” Plante said. “It starts on the April 2026 meter reads, and it will go and finalize on the November 2026 meter reads, so it goes from meter-read to meter-read."

City residents are encouraged to attend a public information session at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 12, at City Hall, located downtown on Beacon Street East. That meeting will be streamed live and later uploaded to YouTube. Additionally, information regarding the program can be accessed on the city’s website at laconiapd.org/1292/Laconia-Community-Power.