N.H. PUC Approves New Default Service Rates at Unitil

The New Hampshire PUC approved new default service rates for both large and mass market default service customers at Unitil Energy Systems, Inc. for the period beginning May 1, 2011.

For small volume (Non-G1) customers, the new default service rate applies from May 1, 2012 through October 31, 2012, and resulted after Dominion Energy Marketing, Inc. was awarded a contract to supply 25% of Non-G1 requirements from May 1, 2012 through April 30, 2013.

For Non-G1 customers, the resulting "base" default service rate is $0.06597 per kWh. With the RPS adder, the resulting default service rate for Non-G1 customers effective May 1, 2012 is $0.06913 per kWh.

The Non-G1 customer class includes residential and small commercial (G2) customers.

The Non-G1 rates exclude approximately $600,000 of the reconciliation under-collection Unitil had proposed to recover from non-G1 customers related to Docket No. DE 11-105; the PUC said that such costs will be addressed at the conclusion of that docket, and not in the instant default service rates.

For large customers (G1), new default service rates are for the three-month period beginning May 1, 2012. DTE Energy Trading, Inc. was selected to serve 100% of G1 requirements during this three-month period.

Default service rates for G1 customers are as follows, in $ per kWh:

May 2012
Energy: $0.04302
RPS: $0.00205
Total Rate: $0.04507

June 2012
Energy: $0.03979
RPS: $0.00205
Total Rate: $0.04184

July 2012
Energy: $0.04029
RPS: $0.00205
Total Rate: $0.04234