Petition Filed With PUC To Determine Whether Residential Customers Benefited From Electricity Deregulation

A New Hampshire resident, described in a filing as, "an acknowledged leader in the movement toward retail competition and deregulation of the electric utility industry," has filed a petition with the state's PUC for a, "Determination of Whether New Hampshire Residential Customers Benefited From Electricity Deregulation

The petitioner, James T. Rodier, has previously served as counsel for one of the state's first energy marketers. The petition further describes Rodier as the lead attorney in the ruling from the New Hampshire Supreme Court finding that utility franchises were non-exclusive, and Rodier has been described in then-contemporary press reports as, "[leading] the fight in the Legislature and the courts, to introduce competition as a way to counter Public Service's high rates."

The petition states, "the issue that has arisen in New Hampshire and elsewhere is whether Residential Customers would be better off:

(a) buying their electricity directly from their local regulated utility supplier at the rates authorized by the NH PUC;

(b) buying deregulated electricity directly from a Competitive Supplier, or

(c) buying deregulated electricity from a Competitive Supplier using the services of an Aggregator to arrange for such service."

The petition further states, "Purchasing electricity from a regulated utility supplier is the least expensive option."

"Residential Customers purchasing their electricity directly from their local regulated utility supplier (e.g., Eversource) at rates authorized by the NHPUC would be less expensive than purchasing the same electricity through an unregulated broker or aggregator. The amount added to a customer's bill by an unregulated broker or aggregator would be substantial or even abusive," the petition alleges

Citing 2020 data, the petition alleges, "For the first six months of 2020, New Hampshire Residential Customers have overpaid by $12.2 million for electricity purchased directly from the local utility under the regulated utility rates."

Docket DE 22-056