Utility Proposes 21¢/kWh Rate For Small Customer Default Service; 53% Increase

Granite State Electric (Liberty Utilities) in New Hampshire has proposed a 53% increase in its small customer electricity default service rate

Specifically, GSE filed to set the small customer group default service rate, to be fixed for the 6-month period starting August 1, 2026, at $0.21128 per kWh, which is 53% higher than the current rate of $0.13735

The increase is largely driven by a 7 cent per kWh reconciliation factor

GSE noted that, per PUC direction, the proposed small customer rate includes a reversion to the prior proxy price for ISO-NE market purchases which are used in the SOS portfolio, and a 12-month (rather than 6-month) reconciliation mechanism.

Furthermore, the proposed SOS rates (for both small and large customers) are designed to recover only half of an outstanding $8.5 million under-recovery in default service (aggregate of all classes) over the 12-month period August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027 (and not only the upcoming 6-month SOS period)

Given the application of such mitigation measures previously directed by the PUC, GSE did not propose alternative default service rates

Large customer SOS rates to be established in the proceeding for the 6-month period starting Aug. 1, 2026 would vary by month, but would range from 16 cents per kWh to over 27 cents per kWh

Docket DE 26-023