MANCHESTER, NH – On August 14 activists from various groups gathered in Arms Park in Manchester to share stories about Eversource’s rate hikes over the last few years.
The group pointed to the increase in the number of individuals applying for fuel assistance from the state in 2022 and 2023. Now, with rates rising even higher, activists are concerned another record year for assistance applications may follow.
Energy companies in NH announced rate changes as of August 1. A further rate increase is set to take place in February 2025, typically one of two months of the year when rate changes take effect. Among New Hampshire’s energy providers, Eversource proposes the highest increase, possibly averaging around 23 dollars more per customer by next year. Liberty, another NH energy provider, proposes a smaller increase. Unitil customers will see a decrease in their electricity rates.
In addition to affecting residential supply, rate hikes also add unexpected operating costs for businesses, large and small. For a large business, such as a Wal-Mart Supercenter, the change may be considerable. For a local coffee shop run by a local family, the change may not amount to much. Subsidized housing, and housing where landlords pay the electricity bill, will also see an increase. Landlords may be stuck with a higher bill if they cannot easily increase tenant rent to compensate for increased costs.
The event, attended by a few dozen people, was organized by 350 NH, a grassroots non-profit organization whose slogan is, “People Power for Climate Justice.” Members from Rights and Democracy, 603 Forward, and the Manchester Housing Alliance were also in attendance. The protest started with a series of speeches. Protesters marched down Commercial Street to stand on the sidewalk outside Eversource’s Manchester office. Participants in the march were invited to write their thoughts down on a white banner which displayed the words, “Polluting Power, We’re Not Buying It.”
The protest was the beginning of what is planned to be an ongoing campaign protesting Eversource’s high costs and reliance on fossil fuels. Green energy, according to 350 NH members, is a way to create climate justice and lower costs for consumers.
“We’ve been building the roots for this campaign for a while now“ said Rebecca Beaulieu, Communications Director for 350 NH, referencing rate hikes in 2022. “At that time, we saw first hand how many people in New Hampshire were struggling. We started to figure out what makes that happen and went to knock on a bunch of doors in communities in New Hampshire to talk to people who have Eversource to talk about how their interactions with the company have been. Now we are launching our next phase of this public campaign to bring more public awareness to how unjust our utility system is.”
Eric Morgan, canvassing coordinator with Rights and Democracy, said the group is working toward community power.
“It’s something power companies don’t want us to do. They want us to sit back and take what they give us. They want us to take the rate hikes and everything else. They sprinkle in a little help when we can’t afford to pay our bills. That’s not the way we progress as a society,” Morgan said. “Not only that, that’s not how we enrich each other as community members.”
Beaulieu said at a time when utilities are seeing maximum profits, it’s time for consumers to be seen and heard.
“We would love to see Eversource and other utility companies in our state be accountable to those of us who pay our bills to them,” Beaulieu said. “Now, they are accountable to their shareholders. Profits are their priority. People are not being put first. We want to change that.”
“The bottom line for them is money,” Morgan said. “The power is definitely not about the people. It’s all about the money.”
For information on the state’s fuel assistance program, click here.
