Electricity costs
Regarding the article by Michael Skelton in the June 2, 2023, issue: Mr. Skelton is in a far better position that I am to quote facts and figures regarding the cost of electricity in New Hampshire.
However, for my own interest, I’ve kept a log of my electricity costs since 2015.
I do it by the simple expedient of dividing the dollars I must pay by the kilowatt-hour (KwH) I used that month.
From 2015 through August of 2022, the price ranged from about 18 cents to 23 cents, mostly in the 19 to 20 cents range.
The bill dated Sept. 6, 2022, showed a cost of $0.3342 per KwH, which varied to as much as $0.345 per KwH in November of 2022.
This pricing continued on until May of 2023. June’s bill was $0.2780. I expect my figures differ from Mr. Skelton’s as a result of my figures include the cost of distribution, while his probably do not. Mr. Skelton notes that the solar installation in Kingston will help to reduce consumer costs. It would be nice if the consumer was told what the cost will be, either as Mr. Skelton makes it, or as I have.
It would also be nice to know if agricultural land is being used for the arrays, or if forests are being cleared. 4.88 megawatts is not much, especially in the face of the 1,200 potential from Quebec. Why bother?
I’ve followed the so-called “Northern Pass” project and wonder why the people are standing in the way of getting what may very well be cheaper than solar. I looked up the cost of domestic power in Quebec. It’s around 8 cents Canadian, or 6 cents U.S. And that is delivered to the homeowners including all costs and taxes.
Perhaps the Canadians would sell us their power at, say, 8 cents U.S., they’d make a buck and we would get cheap power, certainly less costly than from the biomass plant in Berlin, for which we pay 70 percent above market. As far as a corridor for the power line is concerned, why not sue the existing right-of-way that is already there: I-89?
With New Hampshire being one of the highest cost states in which to buy electricity, I have wondered for a long time how our Legislature can vote for laws/plans that increase our cost of electricity? I’d be grateful if someone would explain that to me.
DONALD BRADLEY
