Dover joins other Community Power communities in Green Energy Challenge

posted on 7/11/2024

The cities of Dover and Portsmouth, along with the towns of Newmarket and Durham, are challenging each other to see which community's residents can do the most to fight climate change.

The municipalities are launching a friendly competition to determine which town can convince the highest percentage of customers in their community power programs to "opt up" to greener electricity choices generated from more renewable sources.

All the cities and towns are members of the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire (CPCNH), which is now the default source of electricity supply for their residents and small businesses. Each town or city's Community Power program offers green energy options not previously available through Eversource. Customers can choose Granite Plus (33% renewables), Clean 50 or Clean 100.

"Providing more choices for electricity supply for everyone was a goal of CPCNH from the start. All customers in these communities can opt up to two of the three choices and still pay less than the Eversource rate," said Lisa Sweet, vice chair of the CPCNH board.

The contest will run from Aug. 1, 2024, through Jan. 31, 2025. The community with the highest percentage of "opt ups" will be recognized as the Seacoast town whose residents are doing the most to decarbonize daily electricity use. There will also be an award for the town that achieved the largest reduction in tons of carbon.

"This challenge is an opportunity for our residents and business owners to take concrete action against climate change," said Jackson Kaspari, Dover's Resilience Manager. "By opting for greener energy products at competitive rates, we're not just reducing our carbon footprint, we're setting an example for communities across New Hampshire and beyond."

Portsmouth City Councilor John Tabor added, "CPCNH's green options allow you to have an immediate impact on your community's carbon footprint with a few clicks. I personally feel a lot better using my dryer during rainy summer days with Clean 100 for my electricity."

CPCNH, a nonprofit agency "by local governments, for local governments," started in 2021. It now serves 66 communities representing more than 35% of New Hampshire's population. Since launching in March 2023, CPCNH has offered the state's lowest residential and small commercial energy supply rates and collectively has created nearly $14 million in customer savings while offering more green options.

To opt for a greener electric source, customers can visit https://www.communitypowernh.gov/dover or call 866-603-7697 (POWR) with their utility bill account number.