Timeline for program development and the approval process followed all steps required by State statute, including local authorization, public review, and approval by the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission. Follow the Swanzey Community Power Program’s progress with the table below.
Completed
Step One: March 17th, 2021 – Creation of Community Power Committee
Completed
Step Two: August 19th – November 4th, 2021 – Creation of a Draft Plan with public input
Completed
Step Three: November 17th – December 8th, 2021 – Draft Plan: Public Hearings & Comments
Completed
Step Four: December 16th, 2021 – Approval of Plan by Community Power Committee
Completed
Step Five: January 5th, 2022 – Adoption of Plan by Selectboard and Town Meeting
Completed
Step Six: October 2022 – Revision of Plan
Completed
Step Seven: October 21, 2022 – Submission of Plan to Public Utilities Commission and subsequent approval by the Public Utilities Commission on December 19th, 2022
Completed
Step Eight: December 21, 2022 – Adoption of Final Plan by Selectboard
Complete
Step Nine: March 2023– Swanzey chose Direct Energy Services as the supplier for the program. Swanzey monitored the market to identify the appropriate time to run a competitive bid for electricity supply.
Complete
Step Ten: April to May 2023– Swanzey implemented an education and outreach campaign to make residents and businesses aware of the upcoming program launch and their choice to participate in the Program, or leave before it started (opt out). This included:
- A post-card and Customer Notification letter mailed to each eligible electricity customer
- A public meeting to answer questions and explain the program:
- Wednesday April 26th, 6:00 pm at Whitcomb Hall located at 17 Main St in Swanzey.