New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission

• Detected Oct 5, 2026

  Chris J Ellms Jr.Appointment

  Chris J Ellms Jr. was appointed to the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission.

Address

21 South Fruit Street, Suite 10, Concord, NH 03301-2429

Phone

(603) 271-2431Fax (603) 271-3878

Website

puc.nh.gov ↗

Utility landscape

• Eversource Energy (Public Service of New Hampshire) IOU

  Largest electric utility in NH; serves majority of the state including Manchester, Concord, and southern NH

  Eversource completed a significant electric distribution rate case in 2023 that resulted in a phased rate increase; the company faces ongoing scrutiny over its storm restoration performance metrics and capital investment plans under its distribution system improvement charge (DSIC) mechanism.

• Liberty Utilities (NH Electric Cooperative territory overlap) IOU

  Serves portions of northern and western New Hampshire, including Keene and Claremont areas

  Liberty Utilities has been active in pursuing distribution infrastructure investments and has engaged the NHPUC on decoupling mechanisms; its natural gas subsidiary (Liberty Utilities-Gas) serves the greater Concord and Laconia areas and has faced rate proceedings tied to pipeline safety upgrades.

• Unitil (Northern Utilities / Fitchburg Gas and Electric) IOU

  Serves the Seacoast region and portions of southern NH including Hampton, Exeter, and Concord gas service

  Unitil filed a combined electric and gas rate case seeking increases tied to vegetation management and grid hardening; the NHPUC has emphasized performance-based metrics as a condition of approval for capital recovery.

• New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC) coop

  Rural central and northern New Hampshire; largest electric cooperative in the state serving approximately 84,000 members

  NHEC operates under a modified regulatory framework as a cooperative but is subject to NHPUC jurisdiction on certain matters; the cooperative has been pursuing advanced metering infrastructure deployment and EV charging programs with rate design implications.

• Concord Steam / City of Concord Electric muni

  Downtown Concord municipal electric service territory; limited geographic footprint within city limits

  The city-operated electric utility has been evaluating integration with Eversource's distribution system; municipalization boundaries and cost-of-service allocation have been periodic points of contention before the NHPUC.

• Pennichuck Water Works IOU

  Water and wastewater services in Nashua metro area and several surrounding southern NH communities

  Pennichuck filed a water rate case in 2024 citing infrastructure replacement costs and PFAS remediation expenditures; the NHPUC has been scrutinizing the allocation of PFAS-related costs between ratepayers and shareholders given ongoing federal remediation funding availability.

Key issues

• PFAS contamination cost recovery: Multiple NH water utilities including Pennichuck are seeking rate recovery for PFAS treatment infrastructure; the NHPUC is navigating how to allocate costs given EPA infrastructure funding and ongoing litigation against PFAS manufacturers, with potential precedent-setting implications for ratepayer protection.
• Electric distribution rate design and decoupling: Eversource and Liberty Utilities proceedings have renewed debate over revenue decoupling mechanisms and how to incentivize energy efficiency without distorting utility earnings; the NHPUC is weighing whether to adopt a permanent decoupling framework statewide.
• Renewable energy and net metering expansion: NH is under pressure to align its net metering cap and community solar rules with neighboring New England states; the NHPUC is reviewing whether to raise the 1 MW net metering cap and expand group net metering eligibility following legislative activity in the 2025 session.
• Grid modernization and AMI deployment: NHEC's AMI rollout and Eversource's distribution automation investments are prompting NHPUC proceedings on cost recovery mechanisms, data privacy standards, and time-of-use rate design eligibility; the Commission has signaled it will require demonstrated customer benefit analyses before approving full cost pass-through.
• Default energy service and competitive retail market restructuring: NH's competitive retail electricity market continues to show high default service reliance among residential customers; the NHPUC has opened an investigation into whether the current default service procurement model adequately protects low-income customers amid market price volatility.

Upcoming

• 2026-09-15

  Estimated deadline for NHPUC final order in Pennichuck Water Works rate case (Docket WS-2024 series); decision expected to address PFAS cost allocation methodology and set precedent for infrastructure surcharge treatment — estimated date based on typical 12-18 month rate case timeline.

• 2026-10-01

  Estimated opening of NHPUC rulemaking comment period on proposed amendments to net metering rules (Puc 900 series) following 2025 legislative session directives; stakeholders including distributed generation advocates and IOUs expected to submit competing frameworks — estimated.

• 2026-11-18

  Estimated evidentiary hearing in Eversource electric distribution performance review proceeding; NHPUC staff expected to present findings on storm response metrics and propose performance-based ratemaking adjustments tied to reliability indices — estimated date.

• 2027-01-31

  Estimated NHPUC decision deadline on Liberty Utilities gas distribution infrastructure rider application; order will address whether PFAS pipeline coating replacement costs qualify for between-rate-case recovery under NH's existing infrastructure surcharge statute — estimated.