Carroll County discusses whether to lock in electricity contract as market prices rise

County staff updated the delegation May 4 on electricity procurement and the options for securing a multi-year purchase agreement.

The staff briefing explained the county purchases electricity on the market through a bidding service provided via the New Hampshire Association of Counties. "The latest I heard on Friday was, we were at, just under 11 and a half cents per kilowatt," staff said, adding that current prices are roughly 1.5¢ per kilowatt-hour higher than the county's prior purchase price and that additional charges (described by staff as an added penny-plus fee) are affecting overall cost. The staff noted the quoted window is for a 48‑month contract and characterized the market as volatile; staff recommended monitoring weekly reports and advised the board that the decision window extends through September.

Commissioners discussed the risks and tradeoffs and several said they would rather "roll the dice" and wait for prices to stabilize than lock in a longer contract immediately; other members cautioned that short-term increases could persist and that delaying could raise the budgeted cost by roughly 10 percent if market rates hold. The board did not finalize a purchase at the meeting and asked staff to continue to provide weekly market reports and to return with updated recommendations prior to committing to a multi-year contract.

Attribution: Electricity prices and the contracting options were presented by staff (S10); discussion and direction to continue monitoring came from commissioners in the meeting record.