Choosing an Energy Supplier
Wondering what competitive energy supply is all about?
While there is only one utility that can deliver the electricity you use to your home or business, you have choices when it comes to who supplies you with the electricity you use. There are many companies - called competitive energy suppliers - registered to supply energy to your home or business. The Department’s website lists all the competitive energy suppliers doing business in New Hampshire. A comparison of the products and prices offered by competitive energy suppliers is also available.
Your electric bill consists of two parts – delivery service and the electricity you use, which is your energy supply service. Delivery service is the system of poles and wires that brings electricity to your home or business. Your electric utility delivers electricity to you and all customers within its defined service area. The energy supply portion of your bill is for the electricity you use in your home or business. Who supplies that energy is up to you. You may continue to buy your energy supply from your electric utility, or you may choose to buy your energy supply from a competitive energy supplier.
If you decide to choose a competitive energy supplier, you will still be a customer of your electric utility for the delivery of electricity to your home or business. Your utility company will still be responsible for restoring power if there is an outage. What will be different is that you will now also be a customer of a competitive energy supplier for the actual electricity that you use in your home or business. You may receive one bill, sometimes called consolidated billing, from your electric utility for both the delivery and the energy. Or you may receive two bills – one from your electric utility for the delivery of the electricity and the other from the competitive energy supplier for the electricity you used. Everyone's bill is different, but generally, 50 to 60 percent of the total bill is for delivery and the rest is for the electricity you use.
Remember, regardless of who you buy your electricity from, you will continue to call your electric utility for outages, emergency services and questions about your service.
If you have questions about choosing a competitive energy supplier, please contact the NH Department of Energy at 1-800-852-3793 or at consumerservices@energy.nh.gov.
- What to Consider Before You Switch
- How to Switch Your Energy Supplier
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Compare Energy Supply Prices
What to Consider Before You Switch
Thinking about choosing a competitive energy supplier? When you choose a new competitive energy supplier, you are choosing the company that will provide the electricity you use in your home or business. Before you start to shop for a new competitive energy supplier, look at your electric bills to determine what portion is for delivery and what portion is for the electricity you use. Write down the kilowatt hour price for energy supply shown on your bill. This is the number you will use to compare offers from competitive energy suppliers.
Be a smart shopper when talking to competitive energy suppliers or reviewing information online. Things to consider include:
- What is the price per kilowatt hour – kWh – of electricity?
- Is the price fixed or variable?
- If the price is fixed, what is the contract term length? How do you cancel the contract? Is there a termination fee if you end the contract early?
- If the price is variable, what is the variable price based on? Is there a cap on the variable price?
- Are there any additional customer charges or other recurring fees?
- What are the terms and conditions of service? Review them carefully before making a decision.
- Will you receive one bill or two?
- Is there an incentive or bonus for signing up?
- Does the supplier offer a choice of energy sources, such as green or renewable energy options?
Be sure you understand what happens at the end of the contract term. While competitive energy suppliers are required to notify you no less than 45 days before the end of your contract, ask yourself if you are willing to keep track of the contract end date and re-evaluate your options before it ends to make sure you get the best price. Many consumers who choose a competitive supplier forget to keep track of when their contract ends and, as a result, may pay more than they would if they switched to another competitive energy supplier or utility default energy service.
If you have questions about choosing a competitive energy supplier, please contact the NH Department of Energy at 1-800-852-3793 or at consumerservices@energy.nh.gov.
Remember, regardless of who you buy your electricity from, you will continue to call your electric utility for outages, emergency services and questions about your service.
How to Switch Your Energy Supplier
Once you decide to switch your energy supplier, the process is straightforward.
- Be a smart shopper. Review the information available on our comparison shopping page, and visit the supplier websites for information about the suppliers and the products offered, keeping in mind the things to consider before you switch.
- Compare the offers. Look at your electric bills to determine what portion is for delivery and what portion is for the electricity you use. Write down the number of kilowatt hours (kWh) you use and the kilowatt hour price for energy shown on your bill. These are the numbers you will use to compare offers from competitive energy suppliers. Decide what is important to you when selecting a competitive energy supplier and determine what your level of risk is. Are you willing to pay more in some months than in others? Do you want the same fixed price every month? How long do you want to commit? Are you interested in renewable energy options?
- Contact the supplier for the terms and conditions of services. Read and understand the terms and conditions of service before you enroll with a supplier. Be sure you carefully read and understand all of the terms and conditions of your supply contract. The supplier should be able to answer any questions you may have.
- Make a choice. Once you've decided which offer is right for you, call that supplier to sign up or visit their website to enroll online. The supplier will contact your local electric utility for you.
If you have questions about choosing a competitive energy supplier, please contact the NH Department of Energy at 1-800-852-3793 or at consumerservices@energy.nh.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions
Only you can decide if choosing a competitive supplier is the right choice for you. Regardless of who you buy your energy supply from, the price you pay is only fixed for a period of time. The price you pay for energy supply purchased from your utility changes every six months. The price you pay for energy supply from a competitive supplier may be fixed or it may be variable, depending on your contract. Have more questions about competitive energy suppliers? For answers to some of the most frequently asked questions, visit our Choosing a Supplier FAQ page.
Compare Energy Supply Prices
Our comparison shopping page provides you with a way to easily compare the products and prices offered by competitive energy suppliers and your utility. From the comparison shopping page, you select what type of customer you are (residential or small commercial), and then select your local distribution utility (Eversource, Liberty Utilities, NH Electric Cooperative, or Unitil). Based on those selections, you can then easily scroll through the various products and prices offered by competitive energy supplier, compare those prices to the utility energy service rate and determine which best meets your needs.