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Retail Unbundling - New Hampshire
Status: The State has no unbundled services for residential customers.
Overview: In September 1998, the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved a collaborative process for addressing unbundling and competition in the State's natural gas industry. The group recommended in its final report (2000) that unbundling efforts be directed first at further unbundling in the smaller commercial/industrial sector before any consideration of unbundling for residential customers. In 2001, the PUC approved new rate designs for Northern Utilities, Inc., and EnergyNorth Natural Gas, Inc., that provided for unbundled service to commercial and industrial customers on a non-daily metered basis. This allows both small and large commercial and industrial customers to choose either bundled or unbundled service.

The PUC has decided not to proceed with choice programs for residential customers until the expanded commercial/industrial programs can be evaluated, particularly since only a few marketers are operating in the State and, according to the PUC, cost savings have been minimal in programs in other States. All natural gas marketers and aggregators must receive PUC authorization to operate in the State.
EIA State Data: In 2006, New Hampshire had 94,600 residential and 16,139 commercial customers. They consumed 7 and 8 billion cubic feet of natural gas, respectively. The average prices paid for natural gas purchased from local distribution companies by residential and commercial customers were $16.38 and $15.03 per thousand cubic feet, respectively.