Relative to non-wire alternatives, time-of-use tariffs, and multi-year rate settings.
HB 674 establishes a new regulatory framework for electric utility planning and rate design in New Hampshire. It defines “non-wires alternatives” (NWAs), time-of-use pricing, and time-of-use tariffs, and directs regulated electric default service providers to consider cost-effective NWAs during integrated distribution planning. The bill is aimed at encouraging utilities to use grid enhancements, distributed energy resources, and other alternatives that can defer or eliminate the need for new or upgraded transmission and distribution infrastructure.
The bill also requires the Department of Energy and the Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules governing procurement of NWAs, including competitive and transparent procurement based on capital costs and demand savings. In addition, it requires default service utilities to establish fair and reasonable time-of-use tariffs for residential and commercial customers, including seasonal and daily peak/off-peak pricing, programs for load curtailment, electric vehicle charging, and energy storage services. Customers could request AMI smart meters capable of real-time, on-demand data, and utilities would have to account for the costs and savings of smart metering in rate cases.
HB 674 further changes how electric rates are set by requiring state default service rates to be established every five years, with interim adjustments allowed for major changes such as inflation, procurement costs, distribution costs, or emergency relief. The bill also directs the commission to create a formula for sharing any savings above prior projections between utilities and ratepayers, with the goal of rewarding utility cost savings while ensuring customers benefit from efficiencies. The bill would take effect January 1, 2026.
The bill’s impact would be significant for state utility regulation, especially RSA 378 and related rate-setting and planning provisions. It would expand the role of the Department of Energy and Public Utilities Commission in overseeing utility procurement, rate design, smart metering, and multi-year rate cases, while potentially affecting electric utilities, residential and commercial customers, distributed energy resource providers, EV charging programs, and energy storage deployment. The fiscal note was not completed because the relevant agencies had not yet provided information.
There is no recorded committee transcript or vote history in the provided materials, so no direct public sentiment is available from debate or roll call. Based on the bill’s structure, it appears to reflect a policy preference for modernizing utility planning and encouraging cost-saving alternatives, but the absence of discussion and votes means any support or opposition cannot be reliably characterized from the record provided.
HB 674 would amend RSA 378 by adding a new section governing non-wires alternatives, time-of-use pricing, time-of-use tariffs, and multi-year rate settings. It would require the Department of Energy and the Public Utilities Commission to adopt rules for utility procurement, rate design, smart meter access, and five-year default service rate cases, while also creating a mechanism to share savings between utilities and ratepayers. The bill would affect electric utilities, default service customers, and providers of distributed energy resources, EV charging, and energy storage, and would take effect January 1, 2026.
No committee testimony or vote record was provided, so there is no documented public sentiment to summarize from the available materials. The bill’s text suggests a generally reform-oriented and pro-efficiency approach to utility regulation, emphasizing cost-effective infrastructure alternatives and customer pricing signals, but the record here does not show whether legislators or stakeholders supported or opposed it.
The main potential points of contention are likely to be the mandated use of non-wires alternatives, the requirement for time-of-use tariffs for all residential and commercial customer classes, and the move to five-year rate cases with possible interim adjustments. Utilities may be concerned about administrative burden, revenue stability, and the complexity of new procurement and metering requirements, while consumer advocates may focus on whether time-of-use pricing and smart meter deployment are fair, voluntary in practice, and protective of customers who cannot shift usage. The bill also creates a savings-sharing formula, which could raise questions about how benefits are calculated and divided between utilities and ratepayers.