New Hampshire's February 1 / August 1 Default Service Resets: And the Under-Recovery That Makes Them Volatile

February and August: New Hampshire's supply clock

New Hampshire electric utilities procure default energy service for customers who do not choose a competitive supplier. Approved rates typically take effect February 1 and August 1 [nh-puc-rates]. Eversource, Liberty Utilities, and Unitil each publish updated default service prices on those dates.

The Office of the Consumer Advocate regularly reminds customers to compare default rates against competitive offers [nh-oca-rate-check]. For cultivation facilities with high winter kWh, the August 1 reset sets supply pricing through deep winter. The February 1 reset covers summer cooling and dehumidification season.

Under-recovery makes resets jumpy

Community Power NH and NHPR documented that utilities under-collected default supply costs in prior periods, totaling roughly $50 million across Eversource ($38M), Liberty ($9M), and Unitil (~$3M) [nh-under-recovery] [nhpr-aug-2026-rates]. True-ups flow into subsequent default rate filings, making August 1, 2026 increases sharper than wholesale markets alone would suggest.

Default service is not a regulated discount. It is a pass-through with lag. When lag corrects upward, cultivators on default feel it immediately on high kWh.

Shopping calendar

Reset date	Covers roughly	Shop by
August 1	Winter peak kWh	Mid-June
February 1	Summer peak kWh	Mid-December

Allow time for supplier enrollment per New Hampshire switching guide.

Competitive supply vs default

New Hampshire allows retail electric choice [nh-oca-rate-check]. Fixed supplier contracts isolate you from default under-recovery true-ups on future resets, though contracts may include their own pass-through clauses for ISO-NE components.

Compare:

1. Default service rate published on PUC site [nh-puc-rates]
2. Supplier fixed offer for same period
3. Your effective cents/kWh including delivery demand

New Hampshire average commercial rate was 17.92 cents/kWh in June 2026 [eia-epm-5-6-a]. Indoor grows often exceed that on effective basis.

Medical and emerging adult-use context

New Hampshire's cannabis market remains medical-focused with alternative treatment centers. HB 186 and broader adult-use proposals saw legislative activity in 2026 [research doc context]. Energy planning rules do not change: high load factor flower rooms need stable supply pricing through winter.

Interval meter data helps separate HVAC from lighting when evaluating winter supplier offers alongside dehumidification load.

Worked example: Eversource default customer

Assume 100,000 kWh/month, default service rises 18 percent on August 1 due to under-recovery blend [nhpr-aug-2026-rates] (illustrative percentage; verify actual rate):

• If old default was 14 cents/kWh and new is 16.52 cents/kWh
• Increase ≈ 100,000 × $0.0252 ≈ $2,520/month

Supplier fixed at 14.8 cents/kWh signed in July avoids step-up for contract term on energy portion.

Checklist

1. Bookmark PUC electric rates page [nh-puc-rates]
2. Read OCA rate alerts [nh-oca-rate-check]
3. Track under-recovery filings [nh-under-recovery]
4. Request quotes six weeks before February 1 and August 1
5. Revisit on New Hampshire commercial rates context

Eversource, Liberty, and Unitil: three defaults to watch

New Hampshire splits default service across Eversource (formerly PSNH), Liberty Utilities, and Unitil [nh-puc-rates]. Each files separate procurement results for February 1 and August 1 effective dates. A cultivator moving from a temporary lease in Manchester (Eversource) to a rural facility on Liberty must re-shop entirely; default rates differ [nh-oca-rate-check].

The August 1, 2026 reset drew press coverage because under-recovery from prior periods stacked onto new wholesale costs [nhpr-aug-2026-rates] [nh-under-recovery]. Eversource alone under-collected roughly $38 million [nh-under-recovery]. Default customers paid correction in one step rather than smoothed over years.

Why cultivators feel under-recovery more than retailers

A dispensary with 8,000 kWh/month sees dollar impact. A 12,000 sq ft indoor grow with 130,000 kWh/month multiplies the same cents/kWh increase by fifteen times or more. Under-recovery true-ups are percentage-based on supply; high kWh facilities should never ignore OCA rate alerts [nh-oca-rate-check].

Competitive supply in New Hampshire medical market

Alternative treatment centers and licensed cultivation remain medical-focused in New Hampshire [nh-puc-rates]. Utilities do not discriminate on license type for shopping rules. Confirm you are on a commercial demand schedule if flowering rooms push past 100 kW coincident peak.

New Hampshire switching guide covers enrollment timing. Start six weeks before February 1 or August 1 if exiting default.

February reset vs August reset: which matters more?

Reset	Covers peak season	Cultivation note
August 1	Winter heating months	Highest kWh for sealed buildings
February 1	Summer cooling	Dehumidification load rises

If you shop once annually, August priority fits most indoor grows. If on a 12-month fixed contract ending in spring, still check February default to know renewal benchmark [nh-puc-rates].

Worked comparison: default with true-up vs fixed supplier

Assume 95,000 kWh/month, default rises from 15.0 to 17.5 cents/kWh after under-recovery adjustment (illustrative; verify PUC posted rate [nh-puc-rates]):

• Increase ≈ 95,000 × $0.025 ≈ $2,375/month on supply energy

Supplier fixed at 16.0 cents/kWh signed in July avoids August step for contract term on energy portion. Delivery demand unchanged.

Over six winter months, savings vs adjusted default ≈ $7,000 to $14,000 depending on actual approved rates [nhpr-aug-2026-rates].

Coordination with ISO-NE winter gas risk

Default service procurements embed ISO-NE wholesale outcomes [nh-under-recovery]. Winter 2025-26 showed extreme Mass Hub prices during cold [iso-ne-winter-recap in sibling article]. New Hampshire default resets lag real-time spikes but catch up in true-ups.

Fixed supplier contracts do not eliminate ISO-NE capacity pass-throughs unless explicitly bundled. Read capacity sections on New Hampshire ESCO offers.

Practical reminders

• Bookmark [nh-puc-rates] before each reset
• Read [nh-oca-rate-check] consumer alerts
• Track [nh-under-recovery] filings for true-up language
• Set calendar reminders June 15 and December 15
• Compare New Hampshire commercial rates context [eia-epm-5-6-a]

Community power programs

Community Power NH and municipal aggregation programs discuss default service mechanics publicly [nh-under-recovery]. Aggregation may offer alternative supply paths for eligible municipalities; confirm whether your facility sits in an aggregated town before assuming Eversource default is the only benchmark [nh-oca-rate-check].

Compare three utilities if you have options

Site selection sometimes chooses between Eversource and Liberty service territories [nh-puc-rates]. Default rate paths differ even within the same ISO-NE wholesale market. Run pro forma default vs supplier for each territory before lease signature, not after buildout [nh-oca-rate-check].

New Hampshire default service resets twice a year and sometimes corrects past under-recovery in one step. Shoppers treat both dates as mandatory reviews.

Reading under-recovery on PUC orders before August 1

Community Power NH and NHPR documented utilities under-collected default supply costs totaling roughly $50 million across Eversource ($38M), Liberty ($9M), and Unitil (~$3M) [nh-under-recovery] [nhpr-aug-2026-rates]. True-ups flow into subsequent default rate filings rather than smoothing over multiple years. Default customers feel correction in one step.

The Office of the Consumer Advocate urges customers to compare default rates against competitive offers before each reset [nh-oca-rate-check]. For a cultivator at 130,000 kWh/month, a two-cent-per-kWh supply increase from under-recovery adjustment equals $2,600/month before delivery.

Utility	Reported under-recovery	Reset dates
Eversource	~$38M [nh-under-recovery]	Feb 1, Aug 1 [nh-puc-rates]
Liberty	~$9M [nh-under-recovery]	Feb 1, Aug 1
Unitil	~$3M [nh-under-recovery]	Feb 1, Aug 1

Fixed supplier contracts signed in July isolate you from the August default step-up on energy for the contract term, though ESCO offers may still pass through ISO-NE capacity components. New Hampshire average commercial rate was 17.92 cents/kWh in June 2026 [eia-epm-5-6-a]. High-kWh indoor grows exceed that effective rate once delivery demand allocates over cultivation load factor.

Bookmark the PUC electric rates page and read OCA alerts six weeks before February 1 and August 1 [nh-puc-rates] [nh-oca-rate-check]. Use New Hampshire switching guide for enrollment timing.

Alternative treatment centers and licensed cultivation remain medical-focused in New Hampshire [nh-puc-rates]. Utilities treat facilities as commercial loads; confirm demand schedule if flowering rooms push past 100 kW coincident peak. Site selection between Eversource and Liberty territories requires separate default versus supplier pro formas before lease signature [nh-oca-rate-check].

Community Power NH discusses default mechanics publicly [nh-under-recovery]. Municipal aggregation may offer alternate supply in eligible towns; confirm whether your facility sits in an aggregated municipality before assuming Eversource default is the only benchmark. When OCA publishes rate alerts, forward them to your supplier rep and ask whether fixed contract still beats default after true-up [nh-oca-rate-check].

Default service procurements embed ISO-NE wholesale outcomes [nh-under-recovery]. Winter cold can spike real-time prices even when default resets lag. Fixed supplier contracts do not eliminate ISO-NE capacity pass-throughs unless explicitly bundled. Read capacity sections on New Hampshire ESCO offers before August enrollment [nh-puc-rates]. Medical ATC operators planning canopy expansion should re-shop before the reset following energization of new rooms [nh-oca-rate-check].

Set calendar reminders June 15 and December 15 for six-week-ahead shopping [nh-puc-rates]. August resets hit hardest when winter under-recovery stacks onto new procurement [nh-under-recovery] [nhpr-aug-2026-rates]. July shopping beats August bill shock for high-kWh grows. Compare New Hampshire commercial rates context when evaluating ESCO offers [eia-epm-5-6-a]. Default service is not a regulated discount; it is a pass-through with lag that corrects upward [nh-under-recovery].