Category: Featured Content

Two of a kind

April Cushman and Brad Myrick team up

On paper, the pairing of April Cushman and Brad Myrick is unexpected. At the recent New England Music Awards, she won for Best Country Act, while he was nominated in the jazz category. Over the years, however, they’ve connected a lot, at area open mics and through bookings done by NH Music Collective, an agency co-run by Myrick.

Recently, they tried playing together informally and found a strong musical connection. So, when Cushman got an offer to open for Scotty McCreary at Keene’s Colonial Theatre, she reached out to him to see if he’d be interested in making her solo act a duo for the show.

It turned into a heady night, as the sold-out crowd responded thunderously to their first song, a rarity when most fans are typically trickling in when the opener is on stage. That gig led to a headlining date for Cushman’s band at the intimate Colonial Showroom on Dec. 9, with Myrick joining the group; it sold out. Over the past several months, they’ve played many shows together, in big and small rooms.

“Brad and I have always been booking with each other and playing a lot of the local places,” Cushman said in a recent co-interview with Myrick. “It just came about that we should collaborate and come together. I’m a rhythm guitarist and Brad is amazing at everything he does. We’re both huge advocates of original music. I regret not doing it sooner than we did.”

Though his recorded output points in one direction, “I gotta say, I’m decisively a rock and pop guy,” Myrick offered. “It’s funny, when I moved back to New Hampshire after being away for a decade, the first project that got some traction was a quintet, so everybody around here started thinking of me as a jazz guy.”

Cushman concurred. “A lot of country music stuff is really rooted in rock and bluegrass,” she said. “When you think about taking Brad and me separately and combining them together where we are both so rooted in rock … country music is very pop these days, and bluegrass … it just worked very well.”

Myrick is especially excited by working in the studio; the two connected in a big way there. Cushman’s debut, The Long Haul, was made in Nashville with session players, and Cushman was looking for a change, both in approach and venue. In November, she and Myrick recorded two of her songs at The Greenhouse Studio in Gilford, for release next year.

“Smoke” is a both aching and sweet ballad that alludes to the trap of social media. “Do you feel like you have to use that filter?” Cushman sings. “Are you stuck somewhere in between who you are and what they see?” Myrick’s fingerpicking guitar perfectly complements the all-acoustic track. The treasure-every-moment “Borrowed Time” is equally intimate and includes a Myrick harmony vocal.

“I wanted to come out of the gates with the first record … radio-ready,” Cushman said. “But at the end of the day, I never played on any of those tracks. I tracked all the vocal work myself … but any of the acoustic guitar on The Long Haul, it’s not me. Playing with Brad in the studio and keeping it local, I think is very important.”

“It was really easy for me to share music with April because she’s got songs; the lyrics are relatable,” Myrick said. “As a side man, I’m listening to the singer, I’m thinking, ‘How do I support that and give it a second voice?’”

Their next duo show is opening for Joe Nichols in Boston Dec. 15. Locally, they’ll do an apres-ski set at Sunapee Resort on Friday, Jan. 6, and share the stage with Houston Bernard Band at the Press Room in Portsmouth on Jan. 20. Both are keeping busy solo schedules. Myrick has a few holiday shows upcoming, including one at Café One East in Warner on Dec. 17 and another at Contoocook Cider Co. on Dec 21.

He spent last summer in Italy, recording a soon to be released record with longtime musical partner Nicola Cipriani. “I think it’s my masterpiece, the best thing I’ve done in 41 years of being alive; I’ve never been so excited about music,” he said, adding, “the last few months have been great playing with April; she’s on such a great trajectory right now. I’m so proud of her, she’s just killing it.”

Death, Seventh Son, Nights of the Dead and Somewhere in Time. When it sells out, there are other items that headbangers will love, like a Pantera set, along with standalones of Ronnie James Dio and Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider.

Featured photo: April Cushman and Brad Myrick performing at NEMA2022. Photo Credit: M. Allen Photography

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (PG)

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (PG)

The tale of the wooden puppet gets the Pan’s Labyrinth-but-animated treatment in Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, a beautiful-looking weird-in-its-own-way adaptation.

All Pinocchios are weird, is my theory on this IP. In the league of cautionary fairy tales, this one seems to lean the hardest on the cautionary element, making it sort of disturbing from the jump no matter how a director or writer chooses to go with it. This particular Pinocchio is maybe less disturbing than others but still dark. But maybe in my top five for potential Oscar animation nominees?

Once again, we get a sad Geppetto (voice of David Bradley), a woodworker in Italy who lost his young son during World War I. After years of drowning his sadness in wine, Geppetto one day crafts a wooden version of his son that a spirit (voice of Tilda Swinton) gives life to. The wooden boy, more angular and del-Toro-ish than his usual incarnation, declares Geppetto his papa and joyfully goes about discovering/destroying their house.

Geppetto is at first a little horrified by this wooden creature, particularly when a talking cricket hops out of a hole in the wood to verify Pinocchio’s (voice of Gregory Mann) story. But quickly Geppetto, Pinocchio and Sebastian the cricket (voice of Ewan McGregor) form a little family. That family is not terribly well accepted by the outside world, this being a very conformity-focused Italy in the increasingly fascist time of Mussolini. Local fascist muckety-muck Podesta (voice of Ron Perlman) says that Pinocchio must go to school to learn discipline, and thus begins the string of events that leads to Geppetto, Pinocchio, Sebastian and a surly monkey (voice of Cate Blanchett) ending up in the belly of a large fish.

This movie hits all the usual points: Pinocchio being sent out into the world with nothing but a cranky cricket to guide him, then him being tricked into becoming a performer for Count Volpe (voice of Christoph Waltz), a long separation between Pinocchio and Geppetto and Pinocchio falling into the clutches of yet another scammer who plays on boys’ worst instincts. Only in this case the scammer is Podesta, who takes Pinocchio and his own son Candlewick (voice of Finn Wolfhard) not to the amusement-park-ish Pleasure Island to be turned into a donkey but to a fascist military school to become cannon fodder for the Italian fatherland.

All this imagery — with the joyful and innocent Pinocchio sort of stumbling through the increasingly dark Italy — is extremely well done. The animation here is of the stop-motion variety (according to Wikipedia) and the characters have a very tactile, dimensional, puppety look. We can see the wood grain and knots in the pine that make up Pinocchio, who at times has almost a “wooden stick insect” appearance. We see the whiskers in Geppetto’s beard and mustache, which have a thick look, like “hairs” that have been carved and painted. The Italian village manages to look both like a physical space and fantastical, with the sunniness of the exteriors balanced by the menace of the fascist imagery in the posters in the town square. It is all exceedingly well done — so well done that I think it tips over into the scary frequently. Common Sense Media pegs this for age 11 and up and I would say — with the war, the death, the sadness and the frequent peril of Pinocchio — yeah, at least that. Maybe more like 12 or 13. Even the Swinton-voiced “blue fairy” character, who sort of looks like a human moth ancient godlike character with two sets of wings dotted with eyes, is at the very least unnerving.

I feel like this Pinocchio has plenty to delight fans of animation as a form and of Guillermo del Toro as a visual storyteller but isn’t exactly my choice for young-kids family movie night. B+

Rated PG, according to Netflix, where it is streaming. Directed by Guillermo del Toro with a screenplay by Guillermo del Toro and Patrick McHale, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is an hour and 56 minutes long and distributed by Netflix.

Emancipation (R)

Will Smith plays a man escaping Confederate captivity in Emancipation, a movie by director Antoine Fuqua.

Post-Emancipation Proclamation but mid-Civil War, Peter (Smith) is enslaved along with his wife, Dodienne (Charmaine Bingwa), and their children on a Louisiana cotton plantation when he is taken to do work on the Confederate army’s railroad. As hellish as the conditions on the plantation are, the prison camp Peter is taken to is even worse, with the heads of men who attempted to escape displayed on pikes. The captors seem to be significantly more invested in torturing the men they’re holding than in the war effort and seem to be on the verge of murdering Peter when a brief distraction allows him and a few other men to get away. The men run toward the snake- and alligator-filled swamp that stands between them and the Union Army, where they have heard that they will be recognized as free, thanks to the Emancipation Proclamation.

On the trail of the escapees are Jim Fassel (Ben Foster) and two fellow bounty hunters. For a good part of the movie, we get a chase between Fassel and his stupid dogs and Peter, who attempts to use the rough terrain of the swamp to his advantage.

For me, this movie frequently suffered from what I think of as Gangs of New York syndrome, where a wobbly central story sits in the middle of a fascinating and well-rendered history. The stories about how people contemplated freedom versus what could happen to them and their family if they tried to reach a safer harbor are interesting. The decisions people made, how they held themselves and their families together while enslaved — how Dodienne kept her children with her, how Peter drew from a deep well of faith — are solidly engrossing stories. But the movie too often turns its focus to other stuff — like the chase between Fassel and Peter or, even less interesting, Fassel and his motivations.

To this unevenness, add Will Smith’s sometimes strong, sometimes wobbly performance. Sometimes it is really affecting; he gives us a man with a singular purpose — getting back to his family — but a lot of hurdles to achieving that, who has to negotiate with both enemies and allies, neither of whom really have his interests at heart. Other times, I feel like I’m just watching Will Smith giving a very performance-y performance, jammed into some very dark history.

I think ultimately that history and the very arresting way it’s shot, largely in black and white with these very artful wisps of color, make Emancipation worth watching. B-

Rated R for strong racial violence, disturbing images and language, according to the MPA on filmratings.com. Directed by Antoine Fuqua with a screenplay by Bill Collage, Emancipation is two hours and 12 minutes long and distributed by Apple TV+, where it is streaming.

Featured photo: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (PG)

A lasting legacy

Republic Cafe, Campo Enoteca to be put up for sale as owners retire

By Matt Ingersoll

[email protected]

They’ve been James Beard award semifinalists, TED Talk presenters and pioneers of the local food movement. They’ve owned several successful Manchester restaurants spanning more than 30 years, including the first to receive “certified local” status by the New Hampshire Farm to Restaurant Connection.

And now, chef Edward Aloise and his wife, Claudia Rippee, are stepping away from the kitchen.

“We figured we should go out on a high note. Kind of like Joe DiMaggio,” Aloise, a New York City native, joked during a recent phone interview with the Hippo. “It’s kind of bittersweet. Half of our lives have been here in Manchester, and more than half our lives have been in this industry. But it’s time. It’s time to get on and move on to whatever phase is next in our lives.”

The plan, Aloise said, is for Republic Cafe and Campo Enoteca — two separate restaurant concepts that he and Rippee have operated under the same roof at 969 Elm St. as the “Republic of Campo” since August 2020 — to remain open normal business hours through New Year’s Eve. The downtown storefront will then soon be put up for sale as the couple prepares to retire.

But the pair’s decision to leave the business is not because their restaurants haven’t been doing well. On the contrary, in fact, both have remained as busy as ever. Aloise, who just celebrated his 69th birthday on Dec. 12, said he has plans to “resuscitate” their restaurant consulting company, E&C Hospitality and Consulting Services, while Rippee, an accomplished photographer and artist in her own right, aims to focus more on her craft.

“We are absolutely not running out of gas, but we do want to use what’s left in our tanks and go in a different direction,” Aloise said.

No matter what happens following the sale of the 969 Elm St. property, the fact remains that Aloise and Rippee will leave behind a decades-long legacy in the Queen City, a presence in the restaurant scene that will be missed by many. Here’s a look back on what they’ve accomplished.

From Colorado to Manchester

Aloise and Rippee met in Boulder, Colorado, of all places, back in the late 1970s.

“Claudia was a cocktail waitress and I was a bartender,” he said. “It was an over-the-bar love affair.”

They would end up getting married, continuing to work in the restaurant industry out west, in addition to a brief stint in Aloise’s home state of New York. Through a friend in Colorado with ties to the Massachusetts area, they soon found themselves moving to the seaside community of Gloucester. It was there that, Aloise said, they attempted twice to open their own restaurant concept, but they were unable at the time to acquire financing for it.

Another opportunity arose some 70 miles away in Manchester, where Aloise for a time worked as president of Hospitality Holdings Corp. But he and Rippee knew they still wanted to start their own restaurant concept. Eventually, they were able to put together a business plan that got financed and, in 1990, opened up Cafe Pavone in Manchester’s Millyard.

“There was no real Italian here at the time. What there was, was your basic red sauce, spaghetti and meatballs place,” Aloise said. “We brought in fresh pasta that we made daily. We were bringing in different regional Italian recipes as opposed to everything from Naples and Sicily. It had the first outside patio in the city [and] we had a wood grill, which was news to everybody. … It became a real central point for a lot of people in the city. Regular customers would have these little brass nameplates around the bar and we used to call it the Walk of Shame. That’s how people were identifying with it.”

Enjoying a 10-year run throughout the ’90s, Cafe Pavone was named for the Italian word meaning “peacock.”

“We wanted to bring a little bit of color, a little bit of life, a little bit of versatility to the city, and we thought the name stuck,” Aloise said.

Their success just a few years after opening Cafe Pavone led them to an opportunity to start a second restaurant concept at Manchester-Boston Regional Airport — known as the Milltowne Grille — in January 1994.

By 2000, they decided it was time for a change — Cafe Pavone was sold, and Aloise and Rippee would start E&C Hospitality and Consulting Services, an initiative that continued throughout most of that decade.

“The airport [restaurant] was extremely successful at that point, so we had a little bit easier life for a while,” Rippee said.

Fresh from the farm

As Aloise put it, he and Rippee soon “got the bug to do it again,” and that was when Republic Cafe would arrive at 1069 Elm St. in downtown Manchester in January 2010. But this restaurant would be a totally different concept, ushering in a new philosophy for several other New Hampshire eateries that would follow.

“I’m a pescatarian, and I said that if we do another restaurant, then I did not want to deal with any factory-farmed animal products,” Rippee said, “and so that’s how we got involved in looking for local producers.”

Today, Republic is renowned not only for its scratch-cooked kitchen and pan-Mediterranean cuisine, but also for its commitment to sourcing from local farmers. But it didn’t catch on right away; in fact, Aloise refers to the first year and a half or so of being open as a little rocky.

“People were not really ready for a pan-Mediterranean restaurant,” he said. “Twenty-eight countries touch the Mediterranean and Claudia and I researched recipes from all 28 of them.”

That all changed in 2012, when they achieved semifinalist status for Outstanding Restaurateur in that year’s James Beard Foundation awards.

“That was the trajectory that really took Republic into the stratosphere,” Aloise said.

That same year, both Aloise and Rippee gave a joint TED Talk presentation about the importance of farm-to-table restaurant practices. Their talk detailed many of the local farms they have worked with and the products they buy from each, as well as the process of how they are continuously in contact with them to help shape their restaurant menus. Many of the farmers, Rippee noted, have been working with them from the very beginning — the list can be viewed on Republic’s website.

“When you couple the farm-to-table concept with recipes coming from Morocco and Turkey and Greece and southern Italy, and even Egypt and Israel for that matter, it shocked some people, but then eventually people said, ‘Wow, I’m not eating a piece of salmon on a Caesar salad anymore,’ and that’s what happened,” Aloise said.

Aloise and Rippee continued to operate the Milltowne Grille simultaneously with Republic until 2014. But when Southwest Airlines announced it was leaving Manchester’s airport to become a carrier down in Boston, that was when they noticed a sharp drop in volume, Aloise said.

“It became a non-viable entity and our lease was up anyway, so we decided to move,” he said. “But we had employees that were there with us for a decade, and so we had that human capital and decided not to waste it.”

That April, Campo Enoteca opened its doors at 969 Elm St., just a two-minute walk south of Republic. As opposed to its Mediterranean counterpart, this was an Italian restaurant serving house pastas and small plates, but still in line with the farm-to-table theme.

The Republic of Campo

Republic celebrated its 10th anniversary in business in January 2020, releasing a special “meet the farmers” Q&A series to commemorate the milestone.

Two months later, on March 16, came Gov. Chris Sununu’s emergency order limiting all restaurants and bars in New Hampshire to takeout and delivery only in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Both Republic and Campo Enoteca initially joined the dozens of other local restaurants in offering a special takeout and delivery menu, but the decision was soon made to shut down operations at both for the remainder of the governor’s dine-in ban.

As the pandemic stretched into the summer, by mid-August it was determined that Republic’s physical plan would be incompatible with the spacing requirements.

“Inside, you had to have 6 feet between tables … but at Republic it was one long line of seating down the right-hand side of the building and an 18-seat bar,” Rippee said, “so we probably could’ve gotten maybe 20 seats out of 60 and comply with the Covid guidelines, and that would not have supported what it took to reopen that location.”

Instead, Aloise and Rippee decided to leave the 1069 Elm St. location altogether and move all of Republic’s operations under the same roof as Campo Enoteca.

“One of the benefits was that a lot of our staff, especially the kitchen staff, moved between both restaurants,” Aloise said. “Everybody was familiar with all of the menus, all the recipes, all the descriptions of the product or the style of cooking that I had, and so we sat down with [partner and manager] Peter [Macone] and my chef de cuisine at the time, and I said, ‘This is what I want to do, how do we do this,’ and everybody was on board immediately.”

In the two years since, they’ve successfully been able to offer two separate menus for both restaurants under one location — dubbed the “Republic of Campo.” Whether or not that concept will continue, Aloise said, is all up to the eventual purchaser.

As Aloise plans to hang up his apron, he remains optimistic about the future of the hospitality industry, but he does predict there will be many changes.

“I think what’s probably going to happen is that people are going to react to the market,” he said. “You’re going to see concepts that are less labor-intensive and concepts that are more cost-effective. You’re going to see less full-service. … Tablecloth restaurants, upscale restaurants are going to go the way of dinosaurs for the most part.”

Featured photo: Chef Edward Aloise and his wife, Claudia Rippee. Courtesy photo.

A holiday memorial

Volunteers honor deceased veterans with Wreaths Across America

By Katelyn Sahagian

[email protected]

Volunteers across southern New Hampshire are taking time a week before Christmas to remember those who have served this country with a symbolic laying of wreaths.

Wreaths Across America, the organization that lays wreaths at the graves of fallen soldiers and veterans, is holding its annual ceremony on Saturday, Dec. 17. The organization joins volunteers in every state of America and in United States cemeteries abroad to show appreciation to those who have served in the armed forces.

“It’s a place to provide remembrance and teach young people about the past,” said Brian Riis, the current organizer for Concord’s Boston Hill Cemetery’s Wreaths Across America. “[Active military and veterans] sacrifice a lot for us.”

Riis has been running the Wreaths Across America at Boston Hill cemetery in Concord for more than a decade. While he was unable to serve in the military when he was younger, Riis said that his son is in the Air Force.

Wreaths in the program aren’t purchased; they’re donated. Wreaths can be sent to specific graves or cemeteries, or they can be put in a general fund that will be shipped out to cemeteries that haven’t met their goals.

Even if a cemetery has no wreaths donated to it, Riis said, there will be ceremonial wreaths provided by Wreaths Across America representing each branch of the military.

Riis said that he always donates a few wreaths just in case someone contacts him saying that they missed the donation deadline and they want a wreath at their loved one’s grave. He said that there’s at least one person from out of state who calls him every year to have one laid, and he’ll send them a photo of the grave with the wreath.

“They’re a person I’ve never met, but it means so much to them that this gets done,” Riis said.

Wreaths Across America instructs people to follow a small ritual when laying the wreaths. They ask for the name to be read, thank them, and to take a small moment of silence before putting the wreath at the grave.

Before wreaths are laid, there is a brief ceremony usually held in the cemetery. While it only lasts a half hour, Christina Madden, the organizer of Wreaths Across America in Hudson, said that it covers why this event matters, and she notes how heartwarming it is to her to see people gather and show respect at this time of year.

“It also honors the families of the veterans,” Madden said. “When you put the wreaths on the graves now, it’s like the missing chair at the table, it’s the family’s sacrifice.”

Madden and her husband both served in the Army. She said that this event has been a labor of love for the past three years, since she brought the event to Hudson in 2019. She started it when she became the head of her VFW.

When she first began, the biggest problem was finding out exactly how many veterans were buried in Hudson’s 10 cemeteries.

“We started out not really knowing exactly how many vets were buried,” Madden said. “We got help from town records and one of the folks who was a historian. Going to each headstone to figure out who was who.”

While Hudson’s ceremony will be in one spot, volunteers will be sent to eight of the town’s cemeteries to lay wreaths. Madden said that even though she has volunteers lined up to lay the wreaths at the cemeteries, she is welcoming people from anywhere to come to the ceremony.

“It’s very moving,” she said. “It’s a vital part of the day.”

Featured photo: VFW Department of NH Cmdr. Russ Norris placing wreath. Courtesy photo.

Power to the People

Keeping the lights and heat on this winter — and what it will do to your wallet

The skyrocketing costs of energy in 2022 have left many New Hampshire families struggling to afford their heating and electric bills, and some even in fear of their homes going cold and dark this winter. Fortunately, there are a number of resources available to the state’s more vulnerable populations to ensure that doesn’t happen, as well as actions that residents of all demographics can take to reduce energy consumption — and the balance on their energy bills.

New Hampshire energy professionals shared their expertise on the current state of and onlook on energy costs; how to pay less for energy now and over time; and where to find the appropriate assistance to meet your family’s unique energy needs.

Why is energy so expensive now?

The biggest reason, according to New Hampshire energy professionals, is an increased demand for natural gas around the world, triggered by global events, particularly the war in Ukraine.

“Even though the U.S. is a major producer of natural gas, we’re in the same global market as everyone else on the planet,” New Hampshire’s Consumer Advocate Donald Kreis said. “When the demand for natural gas around the world goes up, our prices go up.”

New England’s power grid relies heavily on natural gas, so when the price of natural gas goes up, so does the price of the electricity produced with it.

“The regional market for electric supply consists of 50 percent or so, give or take, natural gas,” said William Hinkle, media relations manager for Eversource, New Hampshire’s largest utility, “so the prices [of electricity] are always very closely tied to the price of natural gas.”

In the winter, the demand for natural gas is even greater as many homes also use it for heating.

“The winter is tough, because a big portion of the natural gas supply gets diverted for use by millions of people using it to heat, but the power plants still need the same amount of natural gas to produce electricity,” said Seth Wheeler, communications coordinator for New Hampshire Electric Co-op, a member-owned and -controlled electric utility.

Will prices keep going up?

“Probably not,” said Kreis, who, as Consumer Advocate, represents the interests of residential utility customers in government proceedings. “I don’t expect it to go much higher than it is, but that still isn’t good news, because prices are double than what they were a year ago.”

Eversource recently filed its proposal for its next energy service rate adjustment, which will go into effect on Feb. 1, with the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission. It’s a slight decrease, from 22.6 cents per kilowatt-hour, the rate set in August, to 20.2 cents per kilowatt-hour.

“The price is going down, but it’s still incredibly high, and still much higher than it was in February 2022,” Hinkle said.

“We enjoyed, for a good 10 years or so, what turned out to be really low prices for electricity and natural gas,” Kreis said, “but that era of 10-cents service rates is over, and I don’t see it coming back anytime soon.”

What are my options for heating my home? Which heating source is the most economical?

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2015-2019 American Community Survey, fuel oil is the most common, with 44 percent of New Hampshire homes using it as a primary heating source. Natural gas is the second most common, used by 21 percent of homes, followed by propane gas, used by 16 percent. Electric heating is the primary heating source in nine percent of homes; seven percent use wood, and two percent use coal, solar or another heating source.

In the short term, the most economical option is to continue using your home’s existing heating infrastructure while taking measures to get the most bang for your buck.

“Replacing the heating system in your house with a different one is a substantial investment; that’s going to be expensive,” Kreis said. “The first best option is energy-efficiency and conservation — finding ways to use less energy and need less heat.”

But investing in a different heating system could pay off in the long term.

One of the most economical heating sources that New Hampshire energy professionals are advocating for is the heat pump. Powered by electricity, a heat pump sits outside the home, extracts and condenses heat from the air and blows that heat into the home through ducts. It can also be used during the summer to extract and condense cooling air.

“It’s three times as efficient as more traditional heating, which means you get a lot more heat for less money,” Wheeler said. “It’s going to increase your electric bill a bit, but it will still cost you less on heating overall.”

You can also save money by powering a heat pump or another electric heating system with renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind.

“Renewable energy has declined so dramatically in price,” said Sam Evans-Brown, executive director of Clean Energy NH, a nonprofit that advocates for clean energy initiatives in the state. “It’s a persistent myth that it’s expensive because, frankly, people are bad at math. Up front, it’s expensive, but over time, it’s the cheapest thing you can do.”

What can I do right now to reduce my energy usage at home?

“Unfortunately, we’re at a time when people need to be active users of energy,” Kreis said. “You can’t just flip a switch and forget about it anymore. By being mindful about how and when and why you’re using energy, you can save a substantial amount of money.”

Here are some energy-efficiency actions that New Hampshire energy professionals said require little effort but can have a big impact:

• Dress warmly and use warm bedding so that you can turn the heat down.

• Turn off lights in unoccupied rooms.

• Replace incandescent lighting with LED lighting.

• Turn the heat down when you’re not at home.

• Open window blinds during the day to absorb heat from the sunlight.

“It sounds glib, but that stuff has an important role to play,” Kreis said. “Energy is never going to be free, and it’s probably never going to be cheap, but anything you can do to bring down your electric bill is worth pursuing.”

Weatherization — making energy-friendly improvements to your home — can also go a long way toward reducing your energy bill. The most important improvement you can make, Evans-Brown said, is tightening up your home’s insulation, but that can be costly. If you aren’t ready to make that investment, there are some relatively inexpensive DIY improvements that you can make to your home right now to conserve as much heat as possible:

• Put weather stripping around doors

• Install a shrink-to-fit plastic window cover

• Use spray foam insulation to fill in cracks and gaps along the ceilings and walls

“These are quick and easy things that anybody can do to lower their energy bill this winter,” Evans-Brown said.

Can I get electricity at a cheaper price?

Possibly. Your electric bill pays for the electricity you use and for the delivery of that electricity to your home. The system of poles and wires through which your electricity is delivered is managed by an electric utility, and that utility is, with limited exceptions, chosen for you based on where you live. You do, however, have a choice of companies to purchase your electricity, or “supply,” from. These companies, known as “competitive energy suppliers,” can set their own prices and contract terms and offer sign-up incentives. If you don’t choose your own supplier, your utility is your default supplier, and you pay the “default energy service rate,” which is adjusted every six months to reflect market prices and demand.

“Customers should know that they have options,” Hinkle said. “They should definitely shop around to ensure that they’re paying the lowest possible supply rate.”

“Some of the prices that the competitive suppliers are offering right now are substantially lower than the utility’s price,” Evans-Brown said. “You can [switch to] a competitive supplier and cut your bill by like, 15 percent right this moment.”

What kind of assistance is available to me if I’m struggling to afford electricity and home heating?

In September, $35 million in state surplus funds was allocated to deliver an emergency energy relief package to New Hampshire households earning between 60 and 75 percent of the state’s median income. Qualifying households can receive a one-time benefit of up to $450 for home heating costs and up to $200 for their electric bill. Apply for emergency assistance through your local community action agency by April 30, 2023.

“The eligibility requirements are looser in terms of income, and people who don’t normally qualify for benefits may qualify [for emergency assistance],” Wheeler said. “Normally, you wouldn’t see this. This is a one-off thing that reflects the climate we’re in right now of an energy crisis.”

For New Hampshire households earning less than 60 percent of the state’s median income, there are three main ongoing energy assistance programs available, also through community action agencies:

• The Fuel Assistance Program provides qualifying households with benefits ranging from $304 to $3,024 to offset home heating costs.

• Electric Energy Assistance provides qualifying households a discount of eight to 76 percent on their utility bill.

• Weatherization Assistance provides qualifying households with home improvements for energy efficiency at no cost.

In applying for emergency assistance, many households find that they actually qualify for ongoing assistance programs.

“When people look at the numbers and self-assess, they think they aren’t going to qualify,” said Ryan Clouthier, chief operating officer at Southern New Hampshire Services, the Community Action Partnership for Rockingham and Hillsborough counties, “but there are many different [factors] that come into play, so it’s important that people talk to us and let us help them with the application process.”

Even if you don’t qualify for the state’s main ongoing assistance programs, it’s worth reaching out to your local community action agency as it may know of other kinds of energy assistance that aren’t public knowledge that you could qualify for.

“There are other programs that aren’t as large that may be able to help you with something,” Clouthier said. “If you get your application in with a community action agency, we can see if there’s anything else out there to connect you with.”

Utilities, for example, may also offer assistance programs for customers who are struggling to pay their bills.

“We encourage customers to reach out to us so that we can work with them one-on-one to find a solution that will help them in their individual case,” Hinkle said.

Eversource has a number of income-based assistance programs and payment plan options available and can guide customers in identifying energy-efficiency solutions to reduce their bill:

• The New Start program helps customers with an overdue balance by creating a new budgeted monthly payment for them based on the average amount of their regular monthly bill. If they are diligent in paying their new monthly payment, Eversource will forgive a portion of the overdue balance each month.

• Payment plans can be established for customers who have an overdue balance but don’t qualify for forgiveness. If they make an agreed-upon minimum payment, they can pay off their remaining balance over the course of up to 12 months.

• Budget billing is an arrangement that allows customers to make fixed monthly payments for 12 months based on the past annual energy usage for customers in their location. If, at 12 months, the customer’s usage has totaled more than what they’ve paid for, they can “settle up” their remaining balance. If their usage has totaled less than what they’ve paid for, they will receive a reimbursement credited to their next bill.

• Neighbor Helping Neighbor is a partnering nonprofit that provides grants to utility customers who don’t qualify for income-based assistance but are experiencing an emergency or isolated financial hardship that has made it difficult for them to pay their bills.

“A lot of people, when they fall into arrears with their bills, see their utility company as this big bad enemy and try to avoid them,” Kreis said. “You should be doing the opposite; lean into talking with your utility. They have all sorts of resources that can help you.”

New Hampshire energy resources

New Hampshire utilities

  • Eversource (electric): 800-592-2000, eversource.com
  • Liberty (electric and natural gas): 800-833-4200, libertyutilities.com
  • New Hampshire Electric Co-op (electric): 800-698-2007, nhec.com
  • Unitil (electric and natural gas): 888-301-7700, unitil.com

To see a list of New Hampshire competitive energy suppliers and compare their rates and plans, visit energy.nh.gov/consumers/choosing-energy-supplier.

Community Action Agencies

Local resources for energy assistance programs.

  • Southern New Hampshire Services (Hillsborough and Rockingham counties): 668-8010, snhs.org
  • Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack Counties: 223-0043, capbm.org
  • Community Action Partnership of Strafford County: 435-2500, straffordcap.org
  • Southwestern Community Services (Cheshire and Sullivan counties): 352-7512, scshelps.org
  • Tri-County Community Action (Coos, Carroll and Grafton counties): 752-7001, tccap.org

See “Federal Energy Resources for Individuals and Homeowners,” a document released by U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen outlining the energy cost-saving benefits of the federal Inflation Reduction Act passed in August and New Hampshire energy assistance programs at shaheen.senate.gov.

New Hampshire Office of the Consumer Advocate (oca.nh.gov) represents the interests of residential utility customers in government proceedings.

NHSaves (nhsaves.com) is a collaboration of New Hampshire utilities that acts as a resource for energy-efficiency, providing residents with information, incentives and support.

New Hampshire fuel prices are updated regularly at energy.nh.gov/energy-information/nh-fuel-prices.

For more information on all things pertaining to energy in New Hampshire, visit the state’s Department of Energy website, energy.nh.gov, or Public Utilities Commission website, puc.nh.gov.

Maybe solar?

If there’s one good thing to come out of this winter’s high energy costs, Evans-Brown said, it’s that they’ve led many people to reevaluate their energy sources and take an interest in renewable energy sources, particularly solar.

“It’s waking people up and pushing more people in that direction [of clean energy],” he said.

The upfront cost of solar installation is not cheap, but there are a number of programs in New Hampshire that offer rebates and other incentives for qualifying residents who install clean energy generation systems on their homes.

One of those programs is the New Hampshire Department of Energy’s Low-Moderate Income Solar Grant Program, which awards grants to fund solar projects for low- to moderate-income multi-family housing communities. Project proposals and applications are being accepted now through Jan. 24, 2023, with grant amounts ranging from $75,000 to $175,000.

“Inflation and rising energy prices hit our low-income families hardest, and this bill will help ensure that these New Hampshire families and communities can share in the benefits of clean energy,” Gov. Sununu said in a statement after signing the bill for the program in July.

New Hampshire utilities have also joined the push toward transitioning residents to renewable energy sources.

“It’s an important priority for the company,” Hinkle said in regard to Eversource. “Ensuring that we’re able to maximize the benefits of [clean energy] programs for all customers, particularly low- and moderate-income customers, is something we work on every day.”

The number of people installing solar energy systems on their homes and businesses is around four times higher this year than it was last year, Evans-Brown said.

“If you call up a solar contractor today, they wouldn’t be able to get to your house until like, next August,” he said. “They’ve got people beating down their doors.”

But switching to solar is not a decision to be made in haste; people who are considering making the switch would be wise to use the waiting period for service as an opportunity to thoroughly research solar energy and connect with local resources like Clean Energy NH that provide support and guidance to clean energy users.

“That’s your next step,” Evans-Brown said.

Resources

Clean Energy NH (cleanenergynh.org) is a nonprofit that advocates for clean energy initiatives in the state.

Learn more about the New Hampshire Department of Energy’s renewable energy programs and initiatives at energy.nh.gov/renewable-energy.

New Hampshire Energy Highlights

June – In response to a nationwide increase in energy costs, Gov. Chris Sununu and the New Hampshire Department of Energy sign off on a $7.5 million emergency energy relief package. For the first time ever, low-income households qualifying for assistance through the Fuel Assistance Program receive summertime assistance to offset the costs of cooling their homes. Additionally, $7 million in state surplus funds is allocated to the Electric Assistance Program, which provides low-income households with assistance on their electric bills.

July – Gov. Chris Sununu signs SB270, a law under which New Hampshire’s Department of Energy will work with the state’s utility companies to enroll low- to moderate-income families in a community solar energy program. Families enrolled in the program receive a credit on their electricity bill.

August – Eversource, New Hampshire’s largest electric utility, notifies customers of an “unprecedented increase” in the supply portion of their bill due to record-high natural gas prices and energy supply pressures from the global economy. The energy provider’s energy service rate, which is adjusted twice a year in August and February, increases from 10.669 cents per kilowatt hour to 22.566 cents per kilowatt hour.

September – HB2023 is passed, allowing $35 million in state surplus funds to be put toward a one-time emergency fuel assistance program and supplemental electric benefit for households earning between 60 and 75 percent of the state’s median income. “New Hampshire just delivered the largest energy relief package this state has ever seen, helping families in need this winter,” Gov. Chris Sununu says in a press release. An additional $7 million is allocated to support existing assistance programs for low-income households.

October – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen leads a roundtable discussion with New Hampshire energy professionals to highlight state and federal programs available to assist New Hampshire households with heating costs. “There are numerous programs and opportunities available to help Granite Staters, but those are only effective if folks know about them,” Sen. Shaheen says in a press release. Sen. Shaheen releases “Federal Energy Resources for Individuals and Homeowners,” a document outlining the energy cost-saving benefits of the federal Inflation Reduction Act passed in August and state energy assistance programs.

November – The Low Income Home Energy Assistance program (LIHEAP), which funds New Hampshire’s Fuel Assistance Program, receives $33.9 million in federal funding to help low-income households pay their home heating and energy bills, make minor energy-related home repairs and weatherize their homes to make them more energy-efficient.

December – Eversource files its proposed energy service rate for Feb. 1 with the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission. If approved, the rate will decrease from 22.6 cents per kilowatt-hour to 20.2 cents per kilowatt-hour, lowering the supply portion of the average residential customer’s bill by approximately seven percent.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

News & Notes 22/12/15

Mental health help

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is working with Aspire365 to create a new mental health program for New Hampshire residents age 12 and older as part of an ongoing effort to expand behavioral health care for teens and adults statewide. According to a press release, the program would include in-home and virtual mental health care treatment that is in-network for New Hampshire Anthem members. Aspire365 is currently the only health care provider in the state offering in-home treatment for teens and adults for both complex mental health illnesses — including psychotic disorders, mood disorders, anxiety, personality disorders and neurocognitive disorders — and substance use disorders, as well as co-occurring disorders. “Mental health is health,” Maria Proulx, president of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in New Hampshire, said in the release. “In New Hampshire, we’ve seen the need for a greater variety of treatment options and access so individuals can work with their health care provider to find a program that provides access in a manner that best works for them to get on the path to recovery and good health.” Aspire365’s treatment model incorporates psychiatry, psychotherapy, in-home nursing, family and peer support and group therapy, based on each patient’s individual needs.

Winter tourism

The New Hampshire Division of Travel and Tourism is anticipating an estimated 2.9 million travelers to visit New Hampshire this winter, with travel-related spending expected to reach $1.3 billion. According to a press release, the Department’s winter campaign will highlight the variety of winter activities that visitors can experience in New Hampshire, including skiing and snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, skating, dining and sales-tax-free shopping. “We are coming off a record-breaking winter in New Hampshire, where spending reached $1.2 billion, and while there are signs the rebound from the pandemic recovery is slowing, we expect to see continued growth this season in spending,” Department director Lori Harnois said in the release.

New director

The City of Manchester has a new director of homelessness initiatives, Adrienne Beloin. According to a press release, Beloin, who grew up in New Hampshire, has more than two decades of experience working with homelessness in the Boston area. Most recently, she was overseeing the largest day shelter and wraparound services for homeless individuals in Massachusetts. She has also worked as a direct service clinician and senior leader focused on rehabilitation of homeless adults in the areas of behavioral health, income and housing, and she has worked on City initiatives to implement innovative resources and solutions for chronic homelessness, substance use disorders and encampments. “I have had a warm welcome returning to New Hampshire and my impression is that there is a tremendous amount of compassion and dedication we can leverage here in Manchester coming from the concerned community, the local service providers, and the City departments,” Beloin said in the release.

Downtown improvements

Intown Concord has presented Berat Holdings of 64 N. Main St. with the final Façade Grant of 2022 in the amount of $10,000. According to a press release, Intown Concord’s Façade Grant Program was created to improve the appearance of downtown Concord by providing financial assistance to local building owners and tenants to be utilized for building renovations and beautification projects. Berat Holdings has had plans to upgrade the building since 2019, when they replaced their entrance doors, but the project was put on hold due to the Covid pandemic. The grant will allow the company to move forward with its renovations. “With increased building costs and inflation, property owners are facing many challenges when it comes to building improvements right now,” Jessica Martin, executive director of Intown Concord, said in the release. “It is an absolute joy to be able to give back to our community in this way and make it a little easier for these owners to improve their buildings and ultimately the look of our downtown.”

New commissioner

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation has a new commissioner, William J. Cass. According to a press release, Cass will complete the term of former commissioner Victoria Sheehan, who has accepted a new position at the Transportation Research Board in Washington, D.C. Cass has more than 35 years of experience working with NHDOT, most recently serving as assistant commissioner. Prior to that, he held a number of supervisory and management positions and was a project manager for NHDOT’s largest project ever, the 20-mile, $800 million-reconstruction and widening of Interstate 93 from Salem to Manchester.

Joanne M. Conroy, President and CEO of Dartmouth Health, based in Lebanon, was named one of 2022’s 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare, ranking No. 18 on the publication’s annual list, according to a press release.

Gilford Community Church (19 Potter Hill Road; gilfordcommunitychurch.org) will host a “Sermonless” Sunday on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 10 a.m., featuring a choir performance of The Christmas Alleluias, a Christmas Cantata with music by Kim André Arnesen and lyrics by Euan Tate, according to a press release. GCC Pastor Michael Graham said the special service is “an open invitation to the community,” welcoming visitors of all ages and all faiths.

Mr. Mac’s Macaroni and Cheese in Manchester has donated $2,000 raised during its annual “Mac Gives Back” fundraising event held in October to two local children’s charities. According to a press release, the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Manchester and the Manchester Police Athletic League received $1,000 each on Dec. 5.

Stay in the loop!

Get FREE weekly briefs on local food, music,

arts, and more across southern New Hampshire!