NEW HAMPSHIRE BULK FUEL DISCOUNT
The program's success is attributed to a four-day turn around from delivery of fuel to when the check is received by the vendor, which resulted from a Governor's executive order. (Turnaround was formerly 3 weeks.) Of the state's 472 unregulated utilities, 450 provide discounts of 2 to 20 cents per gallon, with an average discount of 10 cents per gallon. They also waive fees for after-hours delivery for savings of $30 to $50 per household, and they provide free or low-cost furnace repair.
In 1996, New Hampshire went one step further and "locked in" lower summer prices for oil, propane, kerosene and wood for the heating season. About 70 percent of New Hampshire households heat with delivered fuels. A summer pre-buy program continues for these households which includes a "ceiling price" so that if the cash price of fuel oil drops below the negotiated price, the vendor will charge the lesser of the two. Most vendors have agreed to this concept.
LEVERAGING
2001: $701,103
2000: $343,750
1999: $312,258
1998: $299,279
1997: $319,819
1996: $288,705
1995: $347,091
1994: $376,882
1993: $345,151
1992: $309,989