On Thursday, the state consumer advocate called for a “timeout” implementing community power program in Jaffrey, Milford and New Boston, all of which are starting with community power this spring.

Community power is a model that allows municipalities to pool the buying power of residents to negotiate for electricity rates, and often has options for more energy from renewable sources. The problem is that Eversource is the electric utility in Jaffrey, Milford and New Boston, and this month it lowered its electricity rate to less than the rate previously negotiated by the towns’ power broker – to 8.285 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to 10.568 cents.

“Each of these towns submitted a Community Power Aggregation plan to the PUC and each got approval, as required. But each of these plans affirmatively stated that the program would not launch unless it were able to offer customers a rate that is lower than the one available from the local utility,” said Consumer Advocate Donald Kreis in a prepared statement. “No municipality … can guarantee customers will always save money by participating in community power aggregation. But a promise is a promise, especially when the promise has been blessed by the regulator. And it is not fair to raise the price of electricity for thousands of people by more than two cents a kilowatt-hour when that is exactly what you told the PUC you would not do when you launched your aggregation program.”

Kreis has asked the state Department of Energy and PUC to put the program on hold in those three towns and conduct a formal investigation.

Jaffrey Select Board Chair Frank Sterling said the town is aware of the call for the "timeout," but will be moving forward with rolling out its community power program as of March 1. At the time the Jaffrey's contract with Standard Power was negotiated, the Jaffrey Community Power Plan's basic rate was below the Eversource rate, and Sterling said it still remains "competitive," as required by statute.

"I would still encourage residents to enroll," Sterling said.

Jaffrey has an "opt-out" program, so any resident who is currently being serviced by Eversource's basic package is automatically enrolled in the Jaffrey Community Power Green Default package, at a rate of 10.968 cents per kilowatt hour with 34% of electricity from renewable sources. Residents can also choose to enroll in the basic rate for 10.568 cents per kilowatt hour and 24% renewables, the Green 50% package for 11.648 cents per kilowatt hour or the Green 100% for 13.648 cents per kilowatt hour.

Residents can also opt out of the program, either before the rollout or at any time afterwards. Residents who opt our or already receive energy from a third party can also choose to enroll in the program at any time.

No other community faces this problem, either because they are using the Community Power Coalition, which has negotiated a rate slightly lower than Eversource’s, or because their local utility of Liberty or Unitil is selling electricity for more than the rate negotiate d by the private broker.

Ashley Saari of the Monadnock Ledger-Transcript contributed to this story.