Seacoast Communities Unite to Expand Renewable Energy Use

Five Towns, One Goal: Increase Participation in Clean Energy

For six months, five Seacoast communities came together in a friendly challenge aimed at increasing participation in renewable energy. The Seacoast Energy Challenge, launched in August 2024, encouraged residents and businesses in Dover, Durham, Exeter, Newmarket, and Portsmouth to "opt up" to cleaner energy choices through their local Community Power programs. By the end of the challenge in January 2025, each community had made meaningful strides in supporting a cleaner energy future.

The challenge was designed to increase awareness and participation in renewable energy options by offering residents an opportunity to easily transition to cleaner electricity. Community leaders and volunteers worked together to educate residents on how simple it is to support greener energy through their electricity plans. With New Hampshire’s Community Power programs offering affordable, higher-renewable energy options, this initiative helped more residents make informed decisions about their electricity supply.

A Challenge for a Common Cause

The Seacoast Energy Challenge was not about competition but rather about progress. Community leaders and volunteers worked to educate residents on how simple it is to support cleaner energy through their electricity plans. With New Hampshire’s Community Power programs offering affordable, higher-renewable energy options, this initiative helped more residents make informed decisions about their electricity supply.

Each participating town and city offered three opt-up choices beyond the standard Granite Basic plan:

• Granite Plus: 33% renewable energy

• Clean 50: 50% renewable energy

• Clean 100: 100% renewable energy

By choosing one of these options, participants contributed to the demand for renewable energy certificates (RECs), helping to drive investment in clean energy projects.

Collectively, across all five participating communities, the challenge resulted in more than 100 new opt-ups to cleaner energy options. While individual communities had different outreach strategies and engagement levels, the overall increase in participation highlights the effectiveness of community-driven energy initiatives.

Community Success Stories

Each town approached the challenge in its own way, engaging residents through social media, town events, flyers and direct outreach. The result? A stronger, more connected movement toward sustainability.

Newmarket’s Growth Through Community Engagement

Newmarket saw steady participation growth through targeted social media campaigns and community events. Residents responded well to digital outreach, with many learning about their Community Power options for the first time.

"The Seacoast Challenge was a great learning experience for us," said CPCNH board member and Newmarket Town Councilor Joe Lamattina. "We used multiple outreach methods—Facebook, our town website, flyers, and community events—and found that social media had the biggest impact."

Exeter’s Determined Effort to Educate Residents

Exeter took an education-first approach, ensuring residents understood the difference between being a Community Power customer and actively opting up to a cleaner energy tier. Community meetings and one-on-one discussions played a key role in their strategy.

"The biggest hurdle was getting past the assumption that joining Community Power automatically meant opting up," said Cliff Sinnott, Exeter Energy Committee chair. "While our results were modest, the outreach helped us refine our messaging for the future."

Portsmouth’s Drive to Make Green Energy Easy

Portsmouth focused on accessibility and convenience, reinforcing how easy it is for residents to make a direct impact through simple online choices.

"In the past, choosing greener electricity was complicated—you had to research vendors or install solar panels," said Portsmouth City Councilor John Tabor. "Now, with a few clicks, you can make an immediate impact on your community’s carbon footprint."

Durham’s Commitment to Measurable Impact

Durham’s Climate Action Plan encourages the town to reduce its carbon footprint. For the challenge, town officials focused on using the weekly town newsletter and social media to educate residents on how easily they could subscribe to a greener energy plan with CPCNH, with a relatively small impact on their monthly bill.

"We knew that clear, consistent communication would be key," said Steve Holmgren, CPCNH Board of Directors member and Durham Energy Committee member. "By showing residents exactly how much CO2 they could save at different opt-up levels, we made the environmental impact more tangible and relatable."

To enhance the competitive spirit, a “horse race” bar chart showing the progress of the five towns was updated each month. By the end of the six-month challenge, it was estimated that those residents who opted up to the Clean 50 or Clean 100 plans collectively saved an estimated 80 tons of CO2 compared to staying on the Basic plan.

Dover’s Sustainability Efforts and Future Goals

Dover’s resilience initiatives laid important groundwork for clean energy engagement, offering residents a strong foundation for understanding the long-term benefits of opting up. While the timing of the Seacoast Energy Challenge posed challenges for deeper involvement from Dover’s Energy Commission, the experience has renewed their commitment to ongoing community outreach.

“The Challenge, while a singular event, has inspired us to redouble our efforts to provide a continuous stream of information to our community,” said Bill Baber, CPCNH member and Chair of the Regulatory and Legislative Affairs Committee.

“Our goal is to ensure that no one is unaware of the many options available to save energy, save money, and reduce negative impacts to the environment.”

Looking ahead, Dover’s community leaders remain focused on expanding participation in sustainable energy initiatives and reinforcing awareness of clean electricity choices.

The Final Results

By the end of the challenge, each town had successfully increased participation in greener energy. More importantly, the challenge helped educate residents across the region, demonstrating the collective impact of small individual choices. The Seacoast Energy Challenge highlighted how local collaboration can lead to meaningful environmental progress and greater community engagement in sustainable energy solutions.

Check out some news coverage of the Seacoast Energy Challenge below:

• NHPR: Seacoast communities compete to see who can support the most clean energy

• Seacoastonline: Seacoast Community Power communities launch contest for choosing 'greener' electricity

• City of Portsmouth: Seacoast Communities Launch Green Energy Challenge

• City of Dover: Dover Joins Other Community Power Communities in Green Energy Challenge

📩 For more stories on CPCNH’s successes, visit CPCNH’s news page.