Concord, NH Energy Guide: Solar, Batteries, Backup Power, EV

In short: Unitil serves part of Concord and EIA lists Eversource in the county too, so check which you have. In 2024 Unitil averaged about 23.3¢ per kWh and 593 outage minutes per customer, Eversource 22.7¢ and 786 minutes. Concord Community Power now buys supply for the city, and FEMA rates Merrimack County relatively high for ice storms.

Below: how Concord’s utilities treat solar, batteries and EV charging, how the city’s permit portal works, and how to plan for ice and wind. For statewide rules (NEM 2.0, the plug-in solar law, licensing, incentives), see our New Hampshire energy guide.

Concord at a glance

• Utilities: Unitil serves part of Concord, including Penacook, and parts of nearby towns such as Bow and Hopkinton. EIA also lists Eversource and the NH Electric Co-op in Merrimack County. Check your bill.
• Price, 2024 average: Unitil about 23.3¢ per kWh, Eversource 22.7¢ (EIA-861, revenue divided by sales, homes on the utility’s own supply). Statewide prices rose sharply in 2026; see the state page.
• Outages, 2024: Unitil 593 minutes per customer with major events, 98 without; Eversource 786 and 82 (EIA-861).
• Sun: about 3.71 kWh per square meter per day (NASA POWER, 2001–2020). Our rough estimate: about 1,080 kWh a year per kW of panels.
• Top hazards: FEMA’s National Risk Index (December 2025) rates Merrimack County “relatively high” for ice storms and lightning, and “relatively moderate” for hurricanes, river flooding, strong wind and winter weather.
• Public charging: 25 public ports at 7 locations in Concord (AFDC, October 2026).

Your utility and what it means

Both utilities follow New Hampshire’s NEM 2.0 rule for small solar, so exports earn supply, transmission and a quarter of distribution. The differences are in programs.

• Unitil: New Hampshire homes can choose a whole-house time-of-use rate, an EV time-of-use rate, or both. The EV rate runs through a second meter, which Unitil installs after your electrician adds the meter socket, and carries a small monthly fee. Unitil warns against charging on peak, when the price is above its standard rate. Its Ready2Charge charger rebates are for Massachusetts only. We found no Unitil home battery program for New Hampshire.
• Eversource: its home battery incentive, funded by the state Clean Energy Fund, paid $230 per kWh up to $3,000 in May 2026. It covers listed Enphase or FranklinWH batteries enrolled in three summers of demand response, about 40 events a year from 3 to 8 p.m. Funding is limited. Eversource also has a whole-house Time-of-Day rate.

Concord Community Power: the city runs its own supply program through the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire, and Merrimack County has a county program for towns that opt in. Community power changes the supply price on your bill, while Unitil or Eversource still delivers power, restores outages and approves solar. For solar owners, ask how the program credits exported supply before you sign.

Backup power in Concord

Ice storms and lightning are Merrimack County’s top-rated hazards. Both utilities’ 2024 numbers show the same pattern: short outages on ordinary days, then long ones in big storms. Unitil’s average interruption lasted almost six hours and Eversource’s about eight. In an April 2024 spring nor’easter, Unitil counted more than 35,400 customer outages across its system; by April 6, about 277 customers were still waiting, most of them on the Seacoast.

• Homes with wells or older heating: a generator with a transfer switch handles multi-day outages. See generator installation and the generator sizing tool.
• Quiet, automatic backup: a home battery, ideally paired with solar. Size it with the battery backup calculator.
• Renters and short outages: a portable power station.

Compare options in our backup power guide. Run generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house with the exhaust pointed away, and keep carbon monoxide alarms inside (CPSC).

Solar in Concord

By our rough estimate, a 6 kW system in Concord makes about 6,500 kWh a year, slightly less than in Manchester. Used at home, that would have been worth about $1,520 at Unitil’s 2024 average or $1,470 at Eversource’s, and more at 2026 prices. Exports earn less under NEM 2.0, so size the system to your own use. These are estimates, not quotes.

Check your roof with the solar potential tool and solar savings calculator, then read how solar installation works, what it costs and how net metering works. Ask the city assessor whether Concord offers a solar property tax exemption.

Home batteries in Concord

For Eversource customers, the battery incentive pays a real share of the cost: a 10 kWh battery would earn $2,300 at May 2026 terms. Unitil customers pay full price, so the case rests on backup value and on using stored solar in the evening instead of exporting it. EIA counted 87 Unitil solar homes with a paired battery at the end of 2024. See battery costs and battery installation.

EV charging in Concord

At 30 kWh per 100 miles, home charging costs about $7.00 per 100 miles at Unitil’s 2024 average price, or $6.80 on Eversource (our estimate). Charging off-peak on Unitil’s EV rate lowers that. A Level 2 charger needs a 240-volt circuit and an electrical permit; on Unitil’s EV rate, plan for the extra meter socket too. See EV charger installation and the EV charging cost calculator.

Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Concord: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.

Permits and inspections

• City of Concord: the Building Safety Division of Code Administration issues building and electrical permits and does the inspections. Applications, including residential building and electrical permits, go through the city’s Citizen Self Service (CSS) permit portal.
• Nearby towns: Bow, Hopkinton, Pembroke and other towns issue their own permits.
• Utility approval: Unitil or Eversource must approve a grid-tied solar or battery system before it is switched on.

Use a New Hampshire-licensed electrician (license checks are on the state page), and check HOA or condo rules before you sign.

Cities we cover

• Concord

Get help in Concord

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Concord energy questions

Is my Concord home on Unitil or Eversource?

Check your bill. Unitil says it serves part of Concord, including Penacook, and parts of towns such as Bow, Boscawen and Hopkinton. EIA also lists Eversource and the NH Electric Co-op in Merrimack County. Your utility sets your outage service, your battery options and your EV rate.

Does Unitil have an EV charging rate in New Hampshire?

Yes. New Hampshire homes can take Unitil’s EV time-of-use rate on a separate meter, its whole-house time-of-use rate, or both. Charging at night and on weekends saves the most; Unitil advises never charging on peak.

What is Concord Community Power?

The city’s electricity supply program, run through the Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire. It sets the supply price on your bill, while your utility keeps delivering power and handling outages. Compare its price with your utility’s default supply rate.

How do I get a solar permit in Concord?

Your installer applies for building and electrical permits through the city’s CSS permit portal, and the Building Safety Division inspects the work. Unitil or Eversource must also approve the interconnection before the system is turned on.

Sources

EIA-861, 2024 (price = residential revenue ÷ sales; outages; service territory; net metering); Unitil service area, EV time-of-use and April 6, 2024 storm pages; Eversource New Hampshire home battery incentive page (archived May 2026; the live site blocked our checks); Community Power Coalition of New Hampshire member page; City of Concord Building Safety and permit pages (archived 2026); NASA POWER, 2001–2020; FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025; AFDC station data; CPSC. Read October 2026 unless noted. Estimates are ours and labelled.