In short: Keene has about 23,000 people and sits in Cheshire County. Public Service Co of NH, New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc and Liberty Utilities (Granite State Electri serves different parts of Cheshire County, so your utility depends on your address; their 2024 home averages range from 22.65¢ to 23.83¢ per kWh (EIA). Rooftop solar here makes roughly 1,100 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, which is on the modest side, so price and incentives matter more.
This page covers what is local to Keene: its utility, outage records, sunshine, weather risks and charging. Statewide rules such as net metering, incentives and electrician licensing are in our New Hampshire energy guide and the wider area is covered in the Concord, NH guide.
Keene at a glance
- Place: Keene, Cheshire County, New Hampshire; about 23,036 residents (Census Bureau estimate, July 2024).
- Utility: Public Service Co of NH (investor-owned). Homes paid an average 22.65¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 82 minutes of power on normal days and 786 counting major storms, with 0.7 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Keene).
- Utility: New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc (member-owned cooperative). Homes paid an average 23.83¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 515 minutes of power on normal days and 2,410 counting major storms, with 2.6 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Keene).
- Utility: Liberty Utilities (Granite State Electri (investor-owned). Homes paid an average 22.87¢ per kWh in 2024 (EIA-861); the average customer lost 93 minutes of power on normal days and 370 counting major storms, with 0.8 interruptions a year (utility-wide, not just Keene).
- Sun: 3.78 kWh per square meter per day on average, from 1.41 in December to 5.95 in July (NASA POWER). Our rough estimate: about 1,100 kWh a year per kW of panels.
- Climate: about 330 cooling degree-days and 7,650 heating degree-days a year (base 65°F, NASA POWER), so heating is the big load.
- Top hazards in Cheshire County: lightning “relatively moderate”, ice storms “relatively moderate” and river and heavy-rain flooding “relatively moderate” (FEMA National Risk Index; overall county risk rated “relatively low”).
- Public charging: 9 ports at 6 locations in Keene, 4 of them DC fast (AFDC, October 20, 2026).
Your utility and what it means
Public Service Co of NH is an investor-owned utility and served about 279,131 home customers in 2024; its 22.65¢ average was below the 26.6¢ statewide average for July 2026. New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc is a member-owned cooperative utility and served about 72,772 home customers in 2024; its 23.83¢ average was below the 26.6¢ statewide average for July 2026. Liberty Utilities (Granite State Electri is an investor-owned utility and served about 24,689 home customers in 2024; its 22.87¢ average was below the 26.6¢ statewide average for July 2026. Those are utility-wide averages, not a quote for your address; your own bill is the real number.
For reliability, New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc reported 515 minutes per customer without major storms in 2024, more than the statewide figure of 132 (EIA-861). Utility-wide numbers hide a lot: a home at the end of a long rural line usually has more outages than the average.
Net metering, export rates and incentives are set at state level and by each utility. Start with the New Hampshire guide and then ask your utility for its current interconnection steps before you sign anything.
Backup power in Keene
- Lightning (relatively moderate): Lightning causes short outages and damages electronics. Surge protection and a battery that switches over automatically protect the things you care about.
- Ice storms (relatively moderate): Ice storms bring down lines for days. A standby generator with a transfer switch, or a battery sized for the fridge, furnace blower and well pump, matters more than a small power station.
- Heating load: a winter outage can stop a furnace blower, boiler pump or heat pump. List what your heat needs to run before choosing a generator or battery.
- Short outages: a portable power station covers phones, Wi-Fi, a CPAP and lights; a home battery switches over automatically.
Size your setup with the generator sizing tool and the battery backup calculator, and compare options in backup power. Generator safety (CPSC): outdoors only, at least 20 feet from the house, exhaust away from doors and windows, never in a garage, and battery-powered carbon monoxide alarms inside. A licensed electrician should install any transfer switch, with a permit; see generator installation.
Solar in Keene
By our rough estimate each kW of panels makes about 1,100 kWh a year in Keene (NASA sunshine data times 365 days times 0.80 for system losses). Valued at Public Service Co of NH’s 2024 average of 22.65¢, that is about $249 a year per kW if all of it offsets your own use (an estimate, not a promise). Production swings with the seasons: July is the sunniest month at 5.95 and December the dimmest at 1.41, a 4.2-to-1 gap, so a battery or a bigger system helps in winter.
Check your own roof with the solar potential tool, see solar costs and net metering vs net billing, and read the steps in solar installation.
Batteries and EV charging
A home battery earns its place when outages are frequent, when your utility pays little for exported solar, or when evening prices are high; compare in home batteries and battery costs. Keene has 9 public charging ports in the federal station list including 4 DC fast, but home charging is cheaper and easier: see the EV charging cost calculator and EV charger installation.
Drive on another fuel? See every alternative fuel station in Keene: hydrogen, propane, natural gas, E85 ethanol, biodiesel and renewable diesel.
Permits and inspections
Solar, generator transfer switches and EV chargers normally need an electrical permit from the Keene building or permitting department, or from Cheshire County if you live outside city limits, and often a utility interconnection approval. We have not verified a local permit page for Keene, so check the city and county websites or ask your electrician, who will know the process. Hire only a licensed electrician or installer; the New Hampshire guide lists the state licensing rules.
Nearby guides
More local guides: Concord, NH energy guide and Claremont, or the whole New Hampshire energy guide.
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Keene energy FAQ
Who is my electric company in Keene?
Public Service Co of NH, New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc and Liberty Utilities (Granite State Electri all serve parts of Cheshire County. Which one serves you depends on your street, so check the top of your bill. Their 2024 home price averages differ (Public Service Co of NH 22.65¢, New Hampshire Elec Coop Inc 23.83¢, Liberty Utilities (Granite State Electri 22.87¢) so it matters for solar math.
How much power will solar make in Keene?
About 1,100 kWh a year per kW of panels by our estimate, so a 6 kW system would make roughly 6,600 kWh. Shade, roof direction and tilt change this; run your address through the solar potential tool for a better number.
Will a home battery keep my heat on in an outage?
It can keep a furnace blower, boiler pump or a heat pump running for a while, but long cold outages drain a battery fast without solar to recharge it. Pair it with a generator or wood or propane heat if outages here run for days.
Do I need a permit for solar or a generator in Keene?
Almost always an electrical permit for a transfer switch, solar or an EV charger, issued by the city or county where you live. Your licensed electrician or installer normally pulls it. Never connect a generator to your house wiring without a transfer switch.
Sources: EIA Form 861 (2024) for utility prices and outages; NASA POWER climatology (2001 to 2025) for sun and degree-days; FEMA National Risk Index for county hazards; AFDC station locator for public charging; Census Bureau for population. Estimates are ours and are not promises; see our editorial policy. Prices and programs change, so check each program page.