NH Utilities

NH Utilities

If you don't wish to use or give out your Social Security Number (SSN) there are things you can do. When setting up your utilities you can often have a credit card on file so you don't have to fill out a credit application. They will just charge your card every month or for each delivery. Some companies will let you prepay for fuels to avoid the credit check. Also, some companies will want a deposit if you don't give them The Number.

Don't forget to cancel all of your utilities before you move. I would hate to see someone you don't know enjoying cable, internet and long distance phone calls on your dime. When you schedule the cut-off date get the name of who you spoke with, what time you called and a confirmation number. This will help if there are any problems later. If you have DSL you may need to have it disconnected several days before you can have the phone line disconnected.

When you choose a company as a service provider please keep a few things in mind.

Write down who you spoke with

Note when any equipment will be delivered/hooked up

What the rate/charge will be

Get a copy of the service contract

Find out the total charges for set up, taxes, and if the rate is an introductory rate and how long it is good for.

Get a confirmation number

I found that getting some New Hampshire phone books was useful for gathering information.

Verizon 800-888-8448

The Talking Phone Book 877-703-0402

TDS 888-837-1347

Your local directory 603-298-0566

Collecting them while visiting New Hampshire is probably the best way to get phonebooks.

Heating

Always try to get an idea of the fuel costs for any building before purchase. Request copies of the fuel bills from the owners and if they don’t have such records, request that thay call their fuel supplier and get a statement.

Most homes are heated with oil or propane or use wood. Natural gas isn't very common, but it is available in some areas (major cities like Concord and Manchester, and some smaller towns/cities along the pipeline.) Some few houses use electric heating here, but it is an expensive proposition due to electricity costs, and should generally be avoided unless you plan to replace it with a fuel-based heating source after purchase.

Any fuel-burning appliance should be serviced yearly (with the exception of very few space-heaters that get serviced every two years) by a reputable service company. New Hampshire does not license oil or wood-heating service companies. Gas-heating licenses have recently been created, but reports from those who have taken the training course seem to indicate that it is more of an exercise in memorization than of testing skill. Once you move, ask your neighbors who they rely on and if they are happy with the service they have received - it gives you a convenient excuse to introduce yourself, and while you are there you can ask for any recommendations for electricians, plumbers, auto repair shops, and other skilled tradespersons.

If you will be having major work done, make sure to ask for proof of insurance. Follow-up by calling the insurance company to verify, since a few unscrupulous individuals will obtain insurance coverage, then cancel the day after they receive the certificate. Five hundred thousand dollars is bare-minimum liability insurance, and most reputable companies will have one million. Some companies (particularly those that deal with commercial accounts) may have two million or even more.

Another thing to keep in mind when dealing with skilled trades is that they are often willing to accept barter in exchange for work. I know a plumber who replaced a water heater in a restaurant in exchange for fee meals there. Others may be interested in trading work-for-work, if you have a skill that they need (eg, computer repair, or landscaping). It doesn’t hurt to ask, although the larger companies are less likely to be interested, and the smaller shops are rarely not interested in some level of barter (of course, you might not have anything they want).

- Joe Brown

Phone and Internet

Not all areas of New Hampshire have high speed internet. Some places you can get cable or DSL but not both. Other places satellite or dial up are your only options. You will need to call around to check service.

Most of the internet sites will tell you to call anyway. If you ask around on the forums you can get an idea of what areas have what service.

Not all areas of New Hampshire have high speed internet. Some place you can get cable or DSL but not both. Other places satellite or dial up are your only options. You will need to call around to check service.

Most of the internet sites will tell you to call anyway. If you ask around on the forums you can get an idea of what areas have what service.

Great phone option for Free Staters in New Hampshire

Liberty oriented VoIP service!
newhampshireunderground.com/forum/index.php?topic=6253.0

Porcupine 411
mail.ioerror.us/mailman/listinfo/porcupine-411

"Porc-411" is a New-Hampshire resident only, emergency and community awareness network. Once subscribed, you can call the number and record a message that will immediately be forwarded to the entire network as a WAV-format digital audio file. If you are experiencing an emergency, it is highly recommended that you call and give a brief message detailing who you are, where you are, a way to contact you, and what the emergency is. Then hang up and call back to provide further details. That way if anyone in the network is available and nearby, they can get help to you as early as possible.

Verizon is a major phone and internet provider in New Hampshire

www22.verizon.com

800-870-9999

Monday - Friday 8:00am - 6:00pm EST

TDS is another phone and ISP. If you are in a TDS area, you can not get Verizon, and vice versa.
www.tdstelecom.com
1-888-634-8410

Comcast is in some areas, but not all of New Hampshire.

www.comcast.com

1-800-266-2278

I would go ahead and try to call them. They will bounce you around a bit until you get to someone that handles New Hampshire. You will need to have the full address of your new place to get any real information from them..

Water

You will find that some places have city water and sewer. Most of New Hampshire has well-water and septic systems. If you have never lived with a well and/or septic system, keep in mind that you will have to maintain the systems.

Some good advice about septic systems:

1) Don't talk to anyone in or around the Town Hall about the condition of your septic system.

2) No one can inspect the condition of your septic system without digging up the tank and the leach field.

3) One can replace either the tank or the leach field, and then 2 years later replace the other.

4) The only way to know if your system is not working is that the water stops going down the drains.

a) The vent pipe is plugged. (run a snake down it)

b) The drain pipe is plugged. (run a snake down it)

c) The tank is full. (have a company come out and drain it)

d) The leach field is plugged. (have a company dig up and replace the field)

5) Anything that is put down the drain, will will eventually have to be removed from the tank.

6) Grease clogs up your leach field.

7) Building Inspectors want new buyers to replace their septic systems: Refer to #2.

A State-approved site plan is about $5000.00. Refer to #1.

Even more good advice on septic systems:

If you replace part or even all of an existing system, you don't need any approved design or state permits. Just call it a "repair" and do whatever you want. Gotta love New Hampshire!

Here's a local company that manufactures "innovative septic technology."
http://presbyenvironmental.com/

Leach beds can fail. The ground around them becomes saturated and plugged with black gunk. Then the liquid doesn't percolate out, and the system backs up. This can be caused by improper construction, abuse, or neglect. In a modern system, the tank should be pumped periodically, depending on use, maybe as often as every 5 years or up to 10. If the tank isn't pumped, the "indigestible" solids that are supposed to settle in the tank start going into the leach system and plug it up.

Before about 1967 (give or take a couple years), there were no state subdivision regulations or lot (percolation) testing requirements. Any system built before the regulations were in place is built to whatever design the installer thought was good enough. Some of them are great, and some really suck. I have seen chalets that were built as vacation homes where the entire "septic system" consisted of a "dry well" about the size of a barrel made out of dry-stacked concrete blocks and covered with a scrap of plywood and 6 inches of dirt. And of course even a system installed last week might be a disaster waiting to happen if it was a very poor "repair" job.

One thing a prospective buyer can do is to call around to the local "honey wagon" outfits to see if any of them know anything about the system. They might know at least what kind of tank is in the ground; whether it is concrete, steel, or good old-fashioned railroad ties. They would also know if it had been regularly pumped, and whether it had caused problems in the past.

The bottom line for any home buyer is: Caveat Emptor!

Electricity

New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission handles most of the electricity in New Hampshire.
www.puc.state.nh.us

Here is a list of suppliers that you can also use:
www.powerischoice.com/pages/supplier.html

FAQs about the list from above.
www.powerischoice.com/pages/faqs.html

Alternative energy

Green Buildings Open house
nhsea.org/events.php#gboh

Sunapee SunFest

Holisitic Health & Sustainability

For the Northeast
www.mtnspirit.org/sunfest.html

The New Hampshire Sustainable Energy Association
www.nhsea.org/

Trash

There isn't city trash pickup in most of New Hampshire. I'm not sure if there is any trash pickup run by a local government. You can contract with a company to pickup your trash or you can bring it to your local dump - the local dump is called a "transfer station". You can drop off your garbage and recyclables there. In most places you will need to get a residence sticker from your town clerk to use the transfer station. The town clerk should have information on what you can bring there and when it is open. Check the hours of operation while in the office. The transfer station for the town I live in is only open 3 half days a week. The plus side of the transfer station is that most of the people in town go there, so it is a great place to get petition signatures.