Credit NHPUC The state Public Utilities Commission says it needs more time to decide on the future of New Hampshire’s energy efficiency programs, meaning no immediate changes to residents’ utility bills. The PUC has spent the past several months weighing a plan from the state’s electric and gas utilities for how much less energy they aim to sell through efficiency programs from 2021 to 2023. It's designed to save money and decrease carbon emissions, but ratepayers have to cover the up-front cost – less than a dollar per month for average residents, through the System Benefits Charge on utility bills. Stakeholders – including the utilities, community action agencies and environmental groups – agreed to scale back the plan in a settlement earlier this month, after the more ambitious initial plan came under fire from PUC staff, conservative lawmakers and the state Business and Industry Association.