Election 2026: New Hampshire’s Senate contest between Chris Pappas and John Sununu is in the final stretch, with turnout and affordability among the campaign’s central themes. In Sullivan County, House candidates Margaret Drye and Lawrence Schissel also put property taxes at the top of their agendas. Heating Costs: The U.S. Energy Department plans to loan 315,000 barrels from the Northeast heating-oil reserve as fuel prices surge. The reserve serves a region where heating oil is widely used, including New Hampshire. Utility Refunds: About $150 million in refunds to New Hampshire electricity customers remain delayed after regulators ordered transmission owners to repay excess charges. The deadline is now May 20, 2027. Preservation and Jobs: A federal historic-building tax credit program contributed an estimated $36 million to New Hampshire’s economy and supported about 800 jobs in 2025, the National Park Service reports. Grid Resilience: Unitil will use new planning tools to assess risks including extreme winter weather and wildfire as it weighs resilience investments across its New Hampshire and Massachusetts service areas.