Share-Based Payments (Tables)

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Notes To Consolidated Financial Statements [Abstract]

Disclosure of Share-based Compensation Arrangements by Share-based Payment Award [Table Text Block]

			Weighted Average
	RSUs		Grant-Date
	(Units)		Fair Value
Outstanding as of January 1, 2012		959,920	$	26.36
Granted		614,930	$	33.04
Converted NSTAR Awards upon Merger		617,394	$	36.79
Converted from NU Performance Shares upon Merger		451,358	$	34.32
Shares issued		(363,779)	$	29.05
Forfeited		(96,504)	$	34.97
Outstanding as of December 31, 2012		2,183,319	$	31.99
Granted		373,939	$	39.56
Shares issued		(891,129)	$	32.15
Forfeited		(29,689)	$	33.75
Outstanding as of December 31, 2013		1,636,440	$	33.61
Granted		338,576	$	42.27
Shares issued		(567,209)	$	33.48
Forfeited		(27,060)	$	39.62
Outstanding as of December 31, 2014		1,380,747	$	35.67

	Performance		Weighted Average
	Shares		Grant-Date
	(Units)		Fair Value
Outstanding as of January 1, 2012		483,133	$	29.18
Granted		225,935	$	35.09
Converted to RSUs upon Merger		(451,358)	$	34.32
Shares issued		(106,773)	$	24.52
Outstanding as of December 31, 2012		150,937	$	25.04
Granted		191,961	$	40.96
Shares issued		(150,944)	$	25.04
Forfeited		(1,526)	$	40.93
Outstanding as of December 31, 2013		190,428	$	40.96
Granted		193,396	$	43.40
Shares issued		(2,009)	$	41.46
Forfeited		(6,171)	$	42.02
Outstanding as of December 31, 2014		375,644	$	42.20

NU	For the Years Ended December 31,
(Millions of Dollars)	2014		2013		2012 ⁽¹⁾
Compensation Expense	$	24.6	$	27.0	$	25.8
Future Income Tax Benefit		10.3		10.7		10.2

	For the Years Ended December 31,
	2014								2013								2012
			NSTAR								NSTAR								NSTAR
(Millions of Dollars)	CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO		CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO		CL&P		Electric		PSNH		WMECO
Compensation Expense	$	8.1	$	7.4	$	3.0	$	1.3	$	6.8	$	7.5	$	2.3	$	1.3	$	4.8	$	7.4	$	1.8	$	1.0
Future Income Tax Benefit		3.4		3.1		1.3		0.5		2.7		3.0		0.9		0.5		1.9		2.9		0.7		0.4

		Weighted Average		Intrinsic Value
	Options	Exercise Price		(Millions)
Outstanding and Exercisable - January 1, 2012	47,374	$	18.78
Converted NSTAR Options upon Merger	2,664,894	$	23.99
Exercised	(1,166,511)	$	22.53	$	18.7
Outstanding and Exercisable - December 31, 2012	1,545,757	$	24.92
Exercised	(324,382)	$	20.97	$	6.7
Outstanding and Exercisable - December 31, 2013	1,221,375	$	25.97
Exercised	(869,759)	$	25.68	$	16.4
Outstanding and Exercisable - December 31, 2014	351,616	$	26.69	$	9.4

- Definition

Tabular disclosure of components of a stock option or other award plan under which equity-based compensation is awarded to employees, typically comprised of the amount of unearned compensation (deferred compensation cost), compensation expense, and changes in the quantity and fair value of the shares (or other type of equity) granted, exercised, forfeited, and issued and outstanding pertaining to that plan. Disclosure may also include nature and general terms of such arrangements that existed during the period and potential effects of those arrangements on shareholders, effect of compensation cost arising from equity-based payment arrangements on the income statement, method of estimating the fair value of the goods or services received, or the fair value of the equity instruments granted, during the period, cash flow effects resulting from equity-based payment arrangements and, for registrants that accelerate vesting of out of the money share options, reasons for the decision to accelerate.

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