Exhibit 1.1

UIL HOLDINGS CORPORATION

4.625% Notes due 2020

Underwriting Agreement

October 4, 2010

Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated
1585 Broadway
New York, New York 10036

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
383 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10179

Banc of America Securities LLC
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036

As Representatives of the

     several Underwriters listed

     in Schedule 1 hereto

Ladies and Gentlemen:

     UIL Holdings Corporation, a Connecticut corporation (the “Company”), proposes to issue and sell to the several Underwriters listed in Schedule 1 hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you are acting as representatives (the “Representatives”), $450,000,000 principal amount of its 4.625% Notes due 2020 (the “Securities”). The Securities will issued pursuant to an Indenture dated as of October 7, 2010, as supplemented by the first supplemental indenture thereto dated as of October 7, 2010 (collectively, the “Indenture”) between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as Trustee (the “Trustee”).

     The Company has entered into a Purchase Agreement, dated as of May 25, 2010, with Iberdrola USA, Inc. (“Iberdrola”) to acquire Connecticut Energy Corporation (“CEC”), the owner of The Southern Connecticut Gas Company (“SCG”), CTG Resources, Inc. (“CTG”), the owner of Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation (“CNG”) and Berkshire Energy Resources (“BER”), the owner of The Berkshire Gas Company (“Berkshire”, together with CEC, SCG, CTG, CNG and BER, collectively, the “Target Entities”) (the “Acquisition”).

     The Company hereby confirms its agreement with the several Underwriters concerning the purchase and sale of the Securities, as follows:

     1.  Registration Statement . The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Securities Act”), a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-157854), including a prospectus relating to the Securities. Such registration statement, as amended at the time it became effective, including the information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act to be part of the registration statement at the time of its effectiveness (“Rule 430 Information”), is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement”; and as

used herein, the term “Preliminary Prospectus” means each prospectus included in such registration statement (and any amendments thereto), any prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) under the Securities Act and the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time of its effectiveness that omits Rule 430 Information, and the term “Prospectus” means the prospectus in the form first used (or made available upon request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) in connection with confirmation of sales of the Securities. If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the “Rule 462 Registration Statement”), then any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement. Any reference in this Agreement to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Securities Act, as of the effective date of the Registration Statement or the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, and any reference to “amend”, “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any documents filed after such date under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Exchange Act”) that are deemed to be incorporated by reference therein. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.

     At or prior to the Applicable Time (as defined below), the Company had prepared the following information (collectively with the pricing information set forth in the pricing term sheet in Annex C hereto, the “Pricing Disclosure Package”): a Preliminary Prospectus dated October 4, 2010 and each “free-writing prospectus” (as defined pursuant to Rule 405 under the Securities Act) listed on Annex B hereto.

     “Applicable Time” means 4:30 P.M., New York City time, on October 4, 2010.

     2.  Purchase of the Securities by the Underwriters .

     (a) On the basis of the representations and agreements set forth herein, the Company agrees to issue and sell the Securities to the several Underwriters as provided in this Agreement, and each Underwriter, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company the respective principal amount of Securities set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name in Schedule 1 hereto equal to 98.554% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued interest, if any, from October 7, 2010 to the Closing Date (as defined below).

     (b) The Company understands that the Underwriters intend to make a public offering of the Securities as soon after the effectiveness of this Agreement as in the judgment of the Representatives is advisable, and initially to offer the Securities on the terms set forth in the Prospectus. The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters may offer and sell Securities to or through any affiliate of an Underwriter (a “Participating Affiliate”).

     (c) Payment for the Securities shall be made by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the account specified by the Company to the Representatives at the offices of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP at 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on October 7, 2010, or at such other time or place on the same or such other date, not later than the third business day thereafter, as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing. The time and date of such payment for the Securities is referred to herein as the “Closing Date”.

     Payment for the Securities to be purchased on the Closing Date shall be made against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters of the Securities to be purchased on such date with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the sale of such Securities duly paid by the Company. Delivery of one or more global notes representing the Securities (collectively, the “Global Note”) shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct. The Global Note will be made available for inspection and packaging by the Representatives at the office of DTC or its designated custodian not later than 1:00 P.M., New York City time, on the business day prior to the Closing Date.

     (d) The Company acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters are acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Company with respect to the offering of Securities contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of the offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Company or any other person. Additionally, neither the Representatives nor any other Underwriter is advising the Company or any other person as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction. The Company shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and, except as otherwise expressly set forth in this Agreement, the Underwriters shall have no responsibility or liability to the Company with respect thereto. Any review by the Underwriters of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the benefit of the Underwriters and shall not be on behalf of the Company.

     3.  Representations and Warranties of the Company . The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter that:

     (a) Preliminary Prospectus. No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus included in the Pricing Disclosure Package, at the time of filing thereof, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act, and no Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in any Preliminary Prospectus, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof.

     (b) Pricing Disclosure Package . The Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time did not, and as of the Closing Date, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in such Pricing Disclosure Package, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof.

     (c) Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. Other than the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company (including its agents and

representatives, other than the Underwriters in their capacity as such) has not prepared, used, authorized, approved or referred to and will not prepare, use, authorize, approve or refer to any “written communication” (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the Securities (each such communication by the Company or its agents and representatives (other than a communication referred to in clause (i) below) an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”) other than (i) any document not constituting a prospectus pursuant to Section 2(a)(10)(a) of the Securities Act or Rule 134 under the Securities Act or (ii) the documents listed on Annex B hereto, the pricing term sheet set forth in Annex C hereto, each electronic road show and any other written communications approved in writing in advance by the Representatives. Each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus complied in all material respects with the Securities Act, has been or will be (within the time period specified in Rule 433) filed in accordance with the Securities Act (to the extent required thereby) and, when taken together with the Preliminary Prospectus filed prior to the first use of such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, did not, and as of the Closing Date, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Preliminary Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Preliminary Prospectus, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof.

     (d) Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement” as defined under Rule 405 of the Securities Act that has been filed with the Commission not earlier than three years prior to the date hereof; and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of such Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Securities Act has been received by the Company. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued by the Commission, and, to the knowledge of the Company, no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act against the Company or related to the offering of the Securities has been initiated or threatened by the Commission; as of the applicable effective date of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, the Registration Statement and any such post-effective amendment complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”), and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and as of the date of the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto and as of the Closing Date the Prospectus will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation and warranty with respect to (i) that part of the Registration Statement that constitutes the Statement of Eligibility (Form T-1) under the Trust Indenture Act, of the Trustee or (ii) any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 7(b) hereof.

     (e) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package, when they were filed with the Commission conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act. None of the documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package, when they were filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Pricing Disclosure Package, when such documents are filed with the Commission, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

     (f) Financial Statements. The financial statements (including the related notes thereto) of the Company, the Target Entities and their respective consolidated subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company, the Target Entities and their respective consolidated subsidiaries as of the dates indicated and the results of their operations and the changes in their cash flows for the periods specified; such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods covered thereby except as disclosed therein, and any supporting schedules included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement present fairly in all material respects the information required to be stated therein; and the other financial information relating to the Company, the Target Entities and their respective consolidated subsidiaries included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus has been derived from the accounting records of the Company, the Target Entities and their respective consolidated subsidiaries and presents fairly in all material respects the information shown thereby; and the pro forma financial information and the related notes thereto included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus have been prepared in accordance with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable.

     (g) No Material Adverse Change. Since the date of the most recent financial statements of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (i) there has not been any change in the capital stock (other than (A) the issuance of shares of common stock upon exercise of stock options and warrants and vesting under performance shares and restricted stock awards, in each case as described in such filings, (B) the grant of options and awards under existing equity incentive plans described in, the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package and (C) the public offering of 20,355,000 shares of common stock), any material change in the short-term debt or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any dividend or distribution of any kind declared, set aside for payment, paid or made by the Company on any class of capital stock (other than as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package), or any material adverse change, or any development that would reasonably be expected to involve a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole; (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has entered into any transaction or agreement (whether or not in the ordinary

course of business) that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and (iii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has sustained any loss or interference with its business that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole and that is either from fire, explosion, flood or other calamity, whether or not covered by insurance, or from any labor disturbance or dispute or any action, order or decree of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority; except in each case of clause (i), (ii) and (iii) above as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package.

     (h) Organization and Good Standing. The Company and each of its subsidiaries have been duly organized and are validly existing and are authorized to transact business under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization, are duly qualified to do business and are in good standing in each jurisdiction in which their respective ownership or lease of property or the conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification, and have all power and authority necessary to own or hold their respective properties and to conduct the businesses in which they are engaged, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing or have such power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the business, properties, management, financial position, stockholders’ equity, results of operations or prospects of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole or on the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement (a “Material Adverse Effect”). The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity other than the subsidiaries listed in the exhibit incorporated by reference in Exhibit 21.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2009.

     (i) Capitalization. The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Capitalization”; all the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and are not subject to any pre-emptive or similar rights; except (i) as described in or expressly contemplated by the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, or (ii) any shares or awards, including the settlement of such awards in common stock, pursuant to any stock incentive plan, deferred compensation plan or employee stock purchase plan of the Company disclosed in the Registration Statement, there are no outstanding rights (including, without limitation, pre-emptive rights), warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, any shares of capital stock or other equity interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any contract, commitment, agreement, understanding or arrangement of any kind relating to the issuance of any capital stock of the Company or any such subsidiary, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or any such rights, warrants or options; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and all the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each subsidiary owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any lien, charge, encumbrance, security interest, restriction on voting or transfer or any other claim of any third party.

     (j) Stock Options. With respect to the stock options (the “Stock Options”) granted pursuant to the stock-based compensation plans of the Company and its subsidiaries described in the Registration Statement (the “Company Stock Plans”), (i) each Stock Option intended to

qualify as an “incentive stock option” under Section 422 of the Code so qualifies, (ii) each grant of a Stock Option was duly authorized no later than the date on which the grant of such Stock Option was by its terms to be effective (the “Grant Date”) by all necessary corporate action, including, as applicable, approval by the board of directors of the Company (or a duly constituted and authorized committee thereof) and any required stockholder approval by the necessary number of votes or written consents, and the award agreement governing such grant (if any) was duly executed and delivered by each party thereto, (iii) each such grant was made in all material respects in accordance with the terms of the Company Stock Plans, the Exchange Act and all other applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements, including the rules of the New York Stock Exchange and any other exchange on which Company securities are traded, and (iv) each such grant was properly accounted for in accordance with GAAP in the financial statements (including the related notes) of the Company and disclosed in the Company’s filings with the Commission in accordance with the Exchange Act and all other applicable laws. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no policy or practice of the Company of granting, Stock Options immediately prior to, or otherwise coordinating the grant of Stock Options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or its subsidiaries or their results of operations or prospects.

     (k) Due Authorization. The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, the Securities and the Indenture and to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of this Agreement, the Securities and the Indenture and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby and thereby has been duly and validly taken.

     (l) Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

     (m) The Indenture . The Indenture has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by, and is a valid and binding agreement of, the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and equitable principles of general applicability, and the Indenture conforms, in all material respects, to the description thereof contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

     (n) The Securities . The Securities have been duly authorized and, when executed and authenticated in accordance with the provisions of the Indenture and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriters in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and equitable principles of general applicability, and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture, and the Securities will conform, in all material respects, to the description thereof contained in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

     (o) No Violation or Default. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter or bylaws or similar organizational documents; (ii) in default, and no event has occurred that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would constitute such a default, in the due performance or observance of any term, covenant or condition contained in any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of

the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject; or (iii) except as described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, in violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) above, for any such default or violation that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (p) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the Indenture, the Securities and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or bylaws or similar organizational documents of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (iii) result in the violation by the Company and its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any other person, of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, except, (x) in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for any such conflict, breach, violation or default that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect and (y) in the case of clause (iii) above, for any such violation that may arise as a result of the legal or regulatory status of any person (other than the Company) or because of other facts specifically pertaining to such person.

     (q) No Consents Required. No consent, approval, authorization, order, license, registration or qualification of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority is required of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or, to the knowledge of the Company, any other party, for the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the Indenture, the Securities and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and the Indenture, except (i) such as have been obtained or made, (ii) for the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act, (iii) under the Trust Indenture Act, (iv) under applicable state securities laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters, or (v) as may be applicable as a result of the legal or regulatory status of any person (other than the Company) or because of other facts specifically pertaining to such person.

     (r) Legal Proceedings. Except as described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, there are no legal, governmental or regulatory actions, suits or proceedings or, to the knowledge of the Company, investigations pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or, to the knowledge of the Company, may reasonably be expected to be a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is, or, to the knowledge of the Company, may reasonably be expected to be the subject that are reasonably likely to be determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries and, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; no such investigations, actions, suits or proceedings are threatened or, to the knowledge of the Company, contemplated by any governmental or regulatory authority or threatened by others; and (i) there are no current or pending legal, governmental or regulatory actions, suits or proceedings that are required under the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package

that are not so described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package and (ii) there are no statutes, regulations or contracts or other documents that are required under the Securities Act to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package that are not so filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package.

     (s) Independent Accountants . PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, which has certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.

     (t) Title to Real and Personal Property . The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to, or have valid and marketable rights to lease or otherwise use, all items of real and personal property and assets that are material to the respective businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, in each case free and clear of all liens, encumbrances, claims and defects and imperfections of title except those that (i) do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and its subsidiaries or (ii) could not reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (u) Title to Intellectual Property . The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess adequate rights to use all material patents, patent applications, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trademark registrations, service mark registrations, copyrights, licenses and know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures) necessary for the conduct of their respective businesses as currently conducted and as proposed to be conducted, except where the failure to possess the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and, to the knowledge of the Company, the conduct of their respective businesses will not conflict in any material respect with any such rights of others. The Company and its subsidiaries have not received any notice of any claim of infringement, misappropriation or conflict with any such rights of others in connection with its patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, trademarks, service marks, trade names, copyrights and know-how, which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

     (v) No Undisclosed Relationships . No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, shareholders, customers or suppliers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other, that is required by the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and that is not so described in such documents or in the Pricing Disclosure Package.

     (w) Investment Company Act . The Company is not and, after giving effect to the offering and sale of the Securities and the application of the proceeds thereof as described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, will not be required to register as an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the “Investment Company Act”).

     (x) Taxes. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed, directly or indirectly as part of a consolidated or unitary group, all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns that have been

required to be filed through the date hereof and have paid all taxes indicated by such returns and all assessments received by them to the extent that such taxes have become due, except in each case as described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, where the failure to pay or file would not be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and the Company does not know or have reason to know of any actual or proposed tax assessments that would, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (y) Licenses and Permits. Except as described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Company and its subsidiaries possess all licenses, certificates, permits and other authorizations issued by, and have made all declarations and filings with, the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign governmental or regulatory authorities that are necessary for the ownership or lease of their respective properties or the conduct of their respective businesses as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except where the failure to possess or make the same would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and except as described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received notice of any revocation or modification of any such license, certificate, permit or authorization that would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (z) No Labor Disputes. No labor disturbance by or dispute with employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is contemplated or threatened, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by, or dispute with, the employees of any of its or its subsidiaries’ principal suppliers, contractors or customers, except in each case as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (aa) Compliance with and Liability under Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries (A) are, and to the knowledge of the Company at all prior times were, in compliance with any and all applicable federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules, regulations, requirements, decisions, judgments, decrees, orders and the common law relating to pollution or the protection of the environment, natural resources or human health or safety, including those relating to the generation, storage, treatment, use, handling, transportation, Release (as defined below) or threat of Release of Hazardous Materials (as defined below) (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) have received and are in compliance with all permits, licenses, certificates or other authorizations or approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses, (C) have not received notice of any actual or potential liability under or relating to, or actual or potential violation of, any Environmental Laws, including for the investigation or remediation of any Release or threat of Release of Hazardous Materials, and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in any such notice, other than with respect to such notices as have been fully resolved and for which no costs, obligations or damages remain, (D) are not conducting or paying for, in whole or in part, any investigation, remediation or other corrective action pursuant to any Environmental Law at any location, and (E) are not a party to any order, decree or agreement that imposes any obligation or liability under any Environmental Law, and (ii) there are no costs or liabilities associated with Environmental Laws of or relating to the Company or its subsidiaries, except in the case of each of (i) and (ii) above, for any such matter, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect; and (iii) (A) there are no proceedings that are pending, or to the Company’s knowledge, threatened or contemplated, against the Company or any of its

subsidiaries under any Environmental Laws in which a governmental entity is also a party, other than such proceedings that the Company reasonably believes will not result in monetary sanctions, exclusive of any interest and costs, of $100,000 or more, (B) the Company and its subsidiaries are not aware of any facts or issues regarding compliance with Environmental Laws that could reasonably be expected to have a material effect on the capital expenditures, earnings or competitive position of the Company and its subsidiaries, and (C) none of the Company and its subsidiaries anticipates material capital expenditures relating to any Environmental Laws.

     (bb) Hazardous Materials . Except as described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, there has been no storage, generation, transportation, use, handling, treatment, Release or threat of Release of Hazardous Materials by, relating to or caused by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (or, to the knowledge of the Company and its subsidiaries, any other entity (including any predecessor) for whose acts or omissions the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or could reasonably be expected to be liable) at, on, under or from any property or facility now or previously owned, operated or leased by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or at, on, under or from any other property or facility, in violation of any Environmental Laws or in a manner or amount or to a location that could reasonably be expected to result in any liability under any Environmental Law; except for any violation or liability which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. “Hazardous Materials” means any material, chemical, substance ,waste, pollutant, contaminant, compound, mixture, or constituent thereof, in any form or amount, including petroleum (including crude oil or any fraction thereof) and petroleum products, natural gas liquids, asbestos and asbestos containing materials, naturally occurring radioactive materials, brine, and drilling mud, regulated or which can give rise to liability under any Environmental Law. “Release” means any spilling, leaking, seepage, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, discharging, injecting, escaping, leaching, dumping, disposing, depositing, dispersing, or migrating in, into or through the environment, or in, into from or through any building or structure.

     (cc) Compliance with ERISA. Except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, (i) each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), that is sponsored by the Company or any member of its “Controlled Group” as (defined in Section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)) (each, a “Plan”) is in compliance with all presently applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code; (ii) no Plan has engaged in a non-exempt and uncorrected prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code; (iii) for each Plan that is subject to the funding rules of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, the minimum funding standard applicable to such Plan for 2008 (the most recent year for purposes of this clause (iii)), has been satisfied (without taking into account any waiver thereof or extension of any amortization period) and is reasonably expected by the Company to be satisfied in the future (without taking into account any waiver thereof or extension of any amortization period); (iv) the fair market value of the assets of each Plan which is subject to Title IV of ERISA exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan); (v) no Plan subject to Title IV of ERISA has experienced or is reasonably expected to experience a “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA and the regulations thereunder) for which the 30 day notice requirement has not been waived that either has resulted, or could reasonably be expected to result, in material liability to the Company or its subsidiaries under Title IV of ERISA; (vi) neither the Company nor any member of the Controlled Group has incurred, nor reasonably expects to incur, any liability under

Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, in the ordinary course and without default) with respect to a Plan (including a “multiemployer plan”, within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA); and (vii) to the knowledge of the Company, there is no pending audit or investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Department of Labor, or the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation with respect to any Plan. Except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, none of the following events has occurred or is reasonably likely to occur: (x) a material increase in the aggregate amount of contributions required to be made to all Plans by the Company or its subsidiaries in the current fiscal year of the Company and its subsidiaries compared to the amount of such contributions made in the Company and its subsidiaries’ most recently completed fiscal year; or (y) a material increase in the Company and its subsidiaries’ “accumulated post-retirement benefit obligations” (within the meaning of Accounting Standard Codification 715) in the current fiscal year compared to the amount of such obligations in the Company and its subsidiaries’ most recently completed fiscal year.

     (dd) Disclosure Controls . The Company and its subsidiaries maintain an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that complies with the requirements of the Exchange Act and that has been designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company and its subsidiaries have carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of their disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act.

     (ee) Accounting Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain systems of “internal control over financial reporting” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that comply with the requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, their respective principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, including, but not limited to, internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, there are no material weaknesses in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. The Company’s auditors and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company have been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which have adversely affected or are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

     (ff) Insurance. Except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or as disclosed in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, (i) the Company and its subsidiaries have insurance covering their respective properties, operations, personnel and businesses, including business interruption insurance, which insurance is in amounts and insures against such losses and risks as are adequate to protect the Company and its subsidiaries and their respective businesses, and (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries (A) has received notice from any insurer or agent of such insurer that capital improvements or other expenditures are required or necessary to be made in order to continue such insurance or (B) believes that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage in amounts and against such losses and risks as are adequate to protect the Company and its subsidiaries and their respective businesses as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage at reasonable cost from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business.

     (gg) No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, or employee, agent or representative of the Company or of any of its subsidiaries, has taken any action in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization or approval of the payment or giving of money, property, gifts or anything else of value, directly or indirectly, to any “government official” (including any officer or employee of a government or government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office) to unlawfully influence official action; and the Company and its subsidiaries have conducted their businesses in compliance with applicable anti-corruption laws and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to promote and achieve compliance with such laws..

     (hh) Compliance with Money Laundering Laws . The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.

     (ii) Compliance with OFAC. The Company (i) represents that neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor to the Company’s knowledge, any director, officer, or employee thereof, nor, any agent, affiliate or representative of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, is an individual or entity (“Person”) that is, or is owned or controlled by a Person that is: (A) the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor (B) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Burma/Myanmar, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria); (ii) represents and covenants that it will not, directly or indirectly, use the proceeds of the offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other Person: (A) to fund or facilitate any activities or business of or with any Person or in any country or territory that, at

the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject of Sanctions; or (B) in any other manner that will result in a violation of Sanctions by any Person; and (iii) represents and covenants that for the past 5 years, it and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any Person, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject of Sanctions.

     (jj) No Restrictions on Subsidiaries . No subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or other instrument to which it is a party or is subject, from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiary’s capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiary’s properties or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company.

     (kk) No Broker’s Fees. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finder’s fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities.

     (ll) No Stabilization. The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities.

     (mm) Margin Rules . The application of the proceeds received by the Company from the issuance, sale and delivery of the Securities as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will not violate Regulation T, U or X of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or any other regulation of such Board of Governors.

     (nn) Forward-Looking Statements. The Company has no knowledge that any forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, at the time it was made or upon any reaffirmation thereof by the Company was false or misleading.

     (oo) Statistical and Market Data. Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus is not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.

     (pp) Sarbanes-Oxley Act . There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

     (qq) Status under the Securities Act . At the time of filing the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or any offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the

Securities Act) of the Securities and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer,” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act. At the time of filing of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, the Company was a well-known seasoned issuer as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.

     (rr) DPUC. This Agreement, the transactions contemplated hereunder and the issuance of Securities hereunder will not violate any laws, rules or regulation of the Connecticut Department of Public Utility Control (the “DPUC”). No approval from the DPUC is necessary for the issuance of Securities hereunder.

     (ss) Public Utility Holding Company Act. The Company is a “holding company” under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005 (“PUHCA 2005”) but has received a waiver of the accounting, reporting and record retention requirements of PUHCA 2005 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s implementing regulations; such waiver is in full force and effect and the Company is in compliance with the waiver.

     4.  Further Agreements of the Company . The Company covenants and agrees with each Underwriter that:

     (a) Required Filings. The Company will file the final Prospectus with the Commission within the time periods specified by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act, will file any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (including the term sheet in the form provided for in Annex C hereto) to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act; will file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and during the Prospectus Delivery Period (as defined below); and will furnish copies of the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (to the extent not previously delivered) to the Underwriters in New York City prior to 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on or prior to the second business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement in such quantities as the Representatives may reasonably request. The Company will pay the registration fee for this offering within the time period required by Rule 456(b)(1) under the Securities Act (without giving effect to the proviso therein) and in any event prior to the Closing Date.

     (b) Delivery of Copies. The Company will deliver, without charge, (i) to the Representatives, a photocopy of the signed Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto, in each case including all exhibits and consents filed therewith; and (ii) to each Underwriter (A) a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (without exhibits) and (B) during the Prospectus Delivery Period (as defined below), as many copies of the Prospectus (including all amendments and supplements thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus) as the Representatives may reasonably request. As used herein, the term “Prospectus Delivery Period” means such period of time after the first date of the public offering of the Securities as in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters a prospectus relating to the Securities is required by law to be delivered (or required to be delivered but for Rule 172 under the Securities Act) in connection with sales of the Securities by any Underwriter or dealer.

     (c) Amendments or Supplements, Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. Before preparing, using, authorizing, approving, referring to or filing any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and before filing any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus,

the Company will furnish to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters a copy of the proposed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, amendment or supplement for review and will not prepare, use, authorize, approve, refer to or file any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably objects.

     (d) Notice to the Representatives. The Company will advise the Representatives promptly, and confirm such advice in writing, (i) when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective; (ii) when any supplement to the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any amendment to the Prospectus has been filed; (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or the receipt of any comments from the Commission relating to the Registration Statement or any other request by the Commission for any additional information; (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act; (v) of the occurrence of any event within the Prospectus Delivery Period as a result of which the Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package or any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading; (vi) of the receipt by the Company of any notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Securities Act; and (vii) of the receipt by the Company of any notice with respect to any suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; and the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or suspending any such qualification of the Securities and, if any such order is issued, will use its reasonable best efforts to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.

     (e) Ongoing Compliance. (1) If during the Prospectus Delivery Period (i) any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with law, the Company will immediately notify the Underwriters thereof and promptly prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission and furnish to the Underwriters and to such dealers as the Representatives may designate such amendments or supplements to the Prospectus as may be necessary so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus will comply with law and (2) if at any time prior to the Closing Date (i) any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Pricing Disclosure Package as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Pricing Disclosure Package is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Pricing Disclosure Package to comply with law, the Company will immediately notify the Underwriters thereof and promptly

prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission (to the extent required) and furnish to the Underwriters and to such dealers as the Representatives may designate such amendments or supplements to the Pricing Disclosure Package as may be necessary so that the statements in the Pricing Disclosure Package as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Pricing Disclosure Package is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Pricing Disclosure Package will comply with law.

     (f) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will qualify the Securities for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives shall reasonably request and will continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for distribution of the Securities; provided that the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation or other entity or as a dealer in securities in any such jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (ii) file any general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject.

     (g) Earning Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders and the Representatives as soon as practicable an earning statement that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 of the Commission promulgated thereunder covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the “effective date” (as defined in Rule 158) of the Registration Statement; provided, however, that (1) such delivery requirements to the Company’s security holders shall be deemed met by the Company’s compliance with its reporting requirements pursuant to the Exchange Act if such compliance satisfies the conditions of Rule 158 and (2) such delivery requirements to the Representatives shall be deemed met by the Company if the related reports are available on the Commission’s Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”).

     (h) Clear Market. During the period beginning on the date hereof and continuing to and including the Closing Date, the Company will not offer, sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of any debt securities of the Company or warrants to purchase or otherwise acquire debt securities of the Company substantially similar to the Securities (other than (i) the Securities, (ii) commercial paper issued in the ordinary course of business or (iii) securities or warrants permitted with the prior written consent of the Representatives).

     (i) Use of Proceeds. The Company will apply the net proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Use of proceeds”. Pending use of the proceeds of the offering to fund the Acquisition or for general corporate purposes, the Company will invest such proceeds in U.S. government securities or cash equivalents to the extent necessary in order that the ratio of: (i) securities held by the Company other than U.S. government securities and cash equivalents; to (ii) total consolidated assets of the Company excluding U.S. government securities and cash equivalents; at no time exceeds 45 percent.

     (j) No Stabilization. The Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Securities.

     (k) Reports. During the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on the later of (i) the date that is two years following the Closing Date or (ii) the end of the Prospectus Delivery Period, the Company will furnish to the Representatives, as soon as they are available,

copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to holders of shares of common stock, and copies of any reports and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission pursuant to Section 13, 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or any national securities exchange or automatic quotation system; provided the Company will be deemed to have furnished such reports and financial statements to the Representatives to the extent they are filed on the Commission’s EDGAR system.

     (l) Record Retention . The Company will, pursuant to reasonable procedures developed in good faith, retain copies of each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 433 under the Securities Act.

     (m) DPUC Requirements. The Company will timely comply with any requirements set forth by the DPUC to be satisfied by the Company after the date of this Agreement.

     5.  Certain Agreements of the Underwriters . Each Underwriter hereby represents and agrees that:

     (a) Neither it nor any Participating Affiliate has used, authorized use of, referred to or participated in the planning for use of, and such Underwriter will not (and will cause any Participating Affiliate of it not to) use, authorize use of, refer to or participate in the planning for use of, any “free writing prospectus”, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act (which term includes use of any written information furnished to the Commission by the Company and not incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and any press release issued by the Company) other than (i) a free writing prospectus that contains no “issuer information” (as defined in Rule 433(h)(2) under the Securities Act) that was not included (including through incorporation by reference) in the Preliminary Prospectus or a previously filed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, (ii) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Annex B or prepared pursuant to Section 3(c) or Section 4(c) above (including any electronic road show), or (iii) any free writing prospectus prepared by such underwriter and approved by the Company in advance in writing (each such free writing prospectus referred to in clauses (i) or (iii), an “Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Underwriters may use a term sheet substantially in the form provided for in Annex C hereto without the consent of the Company.

     (b) Neither it nor any Participating Affiliate of it is subject to any pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act with respect to the offering (and will promptly notify the Company if any such proceeding against it or any Participating Affiliate is initiated during the Prospectus Delivery Period).

     6.  Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligation of each Underwriter to purchase the Securities on the Closing Date as provided herein is subject to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:

     (a) Registration Compliance; No Stop Order. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose, pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission; the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission under the Securities Act (in the case of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act) and in

accordance with Section 4(a) hereof; and all requests by the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Representatives.

     (b) Representations and Warranties. The representations and warranties of the Company contained herein shall be true and correct on the date hereof and on and as of the Closing Date and the statements of the Company and its officers made in any certificates delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall be true and correct on and as of the Closing Date.

     (c) No Downgrade. Subsequent to the earlier of (A) the Applicable Time and (B) the execution and delivery of this Agreement, if there are any debt securities or preferred stock of, or guaranteed by, the Company or any of its subsidiaries that are rated by a “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as such term is defined by the Commission for purposes of Rule 436(g)(2) under the Securities Act, (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded the Securities or any other debt securities or preferred stock and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, or has changed its outlook with respect to, its rating of the Securities or of any other debt securities or preferred stock (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading).

     (d) No Material Adverse Change. No event or condition of a type described in Section 3(g) hereof shall have occurred or shall exist, which event or condition is not described in the Pricing Disclosure Package (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the Prospectus (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the effect of which in the reasonable judgment of the Representatives makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities on the Closing Date and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

     (e) Officer’s Certificate. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date a certificate of the chief financial officer or chief accounting officer of the Company and one additional senior executive officer of the Company who is reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives (i) confirming that such officers have carefully reviewed the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and, to the knowledge of such officers, the representations set forth in Sections 3(b) and 3(d) hereof are true and correct, (ii) confirming that, to the knowledge of such officers, the other representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct and that the Company has complied with all of its agreements hereunder and to be performed prior to or at such time and satisfied all conditions on its part to be satisfied hereunder prior to or at such time, in each case at or prior to the Closing Date and (iii) to the knowledge of such officers, to the effect set forth in paragraphs (a), (c) and (d) above.

     (f) Comfort Letters for the Company. On the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP shall have furnished to the Representatives, at the request of the Company, letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; provided, that the letter delivered on the Closing Date shall use a “cut-off” date no more than three business days prior to such Closing Date.

     (g) Comfort Letters for Target Entities. On the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP shall have furnished to the Representatives, at the request of Target Entities, letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; provided, that the letter delivered on the Closing Date shall use a “cut-off” date no more than three business days prior to such Closing Date.

     (h) Officers’ Certificate of Iberdrola . The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Applicable Time and the Closing Date, a certificate of the chief financial officer and controller of Iberdrola in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives.

     (i) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Company. Each of Wiggin and Dana LLP, counsel for the Company, and Linda L. Randell, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Company, shall have furnished to the Representatives, at the request of the Company, their written opinion and, in the case of Wiggin and Dana LLP, their 10b-5 statement, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Underwriters, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives, to the effect set forth in Annexes A-1 and A-2 hereto.

     (j) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Underwriters. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date an opinion and 10b-5 statement of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, with respect to such matters as the Representatives may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such documents and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.

     (k) No Legal Impediment to Issuance. No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authority that would, as of the Closing Date prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities; and no injunction or order of any federal, state or foreign court shall have been issued that would, as of the Closing Date prevent the issuance or sale of the Securities.

     (l) Good Standing . The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date satisfactory evidence of the existence of the Company in the State of Connecticut and its subsidiaries in their respective jurisdictions of organization and their good standing as foreign entities in such other jurisdictions as the Representatives may reasonably request, in each case in writing or any standard form of telecommunication from the appropriate governmental authorities of such jurisdictions.

     (m) Additional Documents. On or prior to the Closing Date the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives such further certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably request.

     All opinions, letters, certificates and evidence mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters.

     7.  Indemnification and Contribution .

     (a)  Indemnification of the Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred), joint or several, that arise out of, or are based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, not misleading, (ii) or any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act or any Pricing Disclosure Package (including any Pricing Disclosure Package that has subsequently been amended), or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in subsection (b) below.

     (b)  Indemnification of the Company. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with respect to any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (including, without limitation, legal fees and other expenses incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred) that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Pricing Disclosure Package, it being understood and agreed upon that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following information in the Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: (i) the name of each Underwriter on the front cover of the Prospectus, (ii) the names and corresponding principal amount of Securities set forth in the table of Underwriters under the section captioned “Underwriting” in the Prospectus and (iii) in the section captioned “Underwriting” in the Prospectus, the information set forth in (A) the third paragraph concerning the terms of the offering, (B) the third and fourth sentences of the seventh paragraph and (C) the eighth paragraph.

     (c)  Notice and Procedures. If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against any person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to either paragraph (a) or (b) above, such person (the “Indemnified Person”) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the “Indemnifying Person”) in writing; provided that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under paragraph (a) or (b) above except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided , further , that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability

that it may have to an Indemnified Person otherwise than under paragraph (a) or (b) above. If any such proceeding shall be brought or asserted against an Indemnified Person and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Person thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person (who shall not, without the consent of the Indemnified Person, be counsel to the Indemnifying Person) to represent the Indemnified Person in such proceeding and shall pay the fees and expenses of such counsel related to such proceeding, as incurred. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless (i) the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; (ii) the Indemnifying Person has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person; (iii) the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different from or in addition to those available to the Indemnifying Person; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interest between them. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Person shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceedings in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Indemnified Persons, and that all such fees and expenses shall be paid or reimbursed as they are incurred. Any such separate firm for any Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers and any control persons of such Underwriter shall be designated in writing by the Representatives and any such separate firm for the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and any control persons of the Company shall be designated in writing by the Company. The Indemnifying Person shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent or if there be a final judgment for the plaintiff, the Indemnifying Person agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement or judgment. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an Indemnified Person shall have requested that an Indemnifying Person reimburse the Indemnified Person for fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by this paragraph, the Indemnifying Person shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 60 days after receipt by the Indemnifying Person of such request, (ii) the Indemnifying Person shall not have reimbursed the Indemnified Person in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement and (iii) such Indemnified Party shall have given such Indemnifying Party at least 30 days’ prior notice of its intention to settle. No Indemnifying Person shall, without the written consent of the Indemnified Person, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnification could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person, from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (y) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Person.

     (d)  Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in paragraphs (a) and (b) above is unavailable to an Indemnified Person or insufficient in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities referred to therein, then each Indemnifying Person under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (i) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, from the offering of the Securities or (ii) if the allocation provided by clause (i) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (i) but also the relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, in connection with the statements or omissions that resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities,

as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the net proceeds (before deducting expenses, but after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions) received by the Company from the sale of the Securities and the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters in connection therewith, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate offering price of the Securities. The relative fault of the Company, on the one hand, and the Underwriters on the other, shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

     (e)  Limitation on Liability. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 7 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in paragraph (d) above. The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Person as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in paragraph (d) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such Indemnified Person in connection with any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 7, in no event shall an Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter with respect to the offering of the Securities exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 7 are several in proportion to their respective purchase obligations hereunder and not joint.

     (f)  Non-Exclusive Remedies. The remedies provided for in this Section 7 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity.

     8.  Effectiveness of Agreement . This Agreement shall become effective upon the execution and delivery hereof by the parties hereto.

     9.  Termination . This Agreement may be terminated in the absolute discretion of the Representatives, by notice to the Company, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on or by any of the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Stock Market; (ii) trading of any securities issued or guaranteed by the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or New York State authorities; or (iv) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis, either within or outside the United States, and the effect of such outbreak, escalation, change, calamity or crisis on the financial markets of the United States, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities on the Closing Date on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

     10.  Defaulting Underwriter .

     (a) If, on the Closing Date, any Underwriter defaults on its obligation to purchase the Securities that it has agreed to purchase hereunder, the non-defaulting Underwriters may in their discretion arrange for the purchase of such Securities by other persons satisfactory to the Company on the terms contained in this Agreement. If, within 36 hours after any such default by any Underwriter, the non-defaulting Underwriters do not arrange for the purchase of such Securities, then the Company shall be entitled but not obligated to, for a further period of 36 hours, seek to procure other persons satisfactory to the non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase such Securities on such terms. If other persons become obligated or agree to purchase the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter, either the non-defaulting Underwriters or the Company may postpone the Closing Date for up to five full business days in order to effect any changes that in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Underwriters may be necessary in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in any other document or arrangement, and the Company agrees to promptly prepare any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus that effects any such changes. As used in this Agreement, the term “Underwriter” includes, for all purposes of this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires, any person not listed in Schedule 1 hereto that, pursuant to this Section 10, purchases Securities that a defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase.

     (b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters or the Company as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate principal amount of such Securities that remains unpurchased on the Closing Date does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate principal amount of all the Securities to be purchased, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the principal amount of Securities that such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder on such date plus such Underwriter’s pro rata share (based on the principal amount of Securities that such Underwriter agreed to purchase) of the Securities of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made.

     (c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters and, if undertaken by the Company, the Company as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate principal amount of such Securities that remain unpurchased exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate principal amount of Securities to be purchased, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in paragraph (b) above, then this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of the non-defaulting Underwriters. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 10 shall be without liability on the part of the Company, except that the Company will continue to be liable for the payment of expenses as set forth in Section 11 hereof and except that the provisions of Section 7 hereof shall not terminate and shall remain in effect.

     (d) Nothing contained herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of any liability it may have to the Company or any non-defaulting Underwriter for damages caused by its default.

     11.  Payment of Expenses .

     (a) Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay or cause to be paid all costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including without limitation, (i) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale, preparation and delivery of the Securities, including any documentary or stamp taxes arising in connection with the original issuance and sale of the Securities; (ii) the costs incident to the

preparation, printing and filing under the Securities Act of the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including all exhibits, amendments and supplements thereto) and the distribution thereof; (iii) the fees and expenses of the Company’s counsel and independent accountants; (iv) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the registration or qualification of the Securities under the state or foreign securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate (subject to Section 4(f)) and the preparation, printing and distribution of a Blue Sky Memorandum (including the related reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters with respect thereto); (v) any fees charged by rating agencies for rating the Securities; (vi) the fees and expenses of the Trustee and any paying agent (including related fees and expenses of any counsel to such parties); (vii) all expenses and application fees incurred in connection with any filing with, and clearance of the offering by, FINRA; and (viii) all expenses incurred by the Company in connection with any “road show” presentation to potential investors. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is understood and agreed that, except as expressly provided in Sections 7 and 11(b), the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including without limitation, fees and disbursements of their own counsel (other than for blue sky and FINRA matters provided in this Section 11(a)), transfer taxes on the resale by them of any of the Securities, the transportation and other expenses incurred on their behalf in connection with any “road show” presentation to potential investors and any advertising expenses relating to offers of Securities they may make.

     (b) If (i) this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 9, (ii) the Company for any reason fails to tender the Securities for delivery to the Underwriters or (iii) the Underwriters decline to purchase the Securities to the extent permitted by this Agreement by reason of any failure, refusal or inability on the part of the Company to perform any undertaking or satisfy any condition of this Agreement or to comply with any of the terms hereof on its part to be performed (unless with respect to clauses (ii) and (iii) above, where such failure, refusal or inability is due to material breach of its obligations under this Agreement by any Underwriter), the Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriters for all out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including the fees and expenses of their counsel) reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in connection with this Agreement and the offering contemplated hereby and the Company shall not in any event be liable to any of the Underwriters under this Section 11(b) for any other amounts, including, without limitation, damages on account of loss of anticipated profits from the sale of the Securities.

     12.  Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement . This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and any controlling persons referred to in Section 7 hereof. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor merely by reason of such purchase.

     13.  Survival . The respective indemnities, rights of contribution, representations, warranties and agreements of the Company and the Underwriters contained in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of the Company or the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement or any certificate delivered pursuant hereto shall survive the delivery of and payment for the Securities and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any termination of this Agreement or any investigation made by or on behalf of the Company or the Underwriters.

     14.  Certain Defined Terms . For purposes of this Agreement, (a) except where otherwise expressly provided, the term “affiliate” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act; (b) the term “business day” means any day other than a day on which banks are permitted or required to be closed in New York City; (c) the term “subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the

Securities Act, for avoidance of doubt, GCE Holding LLC and GenConn Energy LLC, to which The United Illuminating Company is a 50% joint venturer, are not subsidiaries for purposes of this Agreement; and (d) the term “significant subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in Rule 1-02 of Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act.

     15.  Miscellaneous .

     (a)  Authority of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Banc of America Securities LLC. Any action by the Underwriters hereunder may be taken by Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Banc of America Securities LLC on behalf of the Underwriters, and any such action taken by Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Banc of America Securities LLC shall be binding upon the Underwriters.

     (b)  Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted and confirmed by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be given to the Representatives c/o Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated, 1585 Broadway, New York, New York 10036 (fax: (212) 761-0316); Attention: Syndicate Department, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue New York, New York 10179 (fax: (212) 834-6081); Attention: Investment Grade Syndicate Desk and Banc of America Securities LLC, One Bryant Park NY1-100-18-03, New York, New York 10036; Attention: High Grade Transaction Management/Legal. Notices to the Company shall be given to it at UIL Holdings Corporation, 157 Church Street, New Haven, Connecticut 06506 (fax: (203) 499-3664); Attention: Chief Financial Officer.

     (c)  Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed in such state.

     (d)  Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in counterparts (which may include counterparts delivered by any standard form of telecommunication), each of which shall be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument.

     (e)  Amendments or Waivers. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement, nor any consent or approval to any departure therefrom, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the parties hereto.

     (f)  Headings. The headings herein are included for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement.

     If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please indicate your acceptance of this Agreement by signing in the space provided below.

Accepted: October 4, 2010

For themselves and on behalf of the several Underwriters listed in Schedule 1 hereto.

Annex A

Form of Opinion of Wiggin and Dana LLP

     (a) The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement” as defined under Rule 405 of the Securities Act that has been filed with the Commission not earlier than three years prior to the date of the Underwriting Agreement; each of the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus was filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act specified in such opinion on the date specified therein; and, to our knowledge, no order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued.

     (b) The Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus (in each case other than the financial statements, including the notes and schedules thereto, and other financial information contained therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion) comply as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Securities Act.

     (c) The Company and each of its subsidiaries are validly existing under the laws of their respective jurisdictions of organization, are duly qualified to do business and are in good standing in each jurisdiction in which their respective ownership or lease of property or the conduct of their respective businesses requires such qualification, and have all corporate power and authority necessary to own or hold their respective properties and to conduct the businesses in which they are engaged as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, except where the failure to be so qualified or have such corporate power or authority would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (d) The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading “Capitalization”.

     (e) The Company has full corporate power and authority to execute and deliver the Underwriting Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities and to perform its obligations thereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due authorization, execution and delivery by the Company of the Underwriting Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated thereby has been validly taken.

     (f) The Underwriting Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

     (g) The Indenture has been has been duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by, and is a valid and binding agreement of, the Company, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and equitable principles of general applicability.

     (h) The Underwriting Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities are consistent in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

     (i) The Securities to be issued and sold by the Company hereunder have been duly authorized, and when delivered to and paid for by the Underwriters in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, will be valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and equitable principles of general applicability and entitled to the benefits of the Indenture.

     (j) The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Underwriting Agreement and the Indenture, the issuance and sale of the Securities being delivered on the Closing Date and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities will not (i) result in a breach or violation of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument (A) that is filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and (B) to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the Company’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws or (iii) result in the violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for such breach, violation or default, lien, charge or encumbrance that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (k) No consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority is required for the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of the Underwriting Agreement and the Indenture, the issuance and sale of the Securities being delivered on the Closing Date and the consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Underwriting Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities, except for the registration of the Securities under the Securities Act, qualification under the Trust Indenture Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, orders and registrations or qualifications as may be required by the Exchange, the DPUC and under applicable state or foreign securities laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters.

     (l) The statements in the Preliminary Prospectus and Prospectus under the headings “Description of the Notes” and “Description of Debt Securities” to the extent that they constitute summaries of the terms of the Securities and the Indenture, matters of law or regulation or legal conclusions, fairly summarize the matters described therein in all material respects.

     (m) After giving effect to the application of the proceeds received by the Company from the offering and sale of the Securities as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company will not be required to register as an “investment company” or an entity “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act.

     (n) The documents incorporated by reference in the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto made by the Company prior to the Closing Date (other than the financial statements, including the notes and schedules thereto, exhibits incorporated by reference therein and other financial information contained therein, as to which such counsel need express no opinion), when they were filed with the Commission, complied as to form in all material respects with the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

     (o) The Underwriting Agreement, the Indenture, the transactions contemplated thereunder and the issuance of Securities thereunder will not violate any laws, rules or regulation of the DPUC. No approval from the DPUC is necessary for the transactions contemplated in the Underwriting Agreement, the Indenture and the issuance of Securities thereunder.

     (p) The Company is a “holding company” under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005 (“PUHCA 2005”) but has received a waiver of the accounting, reporting and record retention requirements of PUHCA 2005 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s implementing regulations and to the knowledge of such counsel, no order suspending or terminating such waiver has been issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

     (q) To the knowledge of such counsel, the description in Item 15 of the Registration Statement, to the extent that it constitutes a summary of material regulatory or legal proceedings or matters, fairly summarize the matters described therein in all material respects.

     Such counsel shall also state that they have participated in conferences with representatives of the Company, representatives of its independent accountants and with representatives of the Underwriters and their counsel at which conferences the contents of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and any amendment and supplement thereto were discussed and, although such counsel assume no responsibility for the accuracy, completeness or fairness of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto (except as expressly provided in paragraphs (d) and (l) above), no facts have come to the attention of such counsel to cause such counsel to believe that (a) the Registration Statement, as of the date of the Underwriting Agreement (including the information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430A, 430B or 430C to be part of the Registration Statement at the time of effectiveness), contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, (b) the Pricing Disclosure Package, as of the Applicable Time (which such counsel may assume to be the date of the Underwriting Agreement) contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading or (c) the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto as of its date and the Closing Date contains any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading (other than, with respect to each of clauses (a), (b) and (c) of this paragraph, the financial statements, including the notes and schedules thereto and other financial information contained therein, as to which such counsel need express no belief).

     In rendering such opinion, such counsel may rely as to matters of fact on certificates of responsible officers of the Company and public officials that are furnished to the Underwriters.

     The opinion of Wiggin and Dana LLP described above shall be rendered to the Underwriters at the request of the Company and shall so state therein.

Annex A-2

Form of Opinion of the Company’s General Counsel

     (a) To my knowledge, except as described in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, (i) there are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, suits or proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject which are reasonably likely to be determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries and, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, and (ii) no such investigations, actions, suits or proceedings are threatened or contemplated by any governmental authority or others which are reasonably likely to be determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries and, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.

     (b) To my knowledge, the descriptions incorporated by reference in the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus from Item 1 of Part I, “Business — Regulation,” Item 3 of Part I and Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Major Influences on Financial Condition — Legislation & Regulation” of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009, in each case to the extent that they constitute summaries of material regulatory proceedings or matters, fairly summarize the matters described therein in all material respects as of the date of the Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.

Annex B

a.		Pricing Disclosure Package
		Free Writing Prospectus dated October 4, 2010

Annex C

Filed pursuant to Rule 433
October 4, 2010

Relating to
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated October 4, 2010 to
Prospectus dated March 11, 2009
Registration Statement No. 333-157854

UIL Holdings Corporation
$450,000,000 Senior Unsecured Notes, 4.625%, Due October 1, 2020

The issuer has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents the issuer has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the issuer and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC Web site at www.sec.gov . Alternatively, the issuer, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you the prospectus if you request it by calling Banc of America Securities LLC toll-free at 1-800-294-1322, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC collect at 1-212-834-4533, or Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated toll-free at 1-866-718-1649.