Contact your legislators today to urge them to support this bill. For more information contact Dylan Voorhees. This Old House. We want to hear about your energy efficiency experiences and weatherization woes. |
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Mainers Will Benefit from Greater Energy Security
Going into the legislative session, NRCM strongly supported Speaker Hannah Pingree’s energy efficiency bill (LD 886), which the Committee on Maine’s Energy Future merged with other energy efficiency bills to create " An Act Regarding Maine’s Energy Future." Unfortunately, the merged bill excluded long-term funding for efficiency and weatherization programs, at a time when Maine needs it more than ever before. Click here to see why the current funding levels are not enough to weatherize the necessary number of Maine homes and businesses.
The merged bill does require the Efficiency Maine Trust to develop and bring to the legislature a detailed weatherization plan for Maine that includes a specific long-term funding mechanism. This is a big step in the right direction because funding is necessary to reach the goal of the weatherization plan, which must be to weatherize nearly all Maine homes by 2030 and reduce heating fuel consumption by 20 percent. Legislators need to hear from you now that they must finish the work they have started or Maine will ultimately fail to significantly reduce energy costs through energy efficiency.
Why Maine needs better energy efficiency and weatherization programs:
Heating costs are highly volatile, making Maine families and businesses especially vulnerable to financial calamity when prices next rise. Most Maine buildings are very energy inefficient, so weatherization and improving energy efficiency would help residents stay warm while saving money and energy.
Maine now sends about $2.5 billion dollars out of state annually to pay for heating fuels; reducing that bill will keep money flowing in the Maine economy, creating jobs—including jobs in an emerging clean energy sector.
Maine currently has programs to help electric and natural gas customers conserve energy and weatherize homes, but there are no such programs to help the 85% of Maine homes and businesses which use oil, kerosene, or propane. The lone exception is the tiny fraction of low-income households who are served by federal weatherization funds each year.
Compounding the problem, Maine’s energy efficiency programs are scattered among multiple agencies resulting in duplication of efforts, lack of coordination, reduced energy and cost savings to consumers, missed opportunities, and citizen confusion.
Energy efficiency and weatherization programs that are well-planned, professionally delivered, and sufficiently funded can cut heating fuel consumption by 20-30% in an existing building, saving a proportionate amount of money for the consumer, and reduce global warming pollution in our environment.
An Act Regarding Maine’s Energy Future - accomplishes three important things:
• Consolidates Maine’s energy efficiency and weatherization programs to apply to homes and businesses that use any fuel;
• Creates a plan for green energy workforce development, along with clear standards for training and certification;
• Helps finance construction of new and rehabilitated energy efficient housing, providing quality housing for Mainers by putting Maine builders to work.
Boosts Jobs and Maine’s Economy
- Reducing heating oil consumption by 25% will save the average Maine family $600 per year (at $3/gallon oil).
- Mainers will save over $1 billion from the first ten years of the program.
- Every dollar saved by participating Maine consumers is a dollar that is not sent out of state to import heating fuel, so it can be used instead for purchases in the local economy.
- The financial incentives offered by the program stimulate new jobs and new businesses that deliver energy efficiency products and services in our local communities. At our projected funding levels, more than 1,000 new energy jobs could be added.
- The measures delivered by a “Whole House” efficiency and weatherization program pay dividends for an average of 18 years (e.g., for high efficiency furnaces, insulation, air sealing).
- The program also would offer new training and certifications, and assist new businesses in buying specialized equipment to offer energy services. Efficiency and weatherization upgrades will help put builders and contractors back to work.
Protects Our Health and Our Environment
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Energy efficiency can dramatically improve indoor air quality and comfort when installed by certified professionals. -
Low income residents are particularly at risk from accidental fires and carbon monoxide poisoning from improvised heating devices. The whole house energy program can help deliver proper ventilation.
- About 25% of Maine’s global warming pollution comes from burning oil, kerosene and propane for heat. Increasing the energy efficiency of Maine homes will reduce these emissions.
This Old House
One way to support this legislation is to send your weatherization woes and energy efficiency experiences to NRCM. Real stories help put a face to the problem and solution. Your experience will help us persuade legislators to take action this year.
Do you have a leaky home and need help finding resources for weatherization? Are you worried about the future cost of your heating bill? Do you think you may benefit from energy efficiency initiatives, but you don’t know where to start? Have you tried finding information about the State’s energy efficiency and weatherization programs, but have had a frustrating time finding it? Or, have you recently had an energy audit or tightened up your home and want to share your experience? NRCM wants to hear from you.
Please send your stories, first name, town and any photos, if you have them, of you and/or your home to emmie@nrcm.org or Emmie Theberge, 3 Wade Street, Augusta, ME 04330.