Warming up | A reorganized Efficiency Maine embraces an all-fuels approach to energy upgrades
Executive director, Efficiency Maine Trust
On July 1, a new team assumed management of Efficiency Maine programs. Advancing the mission to help Maine consumers “meet their energy needs at the lowest cost,” this team has ushered in an era of program investments that signal loud and clear: Efficiency Maine is open for business.
In recent weeks, Efficiency Maine has finalized 91 previously initiated contracts worth $8.1 million and then screened and approved 105 more grants, putting another $10.2 million toward efficiency projects in commercial, industrial and municipal facilities. The newest grant recipients represent an assortment of for-profit, nonprofit and municipal applicants who met the criteria and will use the grants for projects ranging from energy-efficient boiler installations (the Alfond Youth Center in Waterville) to solar water and photovoltaic systems (Black Dinah Chocolatiers in Isle Au Haute).
These investments have expanded service to help reduce heating oil consumption, which stands in stark contrast to prior years in which programs were available only for electricity and natural gas uses. Adding heating oil to the mix of eligible fuels targeted by Efficiency Maine means that programs can offer customers the full range of services they require to lower their energy bills.
Efficiency Maine’s new board of directors has embraced the “all-fuels” approach as a means to strengthen Maine’s economy. Obviously, there are direct financial benefits from energy-efficiency investments. Businesses that receive efficiency investments will lower their operating costs and reduce their exposure to fuel price volatility as their rate of energy consumption drops, while companies doing the installing are growing and adding jobs.
But that is only half the story. According to a 2009 study, savings from energy efficiency are typically spent in local retail stores or on local services, creating a multiplier effect that results in a $4-$8 increase in Maine’s gross state product for every $1 invested by Efficiency Maine.
The year ahead promises to be busy in the field of energy savings for Efficiency Maine’s business programs (www.efficiencymaine.com/at-work). Continuing from prior years, fixed price incentives and custom incentives are available for upgrades to a wide variety of energy equipment, including lighting, HVAC, refrigeration and motors.
The Small Business Program offers energy audits and low-interest loans, while the Maine Advanced Building Program estimates it will help new construction projects achieve 20%-30% energy savings. Adding to its offerings, Efficiency Maine soon will be introducing an Innovation Initiative to pilot new program ideas, and account managers will work directly with business customers to develop solutions customized to their individual needs. With help and input from customers and suppliers and new innovations for program delivery, Efficiency Maine strives to help businesses acquire energy savings through efficiency, the lowest cost energy resource on the market.
To that end, I’m pleased to announce Efficiency Maine has awarded $1.4 million for energy-efficiency projects under its commercial grant program to 45 commercial, municipal and nonprofit facilities across Maine. These recipients demonstrated the ability to meet project goals including energy savings, job creation and/or retention, and sustainable economic impact. The applicants also had to produce matching funds when applying for this second and final round of funding under the commercial grant program funded by the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Winning proposals ranged from boiler upgrades to solar thermal systems and heat recovery projects.
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