June 26, 2014
From EnergizeCT:
The towns of East Lyme, Franklin, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme, Old Lyme, Preston, Sprague, and Waterford have all recently signed a pledge to commit to Clean Energy Communities, an Energize Connecticut program that incentivizes Connecticut municipalities to support energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Under the Clean Energy Communities program, each town pledged to reduce municipal building energy consumption by 20 percent by 2018, attain 20 percent of municipal electricity needs from renewable sources by 2018, or take other actions to support the deployment of clean energy.
Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P), Yankee Gas and the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA) will work with each town to achieve these goals.
“By signing the Clean Energy Communities pledge, these nine towns have made energy efficiency and renewable energy a top priority,” said Jamie Howland, ENE (Environment Northeast) and Chairperson, Connecticut Energy Efficiency Board. “Our hope is that residents and businesses are encouraged by the example set by their town, and that they too take a closer look at the available Energize Connecticut programs to help them save energy and money.”
Based on the level of resident and business participation in Energize Connecticut energy efficiency programs, each town can earn a Bright Idea Grant, ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, to be used toward a community-selected energy-saving project. Similarly, based on the level of participation in Energize Connecticut renewable initiatives, the towns are eligible to receive renewable energy systems equivalent to a one kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic system.
One energy efficiency program that residents can participate in is Home Energy Solutions? (HES), a convenient in-home service where CL&P-authorized energy specialists perform on-the-spot energy saving improvements. While these services are valued at an average of $1,000, the cost for the HES service is only $99, and the average home in Connecticut saves approximately $250 in annual energy costs after completing HES.
To date, more than 100 Connecticut cities and towns have signed the Clean Energy Communities pledge to reduce their municipal energy consumption and support clean, renewable energy.