Price increases have affected all sectors of global energy markets, including oil, propane and natural gas, and Maine is not immune to these forces.
On March 1, electric costs for residential and small business customers increased, which means the average Maine household will see electric bills go up by about $10 a month.
While a small state like Maine can’t control the prices in worldwide energy markets, there are many things we can do to lower energy costs at home and at work.
Maine’s Public Utilities Commission administers the Efficiency Maine Program, which was established to promote the efficient use of electricity by providing financial incentives to help buffer the cost of premium energy-efficient electric equipment. Last year, Efficiency Maine helped residents and businesses save enough electricity to power the electric needs of nearly 3,000 homes for one year. These energy savings will produce energy cost savings of more than $2.1 million, and the air pollution avoided is equivalent to taking 9,000 cars off the road.
Installing energy-efficient lighting is one of the easiest ways Maine residents and business owners can offset the recent increase. Regular light bulbs last only about 800 hours, and 90 percent of the energy comes out as heat instead of as light. ENERGY STAR® compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) last between 6,000 and 10,000 hours and use one quarter of the energy of a regular bulb.
Replacing the five most frequently used lights in your home with ENERGY STAR lights can save up to $50 in energy costs over the life of the bulb. As an added bonus, the bulb won’t need to be replaced for at least seven years. The initial cost of energy efficient CFLs is more than regular bulbs; however, Efficiency Maine’s instant cash incentives available at local hardware and home improvement stores will save you between $2 and $12 depending upon the type of lighting product.
Purchasing energy-efficient appliances is another way to realize savings. Look for ENERGY STAR labeled products because these meet strict federal guidelines for energy efficiency that result in substantial energy savings. ENERGY STAR refrigerators use less than half the energy of machines produced before 1995.
So if your refrigerator is colored avocado or harvest gold (a sure sign of age), save about $240 per year on future electric bills by replacing it with an ENERGY STAR model. Efficient clothes washers use only 50 percent as much energy as standard clothes washers and can save more than $100 per year in energy costs depending on usage.
Of course, there are several low-to-no-cost ways to reduce energy usage. Turn off lights when you leave a room, house or workplace, and install timers and motion sensors on outdoor lights. Occasionally vacuum lint and dust from refrigerator coils and clean the lint filter in your dryer to improve efficiency. Run the dishwater when there is a full load. Clean your furnace and air conditioner filters annually to reduce the load on the fans used to move the air and to improve your indoor air quality.
Efficiency Maine encourages small business owners to lower operating costs through improved energy efficiency. Lighting, refrigeration, heating and air conditioning projects when installed according to program guidelines, qualify for cash incentives. Since April of 2003, business owners in Maine have received cash incentives ranging from $12 to $50,000 for installing energy-efficient electric equipment.
By being energy wise, you can reduce your energy costs. Efficiency Maine is here to help our residential and business community save energy and reduce electric costs.
Denis Bergeron is the Efficiency Maine program director. The program was created with the passage of the Conservation Act and is administered through the Maine Public Utilities Commission.
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