What's new
The Utilities and Energy Committee is deliberating over the energy efficiency bill, LD 1931. They're working out a compromise on a number of different provisions, including a longer phase-in of the increased funding in Efficiency Maine, as well as a stakeholder process to explore furnace and boiler energy standards and engage the federal government on setting a national standard. We support these changes and hope that the Utilities and Energy Committee approves this bill soon.
Brief summary
Increased Efficiency Maine Funding
Energy efficiency is the fastest, cheapest way to cut air pollution and global warming pollution from power plants, and reduce consumers' energy bills. Unfortunately, Maine lags behind other states in efficiency funding, despite Efficiency Maine's robust programs and the more than $2 return on every $1 spent in the programs. Gradually increasing the system benefit charge will help us stop load growth in Maine while making our state more competitive and moving us out of last place in New England for efficiency investments.
Home Heating Efficiency
The federal government set a standard for furnaces and boilers in 1987 that was legally due to be updated in 1994. There has been little or no movement on creating an updated standard. Worse, the federal standard was crafted for warm states, not Maine. The current price of $2.34 for heating oil is 45 cents higher than the price last year, according to Maine's Energy Info site. This act, LD 1931, would enable the Public Utilities Commission to apply for a waiver from the federal government and set minimum efficiency standards for new furnaces and boilers. Massachusetts passed similar legislation last year that included an efficiency standard for boilers and furnaces. The more efficient standard will lower household heating bills by about $275 per year.
Gas-Saving Tires
Automakers install fuel-efficient tires on new cars to meet federal fuel economy (CAFE) standards. The tires are called low-rolling resistance tires or gas-saving tires. Unfortunately, once the cars leave the lot, no one ensures that the car continues to perform at the same efficiency. As a result, most replacement tires are about 20 percent less fuel efficient than the original tires, according to studies by the California Air Resources Board and the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy. These replacement tires waste 20 percent more energy than the original equipment tires; these less efficient tires drop a car's overall fuel efficiency by about 4 percent. To make matters worse, the few fuel-efficient replacement tires on the market are not labeled and difficult to find. Consumers therefore unknowingly purchase less efficient tires when replacing their vehicles' original tires—increasing the average motorist's gasoline consumption and costing them more at the gas pump. If all replacement tires were as fuel efficient as the originals, Maine would cut gas consumption by 3 percent.
Reducing Schools' Electric Bills
Efficiency Maine's Building Operators Certification Program is effective at cutting electric bills at schools across Maine. Unfortunately, many facility managers haven't been able to attend. This bill, LD 1931, would ensure that half of all facility managers make it to the program by 2010.
Additional Links
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy
(www.aceee.org)
