What does the clean energy transition have to do with you?
A lot more than you may think. We see “natural” disasters on the news more and more frequently. We know why it’s happening and many of us know the heartbreak of friends and relatives that have been impacted by extreme, sudden events. We all pay a heavy price for this accumulated damage.
The big picture:
- Costs – “Burning fossil fuels cause[s] around $500 billion in losses every year– from property damage to government spending on recovery, construction-surge inflation, and power outages.”*
- Solutions – Saving the planet is now more cost effective – “Every $1 invested in resilient infrastructure can yield $4 in benefits. Getting to net zero is a more than $12 trillion business.” *
The local picture:
These costs and solutions trickle down to each of us in our homes.
- The costs impact our taxes, insurance premiums, and many goods and services.
- The solutions can help us save money and time while doing what’s right for the planet. According to Energize CT, over 1,000 households in Middletown have participated in the Home Energy Solutions (HES) program (2001-Oct.2024), With over 20,000 households in Middletown and Portland, there is an enormous opportunity to use this program more fully.
While we can’t control what happens at a national level, each of us can make an impact by taking action in our lives for a healthier community.
What’s happening in our community?
In November, 2024, the Connecticut Energy Network (CTEN) met to bring together a network of volunteers from many Connecticut cities with Clean Energy Task Forces. During this one-day conference, leaders from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP), People’s Action for Clean Energy (PACE), EV Club of Ct and others met to share resources and plan for the future. Middletown was represented through the Jonah Center, continuing a long-standing partnership.
We will continue to publish helpful resources and insights from this network. We’ll call them “Power Moves” in our newsletters.
Here are the first few Power Moves we can all take in 2025:
- Make a list of appliances, car, furnace, hot water heater, air conditioners, leaf blowers, etc that may be at the end of their life. Explore clean alternatives and possible rebates and discounts that may apply.
- Choose long-term solutions over short-term. In every buying decision. It’s not easy to challenge your own thinking, it will take practice. Just keep asking yourself; is there a more efficient, cleaner version of what I’m buying? For example, replace an oil burning furnace with a heat pump with qualifying rebates, reduce maintenance and fuel costs while also getting air conditioning from the same device!
- Explore the resources on the Sustainability tab of the Jonah Center website to learn about programs that provide tax credits, financing, and rebates to help us transition to clean energy.
Let’s all make a Power Move in 2025 to reduce our local use of fossil fuels.
For further information, see our Clean Energy Resources page.
* Statistics from What If We Get It Right? By Ayana Elizabeth Johnson.