We are thrilled to have been awarded a grant through the Community Partnership Initiative. This is a partnership with the Sponsors of @Energize Connecticut and the City of Middletown to promote energy-saving solutions for our community. This kicks off a full year of focused efforts to promote the Home Energy Solutions-Income Eligible and Multifamily Initiative, including outreach to renters and landlords.
What are some key things to know about these programs?
The average resident saves money with reduced energy bills after a Home Energy SolutionsSM (HES) visit. These programs benefit single-family homeowners, renters and landlords with long term savings. Income-Eligible residents receive no-cost HES and boosted incentives like free insulation.
The current administration, along with Republican lawmakers, is systematically dismantling policies related to climate. This includes many of the tax credits and economic incentives designed to drive green energy acceleration put into place by the Biden-Harris administration.
Deadlines for incentives are approaching but they aren’t here just yet.
There is still time to take advantage of clean technology offers that allow you to save now and save later with your future energy bills!
While broader clean energy and energy conservation policy changes are under attack at the federal level of government, our collective, local actions have an impact. If you have had a home energy audit, installed solar or added a heat pump, let us know! Take our Energy Saver Survey (10 minutes or less) Continue reading to see what we’ve heard so far…
Smoke stacks at the Cleveland-Cliffs Northshore Mining Company in Silver Bay, Minnesota. The facility’s pollutants and emissions include CO2, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ammonia, lead, and mercury. Under the EPA’s proposed new environmental policies, pollution from plants such as this may no longer be regulated by the EPA nor will other states be able to appeal to the EPA if their pollutants cross state boundaries. Photo by Tony Webster, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons license.
Like many Americans who care about the environment, we here at the Jonah Center are deeply concerned about recent proposed changes to America’s environmental laws by the new EPA Administrator, Lee Zeldin, which were announced earlier this month. These proposals appear to be part of a dramatic shift in the federal government’s approach to environmental regulation by reducing or eliminating regulations restricting pollutants in order to promote the greater use of fossil fuels and limiting the development of clean energy and anything else related to climate change mitigation. Unfortunately, these proposals may have a dramatic impact on our nation’s ability to maintain clean air and water and make it harder to address climate change or support clean energy.
In case you missed it, here are a few of the recent changes proposed by the administration:
Wild fire on Lamentation Mountain, Berlin Connecticut, summer 2024
Home solar panels installation. Photo by David Illig, Creative Commons License.
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.
