Seymour First Selectman W. Kurt Miller has signed a pledge to commit the town to the Clean Energy Communities program, an Energize Connecticut initiative that incentivizes Connecticut municipalities to improve energy efficiency and promote the use of clean and renewable energy.
Seymour joins over 50 other Connecticut municipalities that have already taken the pledge.
Under the expanded Clean Energy Communities program, Seymour pledges to reduce municipal building energy consumption by 20 percent by 2018, and to voluntarily purchase 20 percent of its municipal electrical needs from renewable sources by 2018.
Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P) and the Clean Energy Finance & Investment Authority (CEFIA), the Clean Energy Communities program administrators, will work with Seymour to help the town achieve the goals.
“I am excited to join the many other Connecticut cities and towns that have signed the pledge and committed to making energy efficiency and renewable energy a top priority,” Miller said. “By increasing energy efficiency and employing renewable sources, residents and businesses will see cost savings on monthly utility bills and experience an increase in the comfort of their homes or business. Additionally, when they participate in these programs, they help Seymour overall in the Clean Energy Communities program.”
Through participation in energy-saving and renewable energy programs, Seymour can earn points toward rewards.
For example, when residents or businesses receive a Home Energy Solutions(HES) assessment, install a clean energy system such as a solar photovoltaic array or solar hot water system, or upgrade older equipment or lighting to more energy efficient models, they earn points for the town.
For every 100 points earned through participation in energy efficiency programs, Seymour will receive a “Bright Idea Grant” of $10,000 that can be used toward a community-selected energy-saving project.
Similarly, for every 100 points earned through participation in renewable initiatives, Seymour will earn a clean energy system equivalent to a 1 kW solar photovoltaic system.
Seymour is partnering with utility-authorized energy specialists, Hoffman Fuels and Santa Energy, to launch a town-wide HES promotion. HES is a convenient home energy improvement service provided by CL&P, UI and the natural gas companies designed to help people save money on their monthly energy bills.
For those who sign up, the specialists will come to your home or apartment and install energy-efficient products and perform weatherization services. Services include locating and professionally sealing critical air leaks, replacing incandescent lights with energy-saving bulbs and insulating hot water pipes.
“Home Energy Solutions is a valuable energy-saving program that can help you save energy and money,” Miller said. “I am personally leading by example and signing up my own energy assessment and I urge fellow residents to schedule theirs today.”
While these services are valued at an average of $1,000, the cost for the HES service is only $75 for homes heating with electricity or natural gas, $99 for homes heated with fuel oil and propane, and is free for those who meet income eligibility guidelines.
For every Seymour resident that signs up for a HES assessment by December 31, 2013, $25 will be donated by Hoffman Fuels and Santa Energy to the Seymour Pride Committee.
HES program representatives will be available to answer questions and provide information in the “Green Corner” at the Seymour Founders Day celebration on Sunday, June 2.
For additional information on the Home Energy SolutionsSM promotion in Seymour, please call 877-WISE-USE.
Communities interested in becoming a Clean Energy Community or recommitting to the program should visit EnergizeCT.com/communities.
