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Energy Efficiency Programs in New Hampshire

Core Energy Efficiency Programs

As of June 1, 2002, New Hampshire electric utility customers can take advantage of new statewide energy efficiency products and services. These "core" energy efficiency programs were established consistent with Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Order 23,574Order 23,850, and Order 23,982 which require the utilities to develop a consistent set of innovative, statewide core programs available to all New Hampshire ratepayers. The core programs will increase the availability of cost-effective energy-efficient measures and services, while providing economic and environmental benefits to the State.

The five electric utilities, along with a diverse group of intervenors including ECS, PUC Staff, the Office of the Consumer Advocate, the Department of Environmental Services Air Resources Division, New Hampshire Legal Assistance, the Society for the Protection of NH Forests, the Conservation Law Foundation, and the Environmental Responsibility Committee of the Episcopal Diocese of NH, worked together to create a common set of statewide core programs. The programs are funded by the energy efficiency portion of the System Benefits Charge (SBC) that appears on customers’ electric bills.

Residential Programs

NHsaves
A coalition of New Hampshire Electric utilities dedicated to advancing the efficient use of energy while caring for the environment and promoting economic development.

Energy Star� Lighting Program
Residential customers who purchase of Energy Star� rated light bulbs and fixtures can receive rebate coupons redeemable at participating retailers. Other lighting and select energy savings products will also be made available from a mail order catalog. A typical Energy Star� rated Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) lasts up to 10 times longer than an equivalent incandescent bulb and uses 75% less energy.

Rebate levels available for energy efficient lights and fixtures are: $5 towards compact fluorescent light bulbs; 10 towards exterior light fixtures; $15 towards interior light fixtures; and $20 towards torchiere lamps.

Energy Star� Appliance Program
Customers will receive a $50 rebate coupon towards the purchase of an Energy Star � rated washing machine when purchased at a participating retailer. Energy Star� clothes washers use 35% to 50% less water and 50% less energy per load, and significantly reducing drying time too!

Home Energy Efficiency Program
Customers can receive up to $2,500 in rebates and services for qualified energy efficiency improvements under this program, known as the Residential Retrofit Program. Improvements include insulation, thermostats, lighting upgrades, and efficient refrigerators, and a customized report helping customers analyze their home. This program is targeted first to customers with some permanently installed electric heat, and will then be offered to those customers with high electric use.

Income Qualified Energy Efficiency Program
Qualified low-income customers living in an apartment or house, either rented or owned, can receive up to $3,600 in services ($5,900 if customers also qualify for the NH Weatherization Assistance Program), including a customized report analyzing their home, improvements including insulation, thermostats, lighting upgrades, and efficient refrigerators, and recommendations on how to use energy more efficiently.

NH Energy Star� Homes Program
The NH Energy Star� Homes Program encourages customers to take advantage of the benefits of building or renovating a single or multi-family energy efficient home with rebates up to $2,500. Energy Star� construction results in reduced monthly operating costs, improved homeowner comfort and a higher resale value, and environmental benefits.

 Commercial Programs

Small Business Energy Efficiency Program
This program assists small commercial and industrial customers (under 100 kW) by providing 50% of the installed cost of electrical energy efficiency improvements, including lighting; occupancy sensors; electric hot water measures; controls for walk-in coolers; air conditioning; and programmable thermostats.

A similar Large Business Energy Advantage Program assists business customers over 100 kW with financial and technical services to for installation of new energy efficient equipment through the replacement of old, inefficient equipment in existing facilities. Rebates are available for lighting conversions and controls; energy efficient motors; variable frequency drives (VFDs); energy management systems; LED traffic lights as well as custom projects.

New Construction / Major Renovation Program
This program offers a variety of rebates and technical assistance services to any commercial/industrial customers building a new facility, undergoing a major renovation, or replacing failed (end-of-life) equipment. The program.

Schools
Specifically designed to help schools access energy efficiency improvements, this program will pay for up to 100 percent of the incremental costs of energy efficiency projects.

Please contact your utility’s customer service department if you have any questions or comments about the programs and the service that you receive, or call the Governor’s Office of Energy and Community Services at 603-271-2611. You can also contact the Public Utilities Commission’s Consumer Assistance line at 1-800-852-3793.

Pay As You Save (PAYS) Energy Efficiency Products Pilot Program

The Pay As You Save (PAYS) pilot program, offered by Public Service Company of New Hampshire (PSNH) and the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative (NHEC), allows certain customers to finance the purchase of approved efficiency devices, appliances, or services on their electric bill. [See PUC Order No. 23,851 (11/29/01)] This innovative pilot program provides eligible customers with a way to purchase efficiency measures, eliminating up-front costs. The costs of installed measures are repaid over time by participating customers from savings on their electric bills. Contact NHEC or PSNH for more information about PAYS.

ECS Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programs

The following is an overview of several energy efficiency and renewable energy programs managed by ECS with funding from the Department of Energy (DOE) and federal oil overcharge restitution funds:

  • BECI - The Building Energy Conservation Initiative (BECI) is a program to cut energy and water costs in more than 500 state buildings by up to $4 million annually through building upgrades and retrofits. Energy service companies (ESCO’s) perform the building modifications without capital expenditures by the state. The modifications are paid for from operating-expense savings in utility costs through a mechanism known as performance contracting. This highly successful program could be replicated in other sectors, such as Commercial & Industrial (C&I), non-profits, and at the county or municipal level.

For more on the BECI program, visit ECS's BECI website.

  • Industries of the Future (IOF) - IOF is designed to enhance the competitiveness of New Hampshire industries through increased energy efficiency and productivity. Through a partnership between ECS, the Business and Industry Association’s (BIA) WasteCap program, and the U. S. Department of Energy, IOF will initially target the paper-products, metals, and rubber and plastics industries.   These industry clusters that have the greatest economic, energy, and environmental impacts in New Hampshire. The emphasis has been on developing strong industry alliances and nurturing industry leadership.

For more on the IOF program, go to www.nhiof.org or visit ECS's IOF website.

  • Rebuild NH - Rebuild New Hampshire is affiliated directly with the US Department of Energy’s Rebuild America program, a broad national initiative to reduce energy use and costs in buildings, now active in every state. Rebuild New Hampshire provides free technical, educational, and financial resource assistance to communities, both the public and private sector, to improve the energy-efficiency, productivity, and environmental performance of buildings of all types. The focus in New Hampshire has been primarily on schools and municipal buildings, with an emphasis on working with the New Hampshire Department of Education to improve the quality and performance of school buildings.

    For more on Rebuild New Hampshire, go to ECS’s Rebuild NH website.

    For more on the Rebuild America program, go to www.rebuild.org

  • Energy Codes - ECS is active in fostering increased compliance with New Hampshire’s residential and commercial energy codes. In 1999, a joint effort of ECS, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), and the state's building industry resulted in the adoption of a new residential energy code that will result in a significant reduction of energy costs in the residential sector. Since then, ECS and the PUC have sponsored 18 workshops around the state which have helped to educate more than 500 builders, architects, engineers, contractors, and code officials about the revised energy code.

    On the Commercial and Industrial side, ECS, Public Service of New Hampshire and Granite State Electric Company co-sponsored a study to assess the effectiveness of the current New Hampshire C&I code, ASHRAE 90.1 - 1989. Following the results of this study, a series of code trainings for builders, architects, engineers, and code officials were conducted in 2002.

    Code Contacts:

    Wes Golomb
    Energy Conservation Coordinator
    Public Utility Commission (PUC)
    8 Old Suncock Road
    Concord, NH 03301-7319
    Phone: (603) 271-6306
    E-mail: [email protected]
    Derek Greenauer
    Energy Program Manager
    Governor's Office of Energy and Community Services
    57 Regional Drive
    Concord, NH 03301
    Phone: 603 271 0477
    Fax: 603 271 2615
    E-mail: [email protected]

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