Read the full details here.

The new program encourages Mainers with older, extra refrigerators or freezers to consider the many benefits of recycling them. The program offers to pick up the old units at homes, at no cost, in addition to paying the $50 incentive.

The offer also comes with another benefit — ensuring proper disposal of old refrigerators and freezers, which leak mercury and other toxins into the environment when discarded improperly. Instead, the old appliances are hauled to a disassembly plant operated by JACO Environmental and undergo a process that returns up to 95 percent of the appliances’ components back into the manufacturing stream to become any number of new products, from mobile phones to construction rebar.

It’s the Refrigerator Recycling Program and it’s simple, Efficiency Maine will:

-          Recycle your old, working, full-sized refrigerator or freezer.

-          Pick it up for free.

-          Send you a $50 rebate.

-          You’ll save  up to $250/yr in electricity.

You can schedule a free pickup on Efficiency Maine’s website!

This workshop meets the Good  Shepherd Food-Bank Food Safety training requirements.

Cooking for Crowds a food safety training is being offered on these dates:

March 13, 2012                        1-5PM

Call 781-6099 to register. Cost: $10.00 per person

April 12, 2012  1-5PM   Call 781-6099 to register.  Cost: $10.00 per person

PowerWise, University of Maine, and Efficiency Maine

Study to provide detailed results of community-wide energy use may have national implications

(AUGUSTA) — Will homeowners use less energy if they know more about their energy consumption? Efficiency Maine awarded PowerWise of Blue Hill, Maine a grant to help answer that question.

Fifty homes in Blue Peninsula communities will have electricity-monitoring systems installed at no cost to the homeowner, and homeowners will track their energy use for one year. PowerWise has enlisted a team from the University of Maine to help analyze and report on the data.

“This is the first controlled study in the United States to monitor so many residences with such detailed data,” says Joanne Steenberg, Vice President of PowerWise. “This study may change how homeowners, power companies, and policy makers view energy use, and will create a treasury of information that can be used in exciting ways in education.” PowerWise’s proposal grew out of a plan first suggested by Steenberg for monitoring a whole community, which could then be a model for the country in reducing energy use on a wide scale.

The units, made by Powerhouse Dynamics, can monitor 22 individual circuit breakers as well as the total power used in the home. As homeowners become more aware of their electricity usage through the eMonitor,  PowerWise expects to see reductions in energy use over time.

Dr. Nathan Weise, Assistant Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the University of Maine, says he is very excited about analyzing energy behaviors of typical Maine residents.

The study is funded by Efficiency Maine through its Energy Efficiency Innovation Grant program. Each resident will receive an eMonitor with free installation and two years of data collection service. The first three months comprising Phase I will be a blind study, with homeowners not able to access the eMonitor data about their electricity use. During the next three-month Phase II period, PowerWise will provide homeowners with the ability to view and manage their energy use in the eMonitor web-based dashboard, as well as receive instructions on how to set up energy safety alerts, identify phantom power consumption, and control thermostat settings over the Internet.

Phase III includes the final six months of the study and begins with an educational meeting, at which Dr. Weise will provide a personal report for each home, detailing its energy patterns and providing recommendations for future energy-saving measures. PowerWise will continue to communicate with residents throughout the duration of the study, giving opportunities for residents to connect with each other and share experiences, challenges, and what has worked for them.

The data resulting from the study, reported without identifying the identity of the residents involved, will be of immense value to educators and energy efficiency agencies like Efficiency Maine. The study is expected to identify residential energy usage patterns, such as areas of heavy usage, times of heaviest use, and what the excess energy is used for. Data from the study can potentially be used to identify future areas of study in energy use in Maine and beyond.  Bangor Hydro Electric company is participating in the study to learn more about how customers might respond to a new ‘Dynamic Pricing” model, where the cost of electricity varies according to the time of day.
“When people recognize trends in their energy use and see exactly when and where they use energy in their homes on a daily basis, they can make  informed decisions on energy use and cost,” says Tim Vrabel, Efficiency Maine’s Strategic Initiatives Specialist. “Consumers who have information and data can make lifestyle choices that can reduce their energy bills. This kind of real-world, real-time data would also be of critical importance in assessing our energy efficiency programs and helping to craft future initiatives.”

PowerWise Systems, Blue Hill, Maine 207-370-6517  www.powerwisesystems.com

The eMonitor and Online Dashboard

Project Diagram

Couples Massage Package: Indulge Together

You will each enjoy a one hour massage lying side by side. This package features a romantic blend of essential oils and an aromatherapy hot towel treatment for you and your sweetheart to relax and unwind together.

Price with coupon is $150 (reg. $200). This e-coupon offer is not valid with any other offers. Good for one couples massage per couple and one additional as a gift. Expires June 30, 2012.

Click here for a printer-friendly coupon.

Nan MacKinnon, LMT
By appointment only, Mon-Sun
56 Maine Street
Brunswick, ME 04011
Phone: (207) 504-6913
www.massageonmaine.com

The application deadline is 2:00 pm (EDT) on Friday, March 30, 2012. For more information or to obtain a copy of the RFP, visit http://www.efficiencymaine.com/at-work/business-programs/competitive-program or contact Ian Burnes at ian.burnes@efficiencymaine.com or 207-213-4149. Please reference RFP EM-001-2012 when making requests.

“This program is not only important from an energy efficiency perspective, but from an economic development perspective as well,” explains Ian Burnes, business program manager at Efficiency Maine. “During a continued sluggish economy, many of the large companies and institutions that apply for these competitive programs have limited capital budgets. When these large energy consumers use less energy on the grid, it benefits all Maine ratepayers.”

During the last round of grant applications, Efficiency Maine awarded nearly $3.8 million to 12 grantees statewide. Those projects are in various stages of completion. Last year, $4.3 million was awarded for electrical efficiency projects at nine businesses and organizations across Maine. These efficiency efforts effectively allowed grant recipients to lock in a portion of their electricity prices at $.018 per kilowatt hour.

Efficiency Maine is an independent trust that invests in cost-effective projects to reduce energy costs in Maine. For more information about business programs offered through Efficiency Maine, visit http://www.efficiencymaine.com/at-work or call 1-866-376-2463 (1-866-ES-MAINE).

Dana Fischer, Residential Program Manager for Efficiency Maine

SRG: Can you tell us a little bit about Maine’s current goals for reducing the heating costs of Maine residents?
DF: Maine has among the oldest and leakiest housing stock in the country. A higher percentage of homes in Maine use oil to heat than any other state in the country. A tremendous amount can be done to upgrade houses in the state to make them more comfortable and efficient. The cost of financing energy efficiency improvements can often be paid for by the monthly energy savings homeowners experience. Efficiency Maine’s goal is to weatherize 100% of the houses in Maine. And while this is clearly a lofty goal, weatherization creates jobs, keeping more money in state and in homeowners’ pockets.

SRG: How much money can a homeowner save by upgrading their home’s energy efficiency? Can you give us some examples?
DF: Every home is a little bit different, and there are many variables to consider when determining the best energy efficiency options. When making recommendations, an energy advisor takes into account the size and age of the house, the efficiency of the home’s existing heating system, the amount of insulation in different parts of the home, how leaky the structure is in terms of heat loss, and the budget of the homeowner. The best way to determine which projects will save the most money for you in your home is by hiring an energy advisor. There are more than 100 energy advisors, certified by the Building Performance Institute, searchable on our website by zip code.

In the last two years we have had more than 3,211 homes weatherized through Efficiency Maine programs. Whole-home energy efficiency projects in our programs averaged $8,350 per home, but are projected to save an average of 40 percent of all energy used in the home. In the case of a very common Maine home that uses 1,000 gallons of oil, this amounts to roughly 400 gallons saved every year, which at the current price of oil is more than $1,400 per year. The amount of savings and cost of projects depend greatly on the home, but 87% of participating homeowners are highly satisfied with the results of their projects.

SRG: What kinds of upgrades typically produce the best results or the most bang for the buck?
DF: The lowest hanging fruit is typically air sealing (sealing the cracks and spaces where air leaks in and out of the house) and adding insulation. It is surprising how many older homes across the state have no insulation in walls. But even newer homes less than 10 years old can be very leaky, depending on the care and detail that was taken when they were built. The most common insulation projects include the application of spray foam to basement walls from the sills down, dense-packed cellulose blown into walls, and air sealing with thick insulation blown into attics. Heating systems are also a big source of savings. Boilers and furnaces that are not maintained on a regular basis or are more than 10 years old may be prime candidates for replacement. Advanced control systems and new gas technology can improve use of fuel dramatically.

Perhaps the easiest thing a homeowner can do is install energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. On average, these CFL bulbs will save about $8 per fixture compared to incandescent bulbs, each and every year, and they last six to 10 years.

SRG: It’s safe to assume that most people would want to save money on their heating costs if they could, but many of us don’t have cash on hand to make the upgrades that will ultimately save us money. Can you tell us a little bit about Efficiency Maine’s “PACE” financing program, and how it can help?
DF: Maine PACE Loans enable homeowners to borrow up to $15,000 for pre-approved energy-efficiency projects at an interest rate of 4.99% APR. Homeowners can pay back the loan over a period of up to 15 years. Although a home energy assessment is required, the cost can be bundled into the loan. And most importantly, Maine PACE Loans enable most homeowners to make energy improvements that can generate enough savings to pay back the loan.

Loans range from $6,500 to $15,000, and can be used for such projects as weatherization, new windows and doors, efficient heating systems, supplemental space heating, energy-efficient lighting and appliances, and solar thermal or solar PV systems. Energy-efficiency projects allow homeowners to save money on energy costs while increasing home comfort.

SRG: Who is eligible to apply for PACE and how does the application process work?
DF: To apply for a loan, applicants must be residential property owners who live in a town that has passed a local ordinance approving participation in the Maine PACE Loan program. You can find a list of participating towns here. They must also meet other lending criteria, including having a debt-to-income ratio of not more than 45 percent, being current on property tax and sewer charge payments and having no tax or sewer liens.

The application process is easy. Simply visit our website at www.efficiencymaine.com/pace or call 1-866-376-2463 to get started.

SRG: Are there any other options available to help homeowners pay for energy efficiency upgrades right now? (any other state credits?)
DF: Efficiency Maine offers a number of incentives for homeowners, including rebates on Energy Star refrigerators, washing machines, and dehumidifiers; incentives are also available for renewable energy systems including solar electric panels and solar hot water heating systems.

SRG: Over the past ten years or so, there have been several different federal and state tax credit and rebate programs that incentivized homeowners to make energy efficiency upgrades, the latest of which expired at the end of 2011. Are there any potential new federal or state incentives on the horizon that would help pay for energy efficient home improvements?
DF: We always look for ways to capitalize on energy efficiency opportunities, but the federal stimulus funds used to fund our popular Home Energy Savings Program have all been allocated. We continue to work on other opportunities and financing options, so be sure to keep monitoring our web site at www.efficiencymaine.com to take advantage of our programs.

SRG: Anything else you think we should know?
DF: Our website is a great source of information on our programs and incentives. All of the information you need to find an energy advisor or determine how your home stacks up are right at your fingertips. Whether you pay for the project out of pocket, or finance it with a convenient PACE loan, now is the time to take steps to save money and be more comfortable in your home.
www.efficiencymaine.com

Dana Fischer is a Residential Program Manager for Efficiency Maine managing both the Renewable Resource Fund and Maine’s DOE BetterBuildings Grant. He is a BPI-certified building analyst, a certified solar thermal installer, and former Finance Director working in three Maine municipalities. He has an MBA and studied Philosophy at the University of Chicago. He has spent much of the past 18 months traveling the state to establish the Maine PACE loan program in partnership with municipalities from York to Fort Kent.

435 Cottage Road
South Portland, ME
Phone: (207) 540-9033
www.mojohealthbar.com

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