Just when you think there is nothing that we, as individuals, can do about the environmental problems we are facing, along comes the results of Governor’s Baldacci’s 10 Percent Energy Challenge.
The campaign was developed last fall to address potential winter energy shortages caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita’s damage to oil and gas infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico. Customers of Bangor Hydroelectric and Central Maine Power were challenged to cut their electrical usage by 10 percent this past winter. Prizes were awarded in the form of $1,000 certificates to be used toward EnergyStar energy-efficient appliances.
From Phillip Lindley, Utilities Analyst for the Maine Public Utilities Commission, we learn that over 150,000 customers – nearly a third of all CMP and BHE customers- reduced their energy use by more than 10 percent over the same month of the preceding year. The average energy saved was 28 percent! That amounted to a reduction of 120 million kWh, or enough to power 16,000 (non-conserving) Maine homes for an entire year. Total dollar savings was more than $16 million!
The reduced energy consumption cut power plant emissions of acid rain producing pollution by 162 tons and of global warming gasses by more than 74,000 tons!
During the campaign, Mainers bought more than 300,000 energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) in a program subsidized by Constellation Energy, a standard offer provider for CMP and BHE. These will save 17.8 million kWh and $2.3 million per year in their 7-year lifetime.
The 50 customers winning the drawing cited these as among their means of conserving electricity:
• Turning off lights, TVs, computers, prints, etc., when not in use.
• Lowering water heater temperature to 120A?°F.
• Running dishwashers with full loads.
• Washing only full loads of laundry and rinsing with cold water.
• Air drying laundry or drying only full loads and cleaning lint filter for every load.
• Unplugging power chargers and devices (like TVs) which continue to use energy when turned off.
It must be true – we can all work together and make positive changes. As we make our daily decisions about energy usage, may we each leave a smaller footprint as we “walk lightly upon the Earth.”
Note: A special thanks to Robin Hansen who provided the factual information for this article.
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