Cape Light Compact Saves Residents $20.7M on Electric Bills over Past 9 Years of Service

Barnstable, MA, July 1, 2010 – Cape Light Compact celebrates 9 years of providing highly cost‐effective energy efficiency programs to residents and businesses on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard.

Since July 2001, Cape Light Compact has invested over $50 million in energy efficiency programs that have brought tremendous long‐term benefits and a return on investment for our customers and the region, including:

  • SAVINGapproximately 18 megawatts (MW) of peak electric generation – offsetting 1.6% of Mirant Canal Generating Plant’s rated capacity of 1,126 MW.
  • SAVING over 103,600 megawatt hours (MWh) of energy use – the equivalent CO2 emissions from 8,396,152 gallons of gasoline consumed.
  • SAVING our customers over $20.7 million on their electric bills.
9 ENERGY SAVINGS TIPS FROM CAPE LIGHT COMPACT

To celebrate 9 years of bringing energy efficiency programs to Cape Cod & Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Light Compact presents 9 tips to help save 9% or more on your electric bill:

  1. Stay cool this summer by closing the curtains and shades before you leave your home, to keep the sun’s rays from overheating the interior of your home. If you can, move container trees and plants in front of sun‐exposed windows to act as shade.
  2. Run your ceiling, window or box fan to create a cool breeze. If you raise your thermostat by only two degrees and use your fan, you can lower cooling costs by up to 14%. Remember that fans cool you, not the room. So when you leave the room, make sure to turn off the fan. Consider installing a whole house roof/gable vent fan to move that warm air out of the attic and bring in cooler air.
  3. If you have central air conditioning, program your thermostat to work around your family’s summer schedule—set it a few degrees higher when no one is home, so your cooling system isn’t cooling an empty house. With proper use, programmable thermostats can save you about $180 every year in energy costs. Check your HVAC system’s air filter every month. If the filter looks dirty, change it, but change the filter at least every 3 months. A dirty filter will slow air flow and make the system work harder to keep you cool—wasting energy. Remember to have your HVAC system serviced annually to ensure it’s running at optimum efficiency for money and energy savings.
  4. Seal your ducts. As much as 20% of the air moving through your home’s duct system is lost due to leaks and poor connections. Seal duct work using mastic sealant or metal tape and insulate all the ducts that you can access (such as those in attics, crawlspaces, unfinished basements, and garages).
  5. Make sure that connections at vents and registers are well‐sealed where they meet your floors, walls, and ceilings. These are common locations to find leaks and disconnected ductwork.
  6. When buying a room AC unit, look for one that has earned EPA’s ENERGY STAR®. If every room air

conditioner in the U.S. were ENERGY STAR® qualified, they would prevent 900 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions annually—equivalent to the emissions from 80,000 cars.

7. If your central AC unit is more than 12 years old, replacing it with a model that has earned EPA’s ENERGY STAR® could cut your cooling costs by 30%.

8. Add insulation to your attic to keep cool air in—if every American household did so, we’d collectively save more than $1.8 billion in yearly energy costs.

9. Pass the word about the great rebates available from the Cape Light Compact, including…

$25 mail in rebate for programmable thermostats for oil & propane customers (limit two per customer).

$35 mail‐in rebate for the Chimney Balloon (also know as a Chimney Pillow or Draft Stopper) a removable, reusable and durable device that helps to stop airflow, odor, and debris from flowing through your chimney.

$50 mail‐in rebate for an ENERGY STAR® refrigerator or freezer.

$100 mail‐in rebate for heating system controls (must have energy audit).

$100‐$400 rebate for oil & propane heating systems.

$300 rebate for indirect or on‐demand hot water heaters.

$300‐$500 rebate for central air conditioning heat pump and ductless mini‐split systems.

$500‐$1500 rebate for solar hot water heater. Rebate amount depends on number of household members. Pre‐approval required. Must replace electric hot water heater.
All natural gas‐related rebates are available through GasNetworks. Please note the GasNetworks rebates are subject to change by the gas utility sponsors.

About Cape Light Compact

Cape Light Compact is an inter‐municipal organization authorized by the 21 towns and two counties on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. The Compact’s mission is to serve our 200,000 customers through the delivery of proven energy efficiency programs, effective consumer advocacy, award‐winning energy education, and competitive electricity supply and green power options.

For more information on Cape Light Compact’s energy efficiency programs visit www.capelightcompact.org or call 1-800-797-6699.

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