Summary: Much is made of Massachusetts' nation-leading energy efficiency programs, but there are still gaps in the system that need to be addressed. The rate-payer efficiency programs in Massachusetts provide excellent coverage of heating system upgrades for customers who heat with gas and electricity. Unlike gas and electric customers, homes and businesses in Massachusetts that rely on oil heat currently have limited access to energy-saving programs. This Climate Hawk's Companion is a discussion with Natalie Hildt, a senior manager with NEEP, the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships. Natalie explains an important new effort to achieve greater home heating oil efficiency through legislation currently up for debate on Beacon Hill. Click the Climate Hawk's Companion logo to hear our conversation with Natalie. ------ H. 2741 is legislation filed by Representative Frank Smizik and twenty other legislators that creates an oil heat efficiency program funded through a small (2.5 cents per gallon) charge on heating oil sales. This is the same way the current gas and electric heating programs are funded, through surcharges on electricity and natural gas. This small charge would fund a $20 million program which would fund efficiency work that would result in savings of $120 million per year. In addition to the impressive savings the efficiency programs would produce, the program would add thousands of job providing energy efficiency services and help boost the local economy. It also addresses the rapidly aging fleet of oil heat equipment in the state: in Boston alone some 40% of all oil heating systems are more than 20 years old and terribly inefficient. Unlike previous attempts to set up a program for oil heat, this effort is endorsed by a wide variety of stakeholders, from efficiency experts to environmentalists and the Massachusetts Oil Heat Council, which represents oil dealers across the state. The legislation will be the subject of a hearing before the Joint committee on Revenue at 10:30am on April 9th in State House hearing room B-2. For more information on how to testify or send a letter in support of this important legislation, check out the Mass Oil Heat Coalition's fact sheet: Action Alert Oilheat Efficiency in Mass - 4.1.13Download Enhanced Podcas
