Energy Savings Updates – April 2016

 ~ April 2016 ~

Introducing the Energy Saver Loan Program

This spring, Blue Ridge Electric Membership Corp. is rolling out its new on-bill financing pilot, known as the Energy Saver Loan Program. Homeowners who have been an active Blue Ridge customer for two years can qualify for up to $7,500 in energy efficiency improvements. In the April edition of the Carolina Country magazine (inside front page), Blue Ridge customers will see information about the program and its qualifications! [ Learn more about the program (including how to sign up) ]

How Supreme Court nomination will influence the Clean Power Plan

In March, President Obama nominated Merrick Garland, current chief judge of the D.C. circuit, to replace the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. When it comes to the fate of the Clean Power Plan, many legal analysts were quick to note Garland’s positive environmental voting record. Ann Carlson, professor of Law at UCLA, stated that Garland has shown he is deferential to the EPA, unless a regulation would negatively impact public health. Many environmental advocacy groups including the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council have called for the Senate to consider the nomination.

Although the Clean Power Plan has been put on hold, support for the regulation has not dwindled. Recently, major tech corporations Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon filed an amicus brief in support of the EPA. As some of the largest purchasers of electricity in the nation, these companies have made it their mission to become more sustainable and see the Clean Power Plan as an important step forward.

Putting efficiency into perspective 

It is often difficult to conceptualize the benefits of energy efficiency, even when the discussion is purely monetary. What is a kWh? How does my home use energy?

So it comes as no surprise that explaining the benefits outside of the energy industry is an even greater challenge. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy released three different fact sheets that help us to understand the benefits to families, to local economies, and to our health and environment.

Energy Efficiency in the Southeast: Living up to its potential 

In a blog by Taylor Allred with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, he discusses how two major investor-owned utilities, TVA and Georgia Power, have a lot of room to grow in terms of increasing their energy efficiency. 

According to Taylor, real savings take place when major utilities proactively factor energy efficiency into their investments, and how TVA saved the equivalent electricity production of a nuclear power plant over 6 years.
[ Read Taylor's article on the Front Porch Blog ]

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