PULLING THE PLUG ON OUR ENERGY PROBLEMS:
ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLIANCES AND CONSERVATION

by State Rep. Linda Menna Gentile

Air conditioners will be humming and electric meters will be spinning this summer as ISO New England, the company that runs our power grid, is forecasting record breaking electric demands for the hotter months. Although ISO New England officials declare adequate measures in keeping electricity supply and demand in balance, if hot and humid weather increases energy demand beyond what they are prepared for, we could potentially face an energy crisis proportionate to the east coast blackouts in 2003 and California’s energy crisis in 2001.

The rolling blackouts that the California ISO ordered in 2001 affected hundreds of thousands of people in that state. The California legislature had to approve a $10 billion power-buying plan to avoid further blackouts and prevent the bankruptcy of Southern California Edison and Pacific Gas & Electric. It was estimated that the state spent between $40 and $50 million per day buying electricity on the spot market (energy bought from day to day, with steep price fluctuations). The East Coast blackouts in 2003 were equally devastating to Canada and the United States.

These blackouts are two of the most climactic results of energy supply not equaling demand. We see this trend in day-to-day cost of electricity, gasoline, and home heating oil. In addition to the supply-demand problem, these increases are also due to a wide range of global, national, and local factors. In terms of gasoline and oil, Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma destroyed several production facilities in 2005, countries like Saudi Arabia have reduced supplies of oil, and political conflicts like the Iraq war question the stability of supply. The huge electric rate hike in Connecticut is also closely linked to the high cost of gas and oil, as many facilities that generate electricity use these other sources of energy to produce electricity. Inadequate energy infrastructure is another reason for the increased cost of electricity, as Connecticut does not produce electricity, but buys it from the wholesale market.

From this explanation, it is clear one energy problem is closely linked to another. Solutions to the energy crisis will not come easily, as it is a complex issue that requires much needed study. Connecticut is trying to “pull the plug” on its energy problems through a host of initiatives including an energy summit that concluded June 5th. It was determined from this summit that alternative sources of power (fuel cell, wind and solar energy technologies), in combination with conservation, will help reduce energy costs and prevent a full-scale energy crisis.

Recent legislation passed by the state legislature helps us work toward conserving and using our energy more efficiently. This includes a sales tax exemption on insulation and other energy efficient products, the establishment of the HEARTH program to help pay for furnace tune-ups, programmable thermostats, and other energy efficiency measures, and an increase on income limits for the Energy Conservation Loan Program, which provides low-interest loans for insulation, energy conservation measures, heating improvements and renewable resource improvements for the home.

Besides taking advantage of these programs, simple measures like turning down the thermostat, caulking and weatherproofing windows and doors, car-pooling, using mass-transit, and other common sense measures can help Connecticut conserve its energy.

Although a special session on energy legislation is not likely to surface until after the state Department of Public Utility Control releases its report on energy conservation September 15th, lawmakers are paying diligence to the issue to develop a sound energy plan for Connecticut. Before such a plan can be implemented though, and with the summer months fast approaching, let’s head the call of ISO and prepare for those record breaking temperatures with our own energy-saving strategy, energy efficient appliances coupled with conservation. Let’s not be another California, Connecticut.

State Rep. Linda Menna Gentile is serving her second term representing the 104th General Assembly District. She is a member of the Commerce, Education, and Planning and Development Committees. If you would like to reach Linda, contact her state office at (860) 240-8538.