Statement of Erika Staaf, Advocate, Environment New Hampshire
“The New Hampshire House of Representatives voted yesterday in favor of Senate Bill 259, legislation that sets mandatory minimum efficiency standards on several products, which will provide large energy savings, lower electricity and natural gas bills, help to reduce energy price volatility and reduce air emissions from electric power plants. Environment New Hampshire applauds House members for voting in favor of this legislation, which sets a strong foundation for New Hampshire to reap environmental and economic benefits for years to come.
“Energy efficiency is the cheapest, quickest and cleanest way to help the state cope with pressing energy use issues. Lowering energy use helps New Hampshire businesses and consumers save money, keeps more dollars in-state and reduces emissions of harmful pollutants such as carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide.
Adoption of these efficiency standards will, by 2020:
- Save New Hampshire consumers over $37 million;
- Reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by over 5,000 Metric tons;
- Save over 16,000 Megawatt hours of electricity annually; and
- Save over 100,000 million Btus of natural gas annually.
“Electric and gas rates are on the rise once again in New Hampshire, which means that using energy efficiently is more important than ever. As increasing energy use in New Hampshire puts pressure on the supply infrastructure to keep up, increasing efficiency enables growth in the economy without proportional growth in energy use.
“Many of the standards in SB 259 have already been adopted by several states including Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, and New York.
“Again, Environment New Hampshire is pleased with the forward movement of these efficiency standards and thanks the sponsors of the bill for their diligent work in shepherding this legislation through the Senate and House.”
