IMPROVED CONSERVATION

Requiring Maine’s electric utilities to encourage people to use less of their product never made a lot of sense, and now that the utilities no longer generate the power they sell, the conservation part of their mission seems even more distant. A recently revised bill in the Legislature’s Utilities Committee offers several ways to help Maine become more energy efficient and should be supported by lawmakers.

Utility customers might not know that a tiny portion of their electric bill goes to promoting conservation – all those insulating wraps for water heaters a few years ago, for instance, were part of the program. The idea of offering simple, effective ways to increase energy efficiency is a good one, but the utilities have pointed out for years that while customers might benefit, their shareholders do well when more, rather than less, energy is sold. Utility loyalty was not always divided as cleanly as customers might have liked.

LD 420, replaced now with an amendment by Rep. William Savage of Buxton, would shift the conservation program to the Public Utilities Commission. Under the bill, the commission is instructed to provide customers with information about cost-effective ways to conserve energy, create market conditions that will allow for the increased use of efficient products and services and promote sustainable economic development and reduced environmental damage. The amendment encourages the commission to look in and outside the state for programs that could be of benefit to Maine customers. Given the number of federal programs available, including those in the U.S. Senate’s new energy bill, there ought to be plenty of opportunity for Maine to attract expertise and win grants to move its effort along.

It is difficult to persuade the public to pay attention to energy efficiency unless a crisis threatens to drive up energy prices. But when that happens it is almost always too late to do much except demand that Congress release more oil from the national reserve. Maine can do a lot better, and whether to save money or to help the environment, more effective energy conservation makes sense and makes Maine a more attractive place for others. Lawmakers should support LD 420 to make this happen.