Noticias
y campañas
de la OCA
en español
In 2000, Vermont instituted an aggressive program to reduce statewide energy consumption. In the eight years since, it has proven to be one of the country's most innovative and successful conservation initiatives. But that progress has not been easy, or cheap, and there is still a long way to go.
An Innovative Program
Vermont now spends more than any other state - $46 per person each year - to eliminate energy waste.
"Efficiency is actually the cheapest resource we have to meet our electric service needs," says Blair Hamilton, director of Efficiency Vermont.
Efficiency Vermont is a nonprofit consulting group established by the Vermont Legislature in 2000. Funded by a fee tacked on to Vermont electricity bills, the group works with every category of electricity user in the state - residential, commercial and industrial. Through a combination of financial assistance and expertise, the group helps its clients drive down the quantity of electricity they use, striving to improve the state's environment and economy.
One of Efficiency Vermont's clients, Hazelett Strip-Casting Corp., has a small factory that produces machines used by sheet-metal manufacturers. Hazelett uses a lot of energy to run its factory, but not as much as it once did. Efficiency Vermont engineers have been in and out of Hazelett's factory, finding ways to help the company reduce its electricity use.
"When we went through this whole audit," says the factory's facilities manager Alan Landry, "we really learned at that time we weren't running these [machines] as efficiently as possible."
With Efficiency Vermont's help, the company replaced some of its biggest and oldest machines with much more efficient models The efficiency experts also went after 97 old energy-hogging light fixtures in the factory. With consultation from Efficiency Vermont, the factory is now brightly lit with super-efficient fluorescent bulbs. Landry says the lights save energy and make it easier for people to see their work.
Full Story: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92987505
