The cost of energy and the green jobs machine

 By David Borden,
Guest Blogger
NH State Representative 

 

 

David Borden is a NH State Representative from New Castle.  He serves as clerk of the House Science, Technology, and Energy committee; as a state legislator, he sponsored legislation to promote the use of biodiesel in New Hampshire, authored and sponsored bills to allow towns to establish local energy commissions and municipal financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy. He chairs the Municipal Energy Working Group of the NH Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Energy Board.

New Hampshire is scratching its collective head trying to figure how to make ends meet.  43,000 people are seeking employment and thousands more are underemployed or facing immanent layoffs.  State and town budgets are no better off. Demand for health care services, homeless shelters, the education of our children, road maintenance are all rising faster than our ability to pay for them. 

However, much of the money we need to meet the needs of our citizens is leaking out of the state each year and capturing it might help us make ends meet. Waste not, want not. 

Some examples: 

We consume 300,000,000 gallons of heating oil every year in the state, at a cost of around $750,000,000.  Only about 10% of that money stays in the state and 65% or more goes out of the country. Simply Green, Proulx Oil and a few other entrepreneurs are converting waste cooking oil into Bio Heat which burns very well and cleaner in your furnace.  New England Wood Pellet uses waste wood to create pellets for heat. In both these cases, a much higher percentage of the money spent on heat stays in the state. And these companies hire New Hampshire residents and pay taxes. 

However a more immediate benefit to the state’s economy can be gained from reducing consumption. We use, on average, about twice as much fuel to heat our homes as our European counterparts. This is why so much of the stimulus funds coming into the state is for “weatherization.” Although estimates vary, it would probably take an investment of up to $5 billion (or $10,000 per house) to reduce our home heating energy consumption by 1/3.  

What does $5 billion do for NH?  Add about 62,000 jobs in the state, for one thing.    

Where are these funds going to come from? The stimulus money for energy efficiency and renewable energy (solar hot water or wood pellet furnaces) only amounts to $100 million. 

Some of the stimulus money will go into revolving funds through the Community Development Finance Agency (CDFA) (which can arrange loans) and other institutions. But most of the money will come from lending institutions like local banks and credit unions who realize that reducing fuel consumption adds value to a home. A new bill now before the legislature will permit towns to loan funds directly to homeowners under very strict guidelines.  

The best way to get started is to have an energy audit conducted on your home.  This costs about $400 and can help you determine where to invest your hard-earned dollars carefully.  If you are eligible for fuel assistance, you are probably eligible for a free audit and up to $6,000 worth of assistance in tightening up your home. 

New Hampshire can join the war on wasted energy and employ its people at the same time.  

To find out more, attend the Local Energy Solutions Conference this Saturday at the Grappone Center in Concord and see what communities are doing to reduce energy use and create more renewable energy.

Explore posts in the same categories: Carbon Management, Climate Science, Community Action, Energy Efficiency, Green Jobs, Policy

Tags: Bio Heat, biofuels, carbon footprint, Carbon Management, Energy Efficiency, energy reduction, Grappone Center, Green Jobs, Local Energy Committees, Local Energy Solutions Conference, renewable energy, sustainability, weatherization

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