HARRISBURG – Environmental Protection Secretary Kathleen A. McGinty today said the commonwealth wants to make it easier for residents to invest in high-efficiency appliances and systems that will help them save money on monthly utility bills by reducing energy consumption.
“Pennsylvania is helping its residents make smart energy choices part of their daily lives,” said McGinty, who visited the Susquehanna Township home of Ruth and Norma Ulmer. The Ulmer sisters used a Keystone Home Energy Loan Program, or Keystone HELP, loan to buy a high-efficiency furnace that reduced their heating oil consumption by 47 percent, going from 1,043 gallons used in 2005-06 to 556 gallons this winter. The change saved the Ulmers more than $1,500 over last year’s bill — a savings that is all the more important as energy prices continue to climb.
McGinty discussed how Gov. Edward G. Rendell’s Energy Independence Strategy places an emphasis on energy conservation and encourages consumers to replace inefficient appliances with newer models and install advanced solar technology to produce electricity for a home or small business.
“A key component of Rendell’s Energy Independence Strategy is for residential consumers and businesses to identify areas where they can reduce energy consumption or create their own power,” said McGinty. “Solar panels, energy-efficient appliances, and furnaces that are light on fuel consumption can go a long way toward meeting those goals.”
Rendell’s Energy Independence Strategy is designed to achieve three key goals:
1 Save consumers $10 billion in energy costs over the next 10 years;
2 Reduce Pennsylvania’s reliance on foreign fuels and increase the state’s clean energy production capacity; and
3 Expand Pennsylvania’s energy production and energy technology sectors to create more jobs.
The Governor’s initiative will provide consumers and small businesses with $244 million in new funding to help purchase and install state-of-the-art energy technology. The Energy Independence Strategy will offer consumers rebates of up to 50 percent on the cost of solar power systems and rebates of $100 each on high-efficiency refrigerators and room air conditioners. Rebates would be provided for customers turning in old, inefficient air conditioners and refrigerators — two of the biggest energy-using appliances in the home — for new models that use at least 15 percent less energy.
The creation of the “Pennsylvania Sunshine” program will help residents pay for up to 50 percent of the cost of installing solar panels on their home or small business. At current electricity rates, the average household could save about $300 a year with a 2.5 kW system, or solar panels that generate about one-quarter of the electricity consumed in the home. The Energy Independence Strategy would allow consumers to have smart meters installed in their home, providing a new tool to reduce energy spending. Smart meters enable customers to use less electricity during peak times, when electricity is most expensive, and can save customers up to 15 percent on annual electricity costs.
While significant pieces of the Energy Independence Strategy have been introduced as legislation in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, the Keystone HELP program already exists to help consumers upgrade the energy efficiency of their homes.
In 2006, the Pennsylvania Treasury Department partnered with AFC First Financial and the Pennsylvania sustainable energy funds to expand Keystone HELP statewide, which, at the time, was a pilot program limited to a few counties. Treasury committed up to $20 million to help homeowners borrow money at low interest rates to purchase energy efficient heating systems and make other home improvements that conserve energy and reduce heating and cooling costs. The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority also invested $500,000 to help secure those loans for low-income customers.
“I am very excited about Treasury’s continuing investment in the Keystone HELP program, which has already lent almost $7.5 million to help more than 1,200 Pennsylvania families reduce their energy costs through the installation of high-efficiency appliances,” said State Treasurer Robin L. Wiessmann. “We look forward to Keystone HELP playing an important role in Governor Rendell’s Energy Independence Strategy in the months and years ahead.”
Keystone HELP loans can be used to purchase solar panels, furnaces and boilers, thermostats and controls, central and window air conditioning units, ventilation systems, insulation, windows, doors, and lighting equipment and controls.
For more information on the Energy Independence Strategy, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, and for more information on Keystone HELP visit www.keystonehelp.com.