The Energy Consumer's Bulletin- a New England energy news blog

The Unbearable Lightness of Energy Efficiency

 

In a national ranking for energy efficiency, Massachusetts is number 1 and Rhode Island is number 3. Neither is doing enough. Please hear me out.

AG Healey’s Right About Electricity Suppliers

I had the pleasure of being at Massachusetts Attorney General (AG) Maura Healey’s press conference at which she released a report detailing how 500,000 residential consumers who chose competitive electricity suppliers have been ripped off and green-washed. 

Electric cars are getting easier to charge

The question “but where will I charge?” is one of the biggest sources of apprehension among potential electric vehicle (EV) owners. We at Mass Energy and People’s Power & Light think it doesn’t need to be. After reading this blog post, we really hope that you’ll come to agree that:

• For most of us, charging our electric car at home can be very easy.

• Today, there are already a lot of places to charge away from home – probably a lot more than most people think. And they’re easy to find.

• More public charging stations are being built every day and there are lots more coming in the next 3-5 years.

• You won’t need to charge as often as you think. Today’s all-electrics have such large ranges that you likely won’t need to charge every night, and even the plug-in hybrids available today have ranges that exceed what most of us drive in a day.

What's new with the Drive Green program

 

We launched Drive Green with Mass Energy and Drive Green with People’s Power & Light in November 2016 and have been rolling along merrily ever since. Here’s what’s new with our program and the world of electric vehicles (EVs) overall.

New Report on Green Municipal Aggregation (GMA) in Massachusetts

Municipal Aggregation is easier than it sounds. Mass Energy’s new paper explains the nuts and bolts of this bulk purchase of electricity and ways in which several Massachusetts communities are using the GMA model we helped to design to drive demand for new renewables while reducing their own carbon footprints.

Even the experts come to the Drive Green program to buy or lease electric cars

Since November 2016, we have helped hundreds of people learn about and buy or lease electric cars at significant discounts. Consumers from all walks of life have come through the Drive Green program. But some of our members, as we like to call them, have expertise in fields such as energy, climate, and electric vehicles (EVs). Here’s what a few have to say.

Working Toward a Clean, Reliable Electric Grid

On January 17, 2018, ISO New England (“ISO”) released a draft of its Operational Fuel Security Analysis. This study lays out many different possibilities for a 2024/25 winter, assessing the electric grid’s reliability under a varying array of assumptions. ISO’s main finding is clear: adding more renewables and more imports, and increasing the availability of LNG deliveries and backup oil during supply emergencies, will all contribute to improved system reliability.

Are we finally prioritizing climate? Senate Committee Releases Comprehensive Energy Bill

Earlier this week, the Massachusetts Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change released a comprehensive omnibus energy bill, An act to promote a clean energy future: to protect our public health, create jobs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The bill is a compilation of several pieces of legislation filed this session, including the important RPS & the Appliance Efficiency Standards bills, but it also reflects public input provided during a series of Clean Energy Conversations that Committee Chair Marc Pacheco hosted throughout the spring and summer. Several of the bills have received favorable recommendations from the joint energy committee of the House and Senate (read more about this below).

Appliance Standards: The mightiest energy saver you’ve never heard of

When it comes to combatting climate change, energy efficiency is our first line of defense. It is an abundant, low-cost resource capable of curbing demand, reducing emissions, and saving consumers money. When we hear “energy efficiency,” insulation and weatherization, lightbulbs and power strips immediately come to mind; but energy efficiency takes many forms, which is why appliance standards just may be the best climate and energy policy tool you’ve never heard of.

It’s cold outside. What about EVs?

As you may have noticed, it's gotten to be *really* cold recently. Electric vehicle (EV) performance does change in winter, but so does that of gas-powered cars.