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

The Gubernatorial Forum on Energy, the Environment & the Innovation Economy

On Wednesday 10/8/2014 Mass Energy Consumers Alliance “greened”* the standing-room-only Gubernatorial Forum on Energy, the Environment & the Innovation Economy co-hosted by the Environmental League of Massachusetts and several other environmental organizations. At this event Jeff McCormick (I), Martha Coakley (D), Charlie Baker (R) and Evan Falchuk (I) offered remarks and answered a few pre-determined questions regarding where they stand on key environmental and energy issues.

All of the candidates expressed some level of commitment to core issues such as investing in energy efficiency, expanding the state’s energy portfolio to include more renewable energy, reaching the emission reduction goals of the Global Warming Solutions Act and collaborating with other states on climate change. George Bachrach, president of the Environmental League of Massachusetts and emcee of the event, speaking for the hosting environmental groups, commented that all of the candidates were “closer to our views  than any slate of candidates, at least I have ever seen before, smart thoughtful candidates that I think are hearing us.” But the candidates were divided on how to achieve these goals.

Photo Blog: Reflecting on the People’s Climate March

Mass Energy’s message of clean, affordable energy was echoed by about 400,000 people on New York City on Sept. 21. The People’s Climate March was timed to coincide with a United Nations Summit on Climate Change. According to the UN, “Climate change is not a far-off problem. It is happening now and is having very real consequences on people’s lives. Climate change is disrupting national economies, costing us dearly today and even more tomorrow.  But there is a growing recognition that affordable, scalable solutions are available now that will enable us all to leapfrog to cleaner, more resilient economies.

“There is a sense that change is in the air. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has invited world leaders, from government, finance, business, and civil society to Climate Summit 2014 this 23 September to galvanize and catalyze climate action.  He has asked these leaders to bring bold announcements and actions to the Summit that will reduce emissions, strengthen climate resilience, and mobilize political will for a meaningful legal agreement in 2015. Climate Summit 2014 provides a unique opportunity for leaders to champion an ambitious vision, anchored in action that will enable a meaningful global agreement in 2015.”

Avoid carbon dioxide emissions: Doing the math on green power

If we can avoid burning fossil fuels to make electricity (or heat our homes), we can avoid carbon dioxide emissions which cause global warming.  Fortunately, we can do just that by buying green power and making our homes energy efficient.  Can we quantify the benefits of green power and efficiency?  Yes, we can!  Here’s how:

The organization that runs the New England power grid does an annual assessment of air emissions made by generators in the region.  The assessment reports on how much sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and carbon dioxide are emitted in a given year, both on average per megawatt hour and at the margin.  By “at the margin” we mean the last megawatt hour (MWh) produced.  When we consider how avoiding emissions is a benefit, we calculate the benefit by looking at the marginal rate, which is the rate associated with the last megawatt hour we are using on the New England Power grid.  For those of who are concerned about climate change, we are interested in the marginal rate of carbon dioxide emissions because we want to replace that last megawatt hour of dirty energy with something that is zero-emission.   The point is that that we claim credit for avoiding the marginal rate rather than the average rate. 

Heating System Upgrades, Step-by-step Part 2: Upgrading in Rhode Island

In a recent post we provided Massachusetts residents with a step-by-step guide to making heating system upgrades using Mass Save rebates to replace their aging heating systems with more efficient models. Rhode Island also has incentive programs available to help upgrade heating systems and make other energy efficiency improvements in Rhode Island homes. Rhode Island residents can lower their energy costs by following these steps:

Heating System Upgrades, Step-by-step Part 1: Upgrading in Massachusetts

I Want to Buy an Electric Vehicle Part 5: The Decision

Climate Change Impacts on Public Heath - Up Close and Personal

I want to buy an electric vehicle Part 4: Pursuing the Chevy Volt

Local Wind Turbine Updates in Massachusetts and Rhode Island

NOW is the time to set up your heating oil budget plan