House Republican Press Release

July 26, 2007

Press Office: 860-240-8700

REP. O’NEILL: SUMMER SAVER PROGRAM CAN BENEFIT RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES

HARTFORD – State Representative Arthur O’Neill (R-Southbury) announced the Department of Public Utility Control is kicking off a 2007 Summer Saver Rewards Program, implementing legislation passed this session.

Under the Summer Saver Rewards Program, electric utility consumers whose electric energy consumption between July 1 and September 30, 2007 is at least 10% less than what the same customer used during that period in 2006, will receive a 10% credit in the generation portion of their bills.  Customer may also be able to earn credits of 15% or 20%.  The generation line item represents more than two-thirds of a typical customer’s bill. 

“The most effective way people can lower their energy bill is to conserve,” said Rep. O’Neill. “This is a good program that leads to reduced energy consumption and reduced energy bills.” 

Rep. O’Neill added that Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) recommends a number of additional ways to reduce energy consumption. One of the primary recommendations involves refrigerators, which account for about 25 percent of your electric bill. CL&P recommends ensuring that your refrigerator door is airtight by closing a dollar bill halfway in the door. If you can easily pull the dollar bill, you may need to replace the seal. Additional tips are available at: www.cl-p.com.

By reducing electric consumption, not only do consumers save money on their individual electric bills, but they reduce the load the state puts on the electric grid.  This, in turn, further reduces bills by reducing the amount of “Congestion Costs” that appear as a line item on customers’ bills.  These charges are federally mandated because Connecticut’s system is congested.

All customers are eligible to receive the credits.  Customers of both UI and CL&P should call 1- 877- WISE USE [1-877-947-3873] to enroll or receive information about the program. 

Among the things that consumers can do to reduce their electric consumption is to close blinds/curtains on the south-facing side of the house during the day, turn air conditioning temperatures up by two (2) degrees, not run air conditioning units when no one is home, turn off unused appliances and lighting, switch to energy-saving light bulbs and unplug unused electronic equipment (such as cell phone chargers) when not in use.  Business customers can turn off any unused equipment and also raise the temperature on air conditioning, as well as switch to energy efficient lighting.  Anyone thinking of purchasing an appliance for home or business should consider replacing older appliances with energy-efficient models.  More information can be found at http://ctenergyinfo.com.