NC Newsline – Energy and utility costs are a major concern for North Carolinians, with more than half saying they’re unaffordable. But the state is making strides towards energy efficiency and lowering costs for residents, Gov. Josh Stein said on Tuesday.
Energy Saver North Carolina, a federally funded program targeting home efficiency, is now available to eligible applicants in all 100 counties, the governor told reporters at a press conference.
Stein said the program is a win for families who participate as well as the contractors who will do the work.
“[Families] get significant savings for upgrading their appliances and HVAC system, and then they save thousands of dollars on their utility bills over time,” he said. “By funding these upgrades, we’re keeping [contractors] working and supporting roughly 2,300 jobs.”
As more households take advantage of the program, Stein said, it should benefit the environment by reducing carbon emissions and carbon pollution, and help ease strain on the energy grid. That issue has drawn attention lately with Duke Energy asking customers to reduce usage during recent winter weather events, lowering the risk of blackouts.
Energy Saver NC’s funding of $208 million through 2031 will cover two types of rebates to eligible households, which is determined through how much energy is expected to be saved and household income. The first type offers up to $16,000 for home efficiency upgrades like installing energy-efficient HVAC units. The second provides up to $14,000 for new appliances, such as electric stoves, that are more energy-efficient.
“In addition to helping families save energy and money, these energy efficiency measures will make their homes more comfortable and healthier,” Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Reid Wilson said. “We will be creating less air pollution and less carbon emissions.”
The program initially launched in a few counties last January, and continued expanding across the state. Last month, the final two counties and the state’s largest, Mecklenburg and Wake, joined.
In the past year, Wilson said the program has received 4,818 applications. Of those, 1,709 have been approved, and there’s an estimated $770,000 worth of projects in 51 households.
“Energy Saver North Carolina allows everyday people to see clean-energy technology in their homes,” Mozine Lowe, executive director of the Center for Energy Education, said.
Out of all applications to the program, about 800 come from Halifax County, where Lowe works. She’s been instrumental in spreading the word and encouraging participation.
Stein said the demand for power is expected to continue to grow as more businesses and people move to North Carolina. More data centers, which consume massive amounts of power, are also being proposed across the state,.
“What we can do is make sure that whatever new costs are needed, whether it’s in terms of generation of new power or transmission of that power by those data centers, they should bear the cost,” Stein said. “We should not be raising the cost of power on regular residential folk because of these new additional data centers.”
In addition to providing updates on energy policy, Stein announced the launch of the 100strong.nc.gov dashboard, which allows the public to see how their county is is benefitting from new jobs, medical debt relief and summer food assistance for children.
“We live in times when many people are disillusioned with government. They don’t always know if the people they elect are serving and working on their behalf,” Stein said. “As leaders, we have transparency on the progress we’re making.”
