New Hampshire Businesses Call for Strong Energy Efficiency Programs to Drive Economic Recovery

February 11, 2021, /3BL Media/ - More than two dozen New Hampshire businesses offered their support today for accelerating energy efficiency investments in the Granite State by increasing the state’s energy-efficiency resource standard (EERS).  

Filtrine, Garland Mill, Lonza, Stonyfield Organic, and Worthen Industries are among the businesses that signed the letter submitted today to the New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission for consideration in their decision to increase the EERS as part of the 2021-2023 Statewide Energy Efficiency Plan. If approved, New Hampshire would increase energy-saving targets for electric and gas utilities to 4.5% and 2.8%, respectively. Achieving these targets will reduce carbon emissions equivalent to removing nearly one million cars from New Hampshire’s roads for one year and result in customer energy cost savings of more than $1.1 billion over the lifetime of the program’s measures.

“As one of the world’s leading providers for medicines with a key role in delivering a vaccine to combat COVID-19, Lonza has a long-standing commitment to improving lives as well as to safety and sustainability,” said Mark Caswell associate director of engineering & facilities at Lonza. “As an established New Hampshire business, we have set long-term goals to improve our sustainability performance and reduce our environmental footprint. We are committed to sustainable development including striving to reduce our use of natural resources such as water and energy, our carbon footprint and the generation of waste. We want to bring sustainable value for our community and this commitment is a core part of the ethical principles that drive us.”

“Policies that incentivise investment in energy efficiency are critical to keeping New Hampshire businesses competitive in a region where neighboring states are doubling down on energy efficiency investments,” said Dennis Sasseville, director of corporate sustainability & quality systems at Worthen Industries. 

Utility modeling shows that while an increased EERS would lead to an immediate increase in  electricity rates, it would ultimately create significant long-term savings in electricity costs for the majority of New Hampshire’s commercial and industrial customers. This will create more resources for companies to reinvest back into their business, employees and local communities. In addition, a stronger EERS would support 9.4 million work hours at some of the state’s highest paying jobs. New Hampshire boasts nearly 12,000 energy efficiency jobs, most of which are hands-on so cannot be easily outsourced and have salaries that are 50% higher than the state’s average.

“Investments in energy efficiency can support job growth and be part of New Hampshire’s economic recovery from the impacts of COVID-19 while reducing future energy costs,” said Lisa Drake, director of sustainability innovation at Stonyfield Organic. “From Stonyfield’s long term commitment to energy efficiency, we know the value it delivers over time.” 

The proposal to increase the state’s EERS also aligns with the New Hampshire Clean Energy Principles. Ceres and New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility organized more than 120 local businesses representing the manufacturing, health, hospitality, financial services and agricultural sectors in the Granite State to sign these principles in 2019. The principles call for strong state policies to enhance access to energy efficiency as a way to reduce energy costs and support locally produced clean energy resources—keeping energy dollars in New Hampshire’s economy. 

About Ceres

Ceres is a sustainability nonprofit organization working with the most influential investors and companies to build leadership and drive solutions throughout the economy. For more information, visit ceres.org and follow @CeresNews.

About NHBSR

New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility is a non-profit business organization convening, inspiring and supporting their network to advance environmental, workplace and community engagement initiatives in New Hampshire. For more information, visit www.nhbsr.org and follow @NHBSR.