Gov. Malloy released a statement earlier this month reminding residents that hurricane season is upon us, and to be prepared by stocking up on bottled water, canned goods and flashlights with extra batteries.
Residents of coastal Connecticut know all too well the damage that hurricanes can do. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy knocked out power to 600,000 people and flooded homes and businesses in Westport, Norwalk and Fairfield. It was merely a matter of luck of the storm’s timing that Connecticut was spared the battering suffered by New York and New Jersey.
Climate scientists tell us that thanks to global warming, storms such as Sandy are more frequent as well as fierce. “Extreme weather” is the new normal, such that destructive “100-year” storms occur more often — even multiple times during our lifetime.
It is beyond dispute by reputable scientists that global warming and associated severe weather is caused by human activities releasing large amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, largely from burning fossil fuels to produce energy.
Although global warming impacts — more frequent destructive storms, deadly heat waves and rapid sea level rise — are here to stay, we can still take action to avoid the worst effects. And to their credit, Connecticut political and business leaders are making enormous strides to do just that.
The single most cost effective way to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases we pump into the atmosphere is to increase energy efficiency. Connecticut residents and businesses currently spend about $400 million more than they should on electricity each year — and waste even more on unnecessary natural gas and heating oil purchases caused by inefficiency.
To address this, last year the Connecticut legislature and Malloy agreed to double funding for electric and natural gas energy efficiency programs. These programs assist homeowners to weatherize their doors and attics; businesses to upgrade to LED lighting; and municipal buildings to install new efficient boilers and windows. For example, Stew Leonard’s in Newington used efficiency program funding to help replace HVAC units with high efficiency units, and install new refrigerated cases with night curtain LED fixtures and high efficiency motors.
Bigelow Tea in Fairfield retrofitted a warehouse with efficiency, and installed a new cooling tower and air compressor, resulting in annual savings of 310,000 kilowatt-hours.
And Connecticut Children’s Medical Center invested in lighting upgrades, weatherization improvements and pipe and valve insulation that save the hospital 800,000 kilowatt-hours every year, allowing their energy bill savings to fund the care of young patients.
Together these energy savings can power over one hundred homes for a year.
So this hurricane season, do follow the governor’s advice and take all recommended precautions to keep your family safe. But also think about this expanded definition of hurricane protection: Contacting EnergizeCT for an energy assessment of your home or business; replacing that old boiler or refrigerator for an energy efficient one; installing insulation on your doors, windows and pipes and install high efficiency lighting.
Susan E. Coakley is the executive director of Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, a regional nonprofit that works to increase and coordinate energy efficiency and market transformation efforts in the northeast.
