CREARE, INC. HOSTS SHAHEEN, ENDORSES SENATOR’S ENERGY EFFICIENCY LEGISLATION

(Hanover, N.H.) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) toured local engineering research and development firm Creare, Inc. in Hanover this afternoon to highlight the company’s production of energy efficient technologies and discuss how her bipartisan energy efficiency legislation could help the firm create high-tech jobs in New Hampshire. Several provisions of Shaheen’s legislation, the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (S. 1000), were recently passed through Congress with broad bipartisan support and signed into law by President Obama.

“Creare, Inc. is a leader in the development of energy saving technologies. They are showing what is possible through a commitment to sustainable energy development,” said Shaheen. “Here in New Hampshire, we have seen companies across the state take advantage of existing energy technologies to cut their costs, strengthen their bottom lines and create jobs. I am committed to building on these efforts and expanding these opportunities in the Granite State and across the country.”

During the tour, Shaheen noted that reducing barriers to energy efficient technologies would help firms like Creare bring their products to commercial markets. This would not only help New Hampshire companies reduce their energy costs, but would also create local high-tech jobs for energy manufacturers. Though several provisions of her legislation were passed, Shaheen emphasized there was more work to be done and indicated she would reintroduce her bill this year.

“Senator Shaheen’s legislation has great potential to significantly increase the use of energy efficiency technologies throughout the US – stimulating job growth, reducing harmful power plant emissions, and aiding US energy independence,” said Bob Kline-Schoder, President of Creare. “We expect that Senator Shaheen’s legislative efforts will speed the transition of bringing our energy technologies to the commercial marketplace, which will be led by Creare’s newest sister-company, Edare Incorporated, and further strengthen the state’s high-technology and manufacturing base – leading to the creation of more high-tech jobs in New Hampshire.”

Creare, Inc. employs 120 workers in its 60,000 square foot facility in Hanover and specializes in the engineering and development of sustainable energy products. The company’s research and development projects include recovering energy from inefficient combustion, extracting energy from flowing water, optimizing the use of batteries in hybrid vehicles, and enabling next-generation wind turbines.

The provisions passed in Shaheen’s legislation focus on two important sectors of the national economy: the industrial/manufacturing sector, which accounts for 30 percent of all energy consumed in our economy and the federal government, the single largest energy user in the country.

The industrial provisions will bring together a diverse group of stakeholders – from the utility sector, government sector and manufacturing sector – to identify and address the real barriers standing in the way of deploying technologies that will help companies save and remain competitive in the global marketplace. According to a recent study by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, by 2020 the legislation could save consumers $4 billion per year and help businesses add 80,000 American jobs. The legislation has been endorsed by a coalition of more than 250 diverse businesses, trade associations and advocacy groups including the Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers and the Sierra Club.