SHAHEEN UNDERSCORES COST SAVINGS OF BIPARTISAN ENERGY EFFICIENCY LEGISLATION DURING TOUR OF NASHUA FARMERS EXCHANGE

(Nashua, NH) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) toured the Nashua Farmer Exchange this afternoon to highlight the economic benefits of her bipartisan energy efficiency bill and learn how New Hampshire BetterBuildings has helped individuals and consumers in New Hampshire reduce their energy use. Nashua Farmers Exchange is one of the many companies in the Granite State that has partnered with New Hampshire BetterBuildings to facilitate the use of energy efficient technology.

Shaheen has been a leader on energy efficiency policy throughout her career and is the co-author of the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, a bill that promotes the use of energy efficient technologies like those offered through BetterBuildings. The bill was passed through the Senate Energy Committee on a strong bipartisan vote of 19-3 last week and has received resounding support from a broad coalition of business, labor and environmental leaders.

“Nashua Farmers Exchange serves as a great example of how investing in energy efficient technologies and committing to sustainable development can create real energy savings for local companies,” Shaheen said. “With the help of BetterBuildings initiatives, Nashua Farmers Exchange has seen the real benefits of dramatically lower energy costs. When companies cut energy costs, they strengthen their bottom lines and can grow and create new jobs. I am committed to expanding these opportunities throughout New Hampshire and across the country.”

New Hampshire BetterBuildings is part of a U.S. Department of Energy program that encourages individuals and business owners to invest in energy retrofits to their homes, offices, stores and warehouses. The three year program has operated in Nashua, Plymouth and Berlin. Using federal funding and local partnerships, NH BetterBuildings has made energy efficient projects possible in approximately 800 homes and more than 1 million square feet of commercial space.

The Shaheen-Portman legislation offers a deficit-neutral framework designed to promote the transition to a more energy efficient economy while driving economic growth and encouraging private sector job creation. 

The bipartisan bill, which builds upon several Shaheen-Portman energy provisions that were signed into law last year, uses a variety of low-cost tools to reduce barriers for private sector energy users and will drive adoption of off-the-shelf efficiency technologies among the largest energy consumers.  A study by experts at the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy found that last year’s version would have saved consumers $4 billion by 2020 and helped businesses add 80,000 jobs to the economy.