It’s hard to believe that it’s already mid-September. The summer’s end is nearing, marked by the return of school buses, the winding-down of weekend farmers markets, and a familiar crisp in the morning air. While I love this time of year, it also signals the start of colder temperatures which, for many of us, brings the added financial stress of heating our homes for the winter.
Many Mainers saw their electricity and fuel costs spike significantly last winter, largely due to rising fossil fuel prices worldwide triggered by international corporate interests and global instability, including the war in Ukraine and the lingering effects of the pandemic. Unfortunately, the Maine Legislature is not able to lower international fuel prices and, since the deregulation of electricity generation and supply in Maine, we have also been limited in our ability to control the costs of electricity.
While much of the root causes of these increases were out of our control, my colleagues and I in the Legislature still took action. In recent years, we have made critical progress towards moving our state away from relying so heavily on costly fossil fuels by investing in our clean energy workforce, supporting measures to help Mainers shift to more efficient forms of heat, and taking steps to hold our utility companies accountable.
This year, we required the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to establish new accountability standards for utility reliability and customer service, including substantial mandatory financial penalties for utilities that fail to meet standards, with forced sale as the ultimate penalty for a failing utility. We also strengthened utility whistleblower protections.
The Legislature also made changes to the net energy billing program to protect Maine ratepayers while continuing to encourage solar energy development, and we established the Electric Ratepayer Advisory Council to review utility rates and come up with a plan to ensure that Mainers will always be able to afford their energy bills.
As we continue to look at ways the Legislature can address high energy costs through investments in clean energy and by making sure utilities are playing fair, there are steps you can take to make your homes more efficient and reduce your heating costs. If you’re looking to upgrade your home heating system to a more efficient model, Efficiency Maine provides great options. They offer rebates on new heat pumps of $1,200 for eligible residential properties and as much as $2,000 for low-to-moderate income households. If you’d like to learn more, visit their website at EfficiencyMaine.com.
If you need help with home heating costs this winter, the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) provides support to eligible homeowners and renters. For more information or to schedule an appointment to apply, call 207-553-5900, email energyassistance@opportunityalliance.org or go to opportunityalliance.org.
Homeowners and renters aren’t the only ones feeling the strain of high fuel costs. That’s why we also passed legislation to help small businesses struggling to get by. This bill provides a tiered credit up to $3,000 for eligible small businesses and organizations.
Families and businesses in Maine deserve to have affordable and reliable heating and electricity, and I’m proud of the steps we’ve taken in the Legislature to help secure this basic need. There is still more work to be done, but I will continue to look for ways to lower energy costs and get affordable and efficient technologies to as many Mainers as possible in the upcoming legislative session.
As always, if you have any questions or need help accessing resources to help with heating or any other issue, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Rep. Maureen “Mo” Terry, D-Gorham, is serving her third term in the Maine House of Representatives. She serves as House Chair of the Taxation Committee. She is a chef and small business owner for over 25 years. Contact her at maureen.terry@legislature.maine.gov.