Upcoming
Training
Opportunity
Continuing Education Units and other education credits are available for the following training sessions.
You can obtain information on these programs through the website or by contacting Joy Adamson
at 207-287-8350.
December 5 – 7
Fundamentals of Lighting Efficiency
Augusta, ME
Upcoming
Trade Show
December 11 - 12
Rural Water Association Trade Show
Freeport Hilton Garden Inn
Freeport, ME
Easy Links
Each E-News will provide easy links for your review:
PROGRAM CHANGES
EFFECTIVE 2/1/07
EFFICIENCY MAINE
2006 ANNUAL REPORT
We're helping SMALL businesses
plug into BIG savings
with FREE energy audits
and low-interest loans!
Efficiency Maine knows the importance of small businesses to our prosperity, and the challenges they face competing in today's global economy. So we're now offering a special Small Business Program to help them conserve energy and save money... without requiring a lot of their precious time or resources. The key components are:
- FREE audits for companies without in-house expertise to evaluate their energy-efficiency opportunities;
- Low-interest loans (currently at 3%) to help small businesses pay for new energy-efficient lighting, motors, HVAC, refrigeration and controls; and,
- Small businesses can also qualify for our direct cash incentives, and don't need prior approval for incentives under $1,000.
Our Small Business Program is open to Maine commercial, non-profit and manufacturing facilities with fewer than 50 employees or less than $5 million in annual sales. Encourage your customers to apply for the FREE audits as the first step to a more energy-efficient and more productive workplace! For complete details and applications, contact Shirley Bartlett at (207) 287-3318 or shirley.bartlett@maine.gov
CFLs, all Grown Up:
Introducing the new GU24 CFL
lamp/ballast assembly
Maine homes and businesses have already saved millions of dollars by installing CFLs in their original two forms: screw-in bulbs used in Edison base fixtures, or pin-based lamps used in fixtures with hardwired ballasts. Now, a new generation of CFL lighting offers even more flexibility: the new GU24 two-piece CFL lamp/ballast assembly.
In a GU24 fixture, an electronic ballast clicks into a special socket that accepts only GU24 ballasts. When the lamp burns out and is recycled, the ballast can remain in place. Only the lamp is replaced, which can be selected from a variety of wattages.
We encourage all allies to stock and promote the installation of new GU24 light fixtures rather than the old Edison fixture. The GU24 bayonet socket prevents inefficient incandescent lamps from ever being installed, which ensures that the customer will always reap the benefits of fluorescent technology: a 75% reduction in electrical consumption; and an eight-fold reduction in maintenance costs owing to the 6,000 - 10,000-hour lamp life.
The two key advantages of GU24s over the other types of CFL fixtures are:
- Several different lamp wattages - 13, 18, 23, and 27 - can be installed, varying fixture brightness without changing the ballast;
- Ballasts, which typically last several times longer than lamps, are retained when lamps burn out and are recycled, saving materials and money.
Watch for more news about the growing importance of GU24s next month!