MAYS LANDING - Atlantic City Electric has proposed a suite of energy efficiency programs that will provide all its customers with the tools they need to take control of their energy usage and save money.
In a proposal to the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, the company outlined its plans to provide residential and business customers with no-cost energy assessments, an array of incentives for energy efficiency upgrades, rebates on energy-efficient products, and a variety of other offerings to help them use less energy. These offerings are designed to achieve the Clean Energy Act's energy savings goal and help New Jersey meet its leading climate goals for a clean and sustainable energy future for all New Jerseyans. In total, Atlantic City Electric's proposed programs are expected to save customers more than $550 million.
The proposed programs include offerings for all customers, including every size business, renters and homeowners, single-family homes and multifamily buildings, as well as offerings dedicated to households with limited incomes. Whether customers are just getting started or are ready for deep energy savings, the company has proposed a variety of offerings to meet customers' needs. A breakdown of offerings is available here.
We cannot achieve a clean energy future without robust energy efficiency offerings that help all our customers save money and energy, said Gary Stockbridge, Atlantic City Electric region president. With cost-effective energy efficiency programs, all our customers benefit. Not only will customers have numerous opportunities to save money, but we can also create clean, sustainable jobs, help improve equity in our communities, combat the effects of climate change and improve air quality in our neighborhoods.
More certified professionals and skilled trade workers will be needed to launch these programs and complete energy efficiency projects across the region. Atlantic City Electric plans to invest $600,000 in workforce development efforts to support local workers and new businesses. The company will also adjust its existing workforce development programs to support careers in energy efficiency.
We are committed to ensuring new jobs in the energy efficiency sector are filled locally and equitably across the communities we serve and that our programs help grow local, diverse and minority-owned businesses, Stockbridge said.
Atlantic City Electric designed nearly one-third of its proposed offerings to meet the needs of households with limited incomes. Offerings include rebates for income-qualified customers on specific products and no-cost home energy checkups. In addition, the company is proposing a weatherization program that will install up to $7,500 in home energy retrofits at no cost for households with moderate incomes that are currently unable to participate in the Comfort Partners program.
Atlantic City Electric's proposed programs will also improve air quality in South Jersey. By significantly reducing customer energy demands, the programs will reduce local air pollution and improve the health of communitiesespecially communities of color, which disproportionately suffer the effects of poor air quality. The programs are expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 million tonsthe equivalent of removing nearly 300,000 cars from the road for one yearand reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by 885 tons and nitrous oxide emissions by 783 tons.
If approved by the BPU, the company will work with a number of local and regional vendors to begin offering initial programs starting in July 2021.
Based on the current proposal, the typical residential customer would see a 30-cent increase on their monthly bill in the first year of the programs. Customers who participate in the programs are expected to see a net savings on their energy bills. The company's cost-benefit analyses show that the programs' costs will be more than offset by savings and benefits for customers gained through bill savings for participating customers, economic growth and reduced pollution. In fact, for every dollar invested in these energy efficiency programs, Atlantic City Electric customers will receive nearly $4 in benefits.
For more information, see atlanticcityelectric.com.
