MMWEC Municipal Utlities Receive First-Time State Energy Efficiency Grant

A first-time grant of $200,000 from the state Department of Energy Resources (DOER) will enable three municipal utilities and the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC) to expand energy efficiency programs for their commercial and industrial customers.

Using the MMWEC energy efficiency program model, the MMWEC member utilities in Westfield, Chicopee and Ipswich received grants totaling $142,500, primarily to bolster customer rebate programs that offset the cost of making energy efficiency improvements. MMWEC received a grant of $7,500 to promote its energy efficiency program and assist municipal utilities with delivery of related customer services.

"This grant is certainly a welcome contribution to expanding the energy efficiency services provided by these municipal utilities," said MMWEC Chief Executive Officer Ronald C. DeCurzio. "We are hoping the allocation of these funds can be expanded in the future to benefit additional municipal utilities and their customers," he said.

MMWEC coordinated the competitive grant application process for its member utilities in Westfield, Chicopee and Ipswich, while the Reading municipal utility also received funding for an energy-saving water heating program. The MMWEC members will use the grants to increase rebates and energy audit funding for commercial and industrial customers. Generally, the efficiency measures covered include improvements in heating and cooling, windows, boilers and furnaces, lighting, energy monitoring systems and insulation.

"There is no cheaper or cleaner fuel than fuel we don’t use, and I applaud these utilities for taking the initiative to expand that model," said Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard K. Sullivan, Jr.

The grants are funded through proceeds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a regional cap-and-trade emissions reduction program that has generated more than $150 million for Massachusetts through the sale of emission allowances. The cost of these allowances is reflected in regional electricity prices for all consumers, and until now, municipal utilities were barred from receiving RGGI grants.