UI, SCG Join with City of West Haven to Promote Energy Efficiency for Small Businesses in “Main Street” Event
West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer joins the UI/SCG team at Duffy’s Tavern to highlight benefits of energy efficiency upgrades to make energy bills more affordable for small businesses
For next 3 weeks, West Haven small businesses will receive up to 90% of the costs of energy efficiency upgrades in incentives following zero-cost, zero-obligation assessment
For b-roll sequence, please click HERE
WEST HAVEN, Conn. — January 31, 2025 — Today, United Illuminating (UI) and Southern Connecticut Gas (SCG), subsidiaries of Avangrid, Inc., kicked off their West Haven “Main Street” event, a 3-week long campaign to promote West Haven businesses’ participation in the EnergizeCT Small Business Energy Advantage (SBEA) program, which provides incentives for energy efficiency upgrades for small businesses across the state. Held at Duffy’s Tavern, an Irish pub and restaurant founded in 1983 that recently received energy efficiency upgrades through the SBEA program, the event also featured remarks from West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer, who emphasized the benefits of energy efficiency in bringing down costs for businesses and promoting economic development in Connecticut towns and communities.
“Energy efficiency is one of the simplest, most effective ways that each of us can take charge of our energy usage and work to lower costs while mitigating energy waste,” said Frank Reynolds, President & CEO of UI and SCG. “Spreading the word about energy efficiency to all our communities is an important responsibility we have to extend the benefits of these upgrades to all our customers, from the largest manufacturers to the smallest local businesses. I commend our team for their hard work in launching the EnergizeCT ‘Main Street’ event in West Haven, and I am grateful to the City of West Haven, including Mayor Borer, for their partnership in these important efforts.”
As part of the West Haven “Main Street” event, for the next three weeks, energy efficiency vendors with EnergizeCT, which is administered by Connecticut utilities’ energy efficiency teams, will visit small businesses throughout West Haven and perform no-cost, no-obligation energy efficiency assessments. These assessments aim to determine upgrades – for instance, transitioning their lighting to LED, adding insulation or window sealing to their facilities, or transitioning to high-efficiency appliances – that could be made to manage energy usage and subsequently bring down their energy costs. On-bill financing is also available for qualifying customers. Additionally, West Haven small businesses that take advantage of the SBEA program during the “Main Street” event will receive additional incentives, on top of those that are normally offered, to reduce up-front costs related to these upgrades, which can be up to 90% of the cost.
“West Haven is proud of its small businesses, and I’m glad that UI is providing them with access to energy efficiency upgrades that will save them money,” said West Haven Mayor Dorinda Borer. “Over the past year, my administration has pursued a number of initiatives to support our entrepreneurs and small businesses, and UI’s Small Business Energy Advantage program is one more resource to help them to start up and expand here.”
The SBEA program is a commercial energy efficiency program through EnergizeCT, an initiative of the Energy Efficiency Fund, Connecticut Green Bank, state policymakers, and local electric and gas utilities that promotes energy efficiency measures for small businesses across the state. Through the program, which is funded by a charge on customer energy bills, businesses that use less than 1,250,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually across all their Connecticut properties can receive a no-cost energy assessment, a comprehensive proposal of all eligible energy efficiency measures, incentives to cover a portion of the installed cost, and zero-interest and low-cost financing available for qualifying businesses. The “Main Street” event aims to promote the SBEA program in Environmental Justice and traditionally underserved areas of the state by offering additional incentives beyond what is normally offered through SBEA, which can be up to 90% of the up-front costs for the upgrades.
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