By Jacob Wilson
Connecticut’s Energy Efficiency Board hosted a community engagement meeting on Sept. 25 in Milford which aimed to inform small and micro-business owners in Milford, Orange and New Haven about the energy efficiency programs available at the state level as a part of ongoing initiatives to promote clean energy in Connecticut.
The meeting, presented by the community outreach consultancy company CTR Factor and its CEO Suri Surinder, was attended by sponsors of the EnergizeCT initiative and various small businesses and organizations based in Milford, Orange and the greater New Haven area. It primarily focused on the Small Business Energy Advantage, a program designed by the EEB and its partner utilities through EnergizeCT to incentivize small business owners to make energy-saving measures. Measures might include weatherization, light and electrical refitting, refrigeration and HVAC upgrades as well as hot water service upgrades.
EnergizeCT is an initiative through the EEB to engage in energy saving measures across the state. United Illuminating, which is owned by the Orange-based energy company Avangrid, is also part of EnergizeCT.
Through the SBEA, small business owners are guaranteed a no-cost proposal through their utility company, incentives to help cover the cost of energy saving measures, support for non-English speakers hoping to take advantage of the program, and an approved, qualified contractor who will complete all necessary services.
The SBEA program is aimed at lowering operating costs and the environmental footprint of small businesses all over the state, according to the EEB and Energize CT’s website.
Dennis O’Connor, who works with contractors for Avangrid and is a 44-year former employee of the company, said, “Whether it’s your home bill or your business bill, there’s a line item in there and every month you pay to this conservation fund, so what we’re really doing is taking the money you put in there and giving it back to you in helping you save on your energy bills.”
The EEB has a board comprised of volunteers who have operated within commercial and residential energy sectors as well as community members tasked with helping to build a clean energy economy in the state. The SBEA had over 272,000 participants in its energy efficiency program in 2024, which generated $408.2 million in lifetime savings for small-business owners in the program, and reduced 98,488 short tons of annual CO2 emissions across the state, according to the statistics available through EnergizeCT’s website.
The push in Milford and other municipalities to engage small businesses in energy-saving programs comes in response to larger energy efficiency legislation happening at the state level. This includes a new law effective Oct. 1 that requires the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to establish an electric active demand and gas demand response pilot program. This pilot program would essentially be a trial completed with a small group of participating business owners and residential properties to test energy demand response systems. Utility companies would then measure how electric and gas could be used less during the busiest times of the day and year. This could also ensure the states electrical grid remains reliable and resilient to any potential surges.
The pilot program is set to be completed within the next three years, and will require the DEEP commissioner to present all findings before the Energy and Technology Committee of the state legislature. However, as a part of this law, the DEEP commissioner is allowed to direct utility companies to engage in energy saving measures and agreements with participants, which will allow programs like SBEA to assist in lowering the demand for electric and gas energy statewide. However, utility companies will also be subject to the approval of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority in any agreements they attempt to make through the pilot program.