Bass: New Hampshire Leading in Use of Energy Efficiency Technology PDF Print
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Visits companies in Manchester, Concord & Greenfield to tout Smart Energy Act

April 12, 2012

WASHINGTON – Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) visited three New Hampshire companies during the April district work period to see firsthand how they are using combined heat and power (CHP) technology and thermal heating systems to reduce energy costs and power their facilities.

This type of energy efficiency technology is a key feature of Bass' bipartisan Smart Energy Act (H.R. 4017), which will help put the federal government and many businesses on a path to reduce energy use. In its most general form, combined heat and power and waste heat recovery systems capture energy produced during electricity generation to heat additional buildings and use industrial waste heat as a fuel source to generate electricity, respectively.

As part of his energy efficiency tour, Bass visited Velcro USA in Manchester and Concord Steam Corporation last week, and stopped by Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center in Greenfield earlier this morning. Velcro USA and Concord Steam rely on CHP technology to power their facilities or produce energy for their customers; Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center uses a thermal heating system to provide heat and hot water to their facility.

Bass said:

"After meeting with business owners and speaking to employees this week, it's clear that New Hampshire is a leader when it comes to utilizing clean, efficient energy technologies. During this time of economic recovery, improving our energy efficiency is the quickest, cheapest, and cleanest way to meet our energy needs, and it's an idea that has garnered support on both sides of the aisle.

"That's why I introduced the bipartisan Smart Energy Act, to highlight these technologies and meet firsthand with New Hampshire business owners about ways we can create even more advancements in this growing field. Encouraging businesses to develop efficient technologies will ultimately help create jobs and grow the economy and help to bring the debate about energy to the demand side – instead of just focusing on supply – to the forefront."

"By setting the ambitious goal of doubling industrial energy efficiency for our nation, Congressman Bass (R-N.H.) is taking a critical step with his Smart Energy Act to make American manufacturing more competitive in the global economy," said Jan Pendlebury, New Hampshire representative of the Pew Clean Energy Program. "As we've witnessed here today, combined heat and power is a proven technology, which, when further implemented, will increase efficiency, save money and create jobs here in New Hampshire and across the country."

Bass' Smart Energy Act includes a provision that would establish a strategic plan to double the production of electricity through the use of CHP and waste heat recovery by 2020. Maximizing energy already created for both its thermal and electric generation capabilities is a core definition of efficiency.

Bass' legislation will also:

• Optimize the use of energy savings performance contracts (ESPCs) to create jobs and improve performance of federal buildings by leveraging private sector investment in public building projects.

• Direct the agencies to take common-sense first steps—such as data center consolidation, personal computer power savings techniques, and participation in utility demand-response programs—to better manage energy consumption.

• Offer an economically-viable incentive program to commercial, industrial, and municipal entities that need seed capital to fund efficiency upgrades.

For a detailed description of the Smart Energy Act, please click here.

Some photos of Bass' visits on his energy efficiency tour follows:

Velcro_USA_visit1

CAPTION FOR ABOVE PHOTO: Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) visits Velcro USA in Manchester with Mark Sawitsky, Director of Technical Services at Velcro USA and Jan Pendlebury of Pew Environment Group to examine the company's use of combined heat and power technology to fuel their facility.


Concord_Steam1

CAPTION FOR ABOVE PHOTO: Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) checks out the boiler at Concord Steam during a recent tour of the facility to highlight his energy efficiency legislation, the Smart Energy Act. Concord Steam uses biomass such as forestry waste to produce steam to heat downtown Concord and to produce electricity for sale to utilities. The ash that is leftover after the clean wood fuel is burned is sent to farms to be spread in place of lime as a soil conditioner.


Bass_at_Crotched_Mountain_resized

CAPTION FOR ABOVE PHOTO: Congressman Charles F. Bass (NH-02) and John Parisij, the Director of Buildings and Grounds at Crotched Mountain Rehabilitation Center in Greenfield, examine wood chips that are used to fuel the Center's biomass heating system. Bass and Parisi are standing under 150 tons of wood chips in the chip silo.

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