In collaboration with Vermont homeowners and city and town energy committees, Efficiency Vermont is currently hosting four energy efficiency "Open Homes" across the state. These Open Homes primarily highlight the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® program, which helps homeowners determine, with the aid of a certified contractor, how to make improvements around a home that will save energy, and ultimately save money.

The Open Homes are free and open to public and provide Vermont homeowners with an inside peek at how local homes are achieving greater energy efficiency. At the home, attendees can join a one-hour tour during which they see an overview of energy efficiency tests and measures as well as the highlights of a home energy audit. For example, a blower door test will show attendees how contractors determine the air tightness of a home and where a home is losing energy.

Other elements of the home tour include a video presentation, a raffle of energy-efficient products, refreshments, children's activities and various displays of new technologies. Multiple tours are offered throughout the three-hour time span and all attendees receive a $150 rebate for the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® program.

To help meet Governor Deval Patrick's ambitious energy efficiency goals in the face of economic downturn, for a limited time NSTAR will be offering a 50-percent increase in energy efficiency incentives for several 2010 Retrofit and New Construction applications:

• Lighting (excludes Product Codes 30C, 34, 80, 81, 82, 83)
• Motors & Variable Speed Drives
• Variable Speed Drives
• Vending Machine & Cooler Sensor
• Compressed Air

This offer is available for projects with completed applications submitted by August 1, 2010 and installed by September 30, 2010.

To participate, please submit a completed eligible application by August 1. You do not have to recalculate the incentives on the application; NSTAR will conduct the normal review of the applications and send a pre-approval letter to both the customer and vendor noting both incentive levels.

For more information, visit http://www.nstar.com/business/energy_efficiency/stimulus/default.asp.

The Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) recently introduced the Business Sustainability Challenge (BSC) Pilot Program. Through this new program, CEEF strives to partner with and respond to the evolving needs of Connecticut's energy users by utilizing both incentive programs and education to help businesses maximize their environmental, social and economic value.

The BSC pilot program has been developed to assist Connecticut businesses make sustainability and strategic energy and carbon management integral parts of their business practices, corporate culture and business strategy. The BSC aims to help commercial and industrial businesses realize sustained benefits through training and education, continuous operational improvement, strategy development and systemic behavioral change. Through participation, these businesses acquire the information and tools to identify opportunities for improved management of their energy use, water use, supply chain, waste streams and transportation.

BSC integrates sustainability education with existing programs and tools to facilitate the development of a continuous energy and carbon management program and a business sustainability strategy that will help each participating business reduce energy costs and environmental impacts, and increase productivity and competitiveness. These benefits, in turn, will drive the business' social, environmental and financial performance, leading to greater value for the business and its stakeholders.

Fun Fact: Bigelow Tea, one of NEEP's 2010 Business Leaders for Energy Efficiency, is a BSC participant.

Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund Sponsors Traveling Energy Exhibit

Connecticut's Energy Efficiency Fund is committed to educating school-age students, teachers and parents about the importance of energy conservation and efficient technologies. As part of this educational outreach, the Energy Efficiency Fund has sponsored the development, fabrication and tour of an educational mobile lab across the state of Connecticut from March 1, 2010 to December 2012.

This mobile lab-Conservation Quest was designed by educators at the Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, Connecticut in conjunction with the Energy Efficiency Fund's eesmarts program. Conservation Quest is a small portable exhibit that promotes energy conservation, clean energy, efficient light bulbs (compact fluorescents and LEDs), recycling, and more. The portable design of the exhibit allows it to travel to Connecticut schools, nature centers, libraries and shopping malls for typically one to two weeks at a time. Due to the Energy Efficiency Fund's sponsorship, it is available for free to all Connecticut entities.

Conservation Quest was unveiled at Rogers Elementary Magnet School in Stamford, CT on March 3. The environmental magnet school was the perfect place to unveil the latest educational exhibit on energy supported by the Energy Efficiency Fund. The exhibit has been a huge hit in Connecticut's educational and environmental communities and is completely booked through June 2011.