Augusta
$80,512 in energy grants awarded to four area towns

By JONATHAN THOMAS
The Maine Public Utilities Commission announced February 12 that Brooklin, Brooksville, Blue Hill and Sedgwick are among the 34 municipalities and one county that have each been awarded $10,000 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants in the “Template Project” category.

The town of Brooksville has also been awarded a grant of $40,512 in the “Custom Project” category, one of 41 such grants awarded. This project will allow town residents to obtain a thermal picture showing heat loss of their home with information about energy savings opportunities that can be realized from weatherization upgrades. The grant monies will also provide for weatherization of five homes and full energy audits of ten homes as well as the thermal camera survey work, according to Ralph Chapman, the Brooksville resident who formed an energy interest group to develop the project.

The project involves a partnership including the quarterly publication of Brooksville Friends and Neighbors, the Breeze, which will be used to convey details of the project to every household in Brooksville and invite participation (at no cost) from town residents.

As reported in the November 19 issue of The Weekly Packet, the citizens group Peninsula Power prepared the template project grant applications on behalf of the four towns. The $10,000 grants will be used to conduct energy surveys, feasibility studies of Peninsula Power’s community wind energy project, public awareness and education of energy efficiency and conservation, and more.

The source of the funds is a U.S. Department of Energy award to Maine and other states under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

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