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06/14/2023 08:54 AMThe Town of Guilford and SmartPower, the nation’s leading non-profit marketing organization dedicated to promoting clean energy and energy efficiency, will soon officially launch the PowerSmart Campaign in Guilford. PowerSmart is a unique community outreach campaign managed by SmartPower and designed to present Connecticut homeowners with various opportunities and choices available to them to own Solar+Storage, which allows residents to convert sunlight into electrical energy and store that energy in a battery for use at a later time. The combination of these technologies lets residents be more self-sufficient and control their own energy use.
Residents can visit https://powersmartguilford.wee.green/ to learn more about the campaign, how they can participate, and how they can take more control of their home energy by going solar+storage.
“Guilford has been leading the way in helping residents to make smart energy choices,” said First Selectman Matt Hoey. “Now we’re pleased to help accelerate the transition to solar plus energy storage in our homes. This combination helps to provide greater independence and autonomy with respect to personal energy use.”
Guilford is among the first communities to launch a PowerSmart campaign in Connecticut. Over the years, the Town has achieved an impressive record as an environmental leader, including the Silver-level designation from Sustainable CT and a highly successful Heat Smart Connecticut campaign.
Homeowners can review details online at www.energystoragect.com or email powersmart@smartpower.org.
The Energy Storage Solutions program, administered by CT Green Bank and Eversource, offers residents the opportunity to receive a generous upfront rebate incentive for agreeing to have their batteries partially drawn down during certain summer “peak demand” days and for a handful of days during the winter.
Customers will get payments each year based on the amount of electricity that is drawn from their batteries, thus helping to ease the strain on the grid. There are safeguards in place so that draw-downs are suspended in the event of a potential power outage. Homeowners who purchase a battery system can choose not to participate in this powersharing program.
By doing so, they would forego the state incentives but would be free to use their stored power however they deem fit. However, both solar energy and battery storage systems are eligible for a 30% federal tax credit pursuant to the Inflation Reduction Act.
Overall, PowerSmart campaigns will be conducted in 28 cities and towns in Connecticut under a grant from the US Department of Energy and featuring a team led by Yale School of the Environment, New York University Stern School of Business, SmartPower, and others.
Already, nearly 200 homeowners have taken advantage of a previous version of CT’s Solar+Storage program. “Our residents will be putting more clean energy into the grid, thereby helping to ensure that our community has the energy we need when we want it,” concluded First Selectman Matt Hoey.
Additional information: About SmartPower SmartPower is the nation’s leading non-profit marketing organization dedicated to promoting clean energy and energy efficiency. SmartPower’s community campaigns for energy efficiency and clean energy engage local partners from the municipal, business, private and non-profit sectors in order to promote behavior change and measurable energy actions. SmartPower is leading the PowerSmart Campaign, which is intended to accelerate the adoption of battery storage throughout the region. For more information, please visit www.smartpower.org.