The Road Ahead

There are many different things that BuildGreenCT is keeping its eye on in 2025, starting with the flurry of actions and announcements from the federal government including the withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement, potential funding freezes and cuts.

Much of our work and focus will be directed at the state level, working in well-established corridors with the CT Dept. of Energy & Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) and other state agencies, alongside, and in partnership with, a network of CT-based nonprofit organizations. Connecticut’s legislative session began on Jan. 5th and is scheduled to adjourn on June 4th. We’ll do our best to keep you informed of what is likely to be a rapidly-changing landscape, share major developments, and let you know how you can participate.

2025 Legislative Session’s Big Focus – Our Electric Bills

This session will be dominated by workshopping ways to reduce electric bills which will include a fight to defend the funds for energy efficiency within the public benefits charge, a charge that is presently included in Connecticut residents’ electric bills. Based on household energy usage, this charge goes towards funding clean energy, other state-mandated programs, and includes special funding for the Millstone nuclear power plant. There are many bills that have been introduced in this legislative session that seek to eliminate the public benefits charge entirely which means the Conservation and Load Management (C&LM) plan is under attack.

• BuildGreenCT, along with other organizations committed to energy efficiency, decarbonization and equity, is standing strongly behind the C&LM plan which has been in effect for 25 years.
• This plan guides the priorities, design, and incentives for the state’s energy efficiency and demand management programs.
• The C&LM plan saves money, improves resiliency and equitably reduces carbon.
  • See the FACT SHEET below for more details on this issue.
  • Attend PACE’s webinar on 2/10 to learn more and participate in the discussion.

For another angle on this issue, see this recent article from fastcompany.com that discusses the potential power that states have to make your utility bill cheaper.

More Bills We’re Watching…

Introduced by legislators who support our mission, the following list of “Concept Legislation “reflect initiatives BuildGreenCT has supported in prior legislative sessions and plans to support in this year’s session:

• HB-5930 AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE CONNECTICUT HOME ENERGY LABEL AND CREATING A TRAINING PROGRAM FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENCY PROFESSIONALS – Proposed by Rep Jonathan Steinberg
• HB-5726 AN ACT CONCERNING A STATE-WIDE BUILDING CODE CONSISTING OF MORE STRINGENT ENERGY EFFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS – Proposed by Rep Eleni Kavros Degraw
• HB-6618 AN ACT REQUIRING THE DEVELOPMENT OF A STATE-WIDE BUILDING CODE CONSISTING OF MORE STRINGENT ENERGY-EFFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS THAT MAY BE ADOPTED BY TOWNS, CITIES OR BOROUGHS – Proposed by Rep Steven Winter and Rep Mary M. Mushinsky
• HB-6027 AN ACT CREATING A STATE PROCUREMENT STANDARD FOR THE USE OF LOW-EMBODIED CARBON CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS IN CERTAIN STATE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS – Proposed by Rep Steven Winter and Rep Mary M. Mushinsky
• HB-6784 AN ACT ESTABLISHING INCENTIVES FOR CONTRACTORS TO USE LOW-EMBODIED CARBON CONCRETE – Proposed by Rep. Aimee Berger-Girvalo

The New England Heat Pump Accelerator Program aka “The Accelerator”

The Accelerator, funded by the EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grant (CPRG), is a new regional program to increase adoption of residential cold-climate heat pumps and heat pump water heaters across New England. While Connecticut is the lead state for the Accelerator, the program will also operate in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. The program will be implemented over five years across the region with a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions of over nine million tons between 2025-2050 across coalition states.

• This five-state coalition will share $450 million in grant funds to boost heat pump adoption, workforce development, and share/build knowledge and best practices.
• The funding will support three distinct hubs: Market Hub, Innovation Hub, and a Resource Hub.

In January, CT DEEP held a virtual informational meeting which included technical presentations and three rounds of public comment. Melissa Kops, BuildGreenCT’s Advocacy & Equity Community Leader and Wayne Cobleigh, Advocacy committee member, made recommendations.

Additionally, a cadre of Advocacy & Equity Community members collaborated on BuildGreenCT’s written response to CT DEEP’s Request for Information (RFI) to inform program considerations and components. The RFI was expansive and contained nearly 40 questions but responses to all questions were not expected. What you see below are the comments to the questions that BuildGreenCT responded to.

We will be receiving updates on future opportunities to engage in this program and we’ll keep you posted.

Engage with your State Legislators

Remember you can always email or call your state legislators to let them know your thoughts. They are a good place to start to understand the best way to engage with the legislature to support your priorities.

BuildGreenCT’s Build Better CT

This is where BuildGreenCT collaborates with other organizations on building sector policy initiatives.