EAST PROVIDENCE — When Bob Lyons got the estimate for weatherizing the cozy Cape he shares in Rumford with his wife and two teenage daughters, one figure jumped out — two years.
That’s the amount of time it will take for the savings on their energy bills to pay back the costs of the improvements, which include adding insulation and sealing doors and windows.
“It seems like a no-brainer as far as getting the money back,” said Lyons, a teacher and coach at Riverside Middle School.
It’s just that message — that energy efficiency makes sense financially — that U.S. Sen. Jack Reed is trying to spread. He was at the Lyons’ home on Monday to draw attention not only to Rhode Island’s efficiency program, which is among the strongest in the nation, but also to push for passage of federal legislation that would expand efforts across the country to conserve energy.
The energy-efficiency bill put forward by Senators Jean Shaheen, D-N.H., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio, stalled in the spring amid debates over other energy issues, including the Keystone XL pipeline.
But Reed said the bill is still under consideration this summer. He argued for doing more to promote efficiency and pointed to the Lyons’ situation. Insulating their house will help cut the family’s energy bills. The work also supports local jobs.
“It helps the family,” Reed said. “It helps the economy.”
Energy auditors from Cranston-based RISE Engineering inspected the Lyons home and wrote a list of potential improvements. The total bill for the work is about $4,000, but the family will qualify for about $1,400 from a state energy efficiency fund that is supported by a surcharge on electric and natural gas ratepayers in Rhode Island. National Grid will finance the remainder through a no-interest loan.
The estimated savings on the Lyons’ heating and electric bills will be about $1,300 a year. And as part of the audit, the family was given $470 worth of high-efficiency light bulbs.
“We have a hard time with the bills,” said Mary Lyons, a nurse. “With ways like this we can save more.”
Thousands of homeowners and businesses have used the state efficiency program to make improvements, leading to total savings on gas and electricity of $25 million a year.
Timothy F. Horan, president of National Grid in Rhode Island, which manages the program with oversight by a state committee, said every ratepayer should explore their options.
“It’s really worth it for everyone to take advantage of these programs,” he said. “It makes sense. You save energy.”
“This is the fabric of Rhode Island,” said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) about Block Island. “I often tell people to come to the island. It’s a wonderful place to live and visit. I think it’s one of the loveliest places in the country.”
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