Grant program partners with energy education course
DOVER—It’s an old saying: Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
It’s also the premise behind a new grant being offered by Chesapeake Utilities’ nonprofit SHARING Program. The $100 Energy Conservation Grant is available to income-eligible customers who complete an approved energy conservation course at one of the Community Energy Centers managed through a partner agency, First State Community Action Agency. The CECs are funded by The Delaware Sustainable Energy Utility, in partnership with the Energy Coordinating Agency, with a goal of improving the delivery of low-income energy services in Delaware.
The two agencies began working on the program last winter: Chesapeake’s SHARING Program had been seeking creative ways to provide help with utility bills for income-eligible customers; and the CEC had just received its own grant to develop a training program to help low-income families better manage their energy usage. It was a perfect fit, said Shane Breakie, director, Energy Services, for Chesapeake and president of the nonprofit Chesapeake Emergency Energy Recipient Program, which oversees the SHARING Program.
“We’re in a small area, and we’re in the same circles,” Breakie told American Gas. “As soon as the First State Community Action Agency said it was working on this program, we then worked together to figure out how Chesapeake Utilities could help to incentivize people to go through the training.” While the agency handles the vetting, it and the utility work together to market the program to income-eligible customers.
Led by CEC staff, the Energy Conservation course features a mock home setting, including a mock kitchen and appliances, so customers can walk through and practice ways to reduce energy usage. The training also reviews how to properly budget and manage energy bills. Customers who complete the training receive a $100 benefit on their bills from Chesapeake’s SHARING Program.
The program launched in February, and in just the first month, 25 families participated. The first recipient of the Energy Conservation Grant was a veteran with health issues undergoing financial difficulties. “Not only was the energy education very valuable to help the family gain control of their energy usage, [but] the Energy Conservation Grant was able to bring the family’s utility account to a more manageable condition,” said Angela Bivens, program coordinator of the Community Energy Centers.
“To me, the education of how to manage your energy bills is more important than someone just receiving a grant, because it has long-term benefits,” added Breakie. “So, any opportunity where we can teach people to lower their energy bills and conserve, that’s an opportunity we want to take advantage of.”