With Earth Month under way, local business advocacy group Love Live Local and local energy services organization Cape Light Compact, a Sponsor of Mass Save® have released a joint report titled “Energy Matters,” which details how energy efficiency in small businesses can create cost savings while also strengthening the local economy and protecting the environment.
The report and corresponding infographic are meant to serve as a primer for small businesses on energy use, its associated environmental impacts, and what measures can be taken by local businesses to address the issue on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard. It details energy efficiency measures that small business owners can take to reduce their energy emissions and reduce their greenhouse emissions like switching to high efficiency electric equipment and switching to LED light fixtures, as well as the incentives Cape Light Compact offers to make those upgrades possible.
“The Compact is excited to partner with Love Live Local on this report, to help small businesses learn more about how their buildings use energy, and actions they can take to reduce their usage and lower their greenhouse gas emissions,” says Maggie Downey, Cape Light Compact Administrator.
Cape Light Compact is a public entity operated by the 21 towns on the Cape and Vineyard plus Duke’s County. Local businesses can take advantage of its energy efficiency programs, including rebates and incentives for efficiency upgrades and no-cost Business Energy Assessments. In 2021, 519 local businesses participated in the Compact’s programs, which resulted in saving over 3.3 million kilowatt hours, or enough energy to power 285 million smartphones in a year.
Local businesses can participate in energy efficiency programs by scheduling a free energy assessment with Cape Light Compact. Downey reports, “This year, the Compact will be visiting small businesses in several towns on Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard through our Main Streets efforts performing brief energy assessments and providing recommendations to business owners – regardless of whether they own or rent – on ways that they can save energy. Businesses can sign up for an assessment when we’re in their town at capelightcompact.org/mainstreets or can schedule one any time of the year.”
“Our local business community cares deeply about the health of the Cape & Islands’ natural environment, and we welcomed this opportunity to partner with Cape Light Compact to show them the resources available to them in our region,” explains Love Live Local Executive Director Amanda Converse. “What’s more, implementing these measures provides cost savings, is incredibly marketable and can lead to a better customer experience.”
To view the full report, visit here.
