Last summer, my girlfriend and I bought our first home and set about making it as tight, energy-efficient and comfortable as we could.

Our first major upgrade was to get our hot water burden moved off the oil boiler and onto an efficient electric hot water heater. The plan was to offset this increase in electricity usage with a solar panel or two on the roof.

This all changed when we heard about Central Maine Power’s proposal to disincentivize solar power in Maine.

Were CMP not a monopoly, we would simply take our business elsewhere. Unfortunately, Mainers have no choice when it comes to where they buy their electricity, so we choose to buy as little as possible.

The plan to change to electric hot water has been scrapped in favor of rooftop tubes, using the sun’s rays to heat our water and cutting Central Maine Power out of the equation as much as possible.

I hope CMP shareholders factor in customer satisfaction and public backlash when crunching the numbers over its latest power grab.

Alex Wheelwright

Portland


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