A popular South Portland program offering rebates to residents who buy electric equipment, from cooling systems to lawnmowers, is coming to a close this month.
More than 200 residents took part in Electrify Everything! since the program started last September. The $200,000 program, paid for through federal aid the city received during the pandemic, is expected to use up its funding by the end of summer, and the city has set a deadline of July 31 to apply for a rebate.
The electrification program is part of the city’s effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce waste. Taken separately, the sustainability programs may seem small, said Susan Parmelee, the city’s sustainability manager, but together they have the ability to make a significant impact in the community’s effort to combat climate change.
“About a third of our city emissions come from transportation, a third comes from buildings,” said Julie Rosenbach, South Portland’s sustainability director. “We were looking for ways to incentivize people to move towards electrified heating and cooling systems, home weatherization and electric vehicles.”
The city also saw interest in electric lawn equipment and e-bikes and added those to the rebate program.
“Every time we start a new program, we say, ‘Well, what are the barriers to people moving in this direction?'” Rosenbach said.
The biggest barrier to buying electric tools or installing eco-friendly home heating systems is the initial expense, she said. The rebates helped with that.
“I’m just really happy with this program and the fact that it also targeted people that were (in) lower- and moderate-income households,” Rosenbach said.
Rebates ranged from $2,000 for a hybrid vehicle and $1,200 for air source heat pumps to $300 for electric lawnmowers and $50 for string trimmers. Rebates were given for more than 100 pieces of lawn equipment, 66 air source heat pumps and more than 50 e-bikes.
While Electrify Everything! is coming to a close, other city programs are in place offering assistance for residents to go green.
The South Portland Transfer Station is home to two of the city’s programs. The Swap Shop allows residents to recycle approved household items by donating them, picking them up, or both.
“The purpose is to encourage the reuse of items and to reduce the amount of material in the waste stream,” said Susan Parmelee, sustainability program manager for South Portland.
Next door to the Swap Shop is the new electric tool library. Over 60 South Portland residents have signed out equipment since it opened last month, Parmelee said.
“The (electric tool library) is in high demand,” Parmelee said. “Popular items, such as lawn mowers, string trimmers and hedge trimmers, are usually returned and checked back out within the same day.”
The tool library has six lawnmowers, six leaf blowers, two string trimmers, two hedge trimmers and two edgers to lend out.
Other ongoing programs include “100 Resilient Yards,” with 100 participants selected from more than 400 applicants this spring. The program gives homeowners tools and other assistance to turn their lawns into pollinator-friendly gardens or organic plots with only native plants, for example.
“Each initiative is a piece of the puzzle aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change,” she said.
“There’s not going to be one solution to get people to move in this direction or make a change,” Rosenbach said. “It’s going to be on a lot of different fronts.”
Visit the sustainability department at southportland.org to learn more about Electrify Everything! and other programs.
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