Peak Oil Task Force Report - City of Bloomington - State of Indiana

• “Energy savings accounts”
Ideally, people would implement the easiest and least expensive
conservation strategies first, and then apply the money saved toward more
expensive projects. However, it is easy for money not spent on utility bills to
be spent somewhere else, so that the larger projects always stay just out of
reach. “Energy savings accounts” would circumvent that problem with the
help of local banks.
A customer would set up an energy savings account with her or his local
bank. A baseline utility use would be established, along with a direct
payment program. Each month, the customer would pay her or his baseline
utility rate to the bank, which would then pay the actual amount owed to the
utilities. The difference, presumably saved by conservation and other
changes, goes into the customer’s energy savings account, where it is saved
for future home efficiency improvements, renewable energy projects, and so
on. (If utility use increased, some provision would need to be in place for the
customer to pay the additional amount.) Perhaps it would be possible to
negotiate a special interest rate or a matching funds program for those who
participate.
MEDIUM­TERM (5­15 Years)
1. Approximately half of the City’s housing stock should be retrofitted for energy
efficiency within the next 15 years (by 2024).
LONG­TERM (15­30 Years)
1. Close to 100% of the City’s housing stock should be retrofitted for energy
efficiency within the next 30 years (by 2039).
Report of the Bloomington Peak Oil Task Force 171