The Lucerne Inn in Dedham, Maine is going greener and saving on its electric bill costs by signing up for Community Solar with Ampion. A landmark in the Bangor area, the 200-year-old inn will reduce its carbon footprint and electric costs by tapping into clean energy from a Community Solar farm in nearby Hermon. The Lucerne Inn’s enrollment in Community Solar comes just in time to help mitigate [Maine’s rate hikes beginning in January 2022.](https://ampion.net/about/blog/community-solar-maine-utility-rate-hikes) 

The News Center Maine team met with David Silverman, Innkeeper at the Lucerne Inn, and Nico Valette from Ampion’s Membership Engagement team, to film a [news segment](https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/money/consumer/lucerne-inn-switching-to-community-solar-power-saving-money-on-electric-bill/97-e7e7dd1f-c8f2-49aa-9a9c-55c5831ea497) showcasing how Maine businesses and residents can take advantage of Community Solar.

“Through Ampion, the Lucerne Inn will save thousands on their annual electricity costs and gain access to large amounts of clean energy produced right here in Maine,” said Valette. “Community Solar is a unique cost savings and sustainability option for Maine utility customers of all sizes.”

[Community Solar](https://ampion.net/where-is-community-solar/maine) is a state-sponsored program enabling Central Maine Power and Versant customers to access clean energy without purchasing or installing solar panels. Community Solar subscribers are allocated a share of clean energy generated from an offsite solar farm. That energy works to offset the energy generation charges on their utility bills each month. In Maine, the subscriber receives a discount of up to 15% on their monthly electric costs.

For the Lucerne Inn, enrolling in Community Solar marks an important milestone. Innkeeper David Silverman told Ampion that he had looked into getting solar power for the inn, but wasn’t able to find a solution that made sense until he was approached by Ampion.

“We’ve looked into getting solar power, but there was no place to put the panels other than on the lawn we use for weddings and events,” Silverman said. “So many groups like Ampion have reached out to us about clean energy opportunities, but no one else has made the effort to come to the inn and shake my hand; Ampion is really special in that way.” 

Ampion is helping commercial and residential Versant customers subscribe to clean energy from the Hermon Solar Farm. The inn’s subscription represents approximately 200,000 kWh of annual clean energy production from the Hermon Solar Farm, which amounts to about 16,000 gallons of gasoline consumed or approximately 3,600 trees grown for 10 years, according to the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

“We’re so glad we found another way to support clean energy and make the Lucerne Inn more sustainable,” Silverman said.
 
The Hermon Solar Farm, owned by Summit Ridge Energy and developed by Cianbro, is  completely constructed and will begin producing clean energy for the grid on behalf of its subscribers in early 2022. To learn more about the Hermon Solar Farm, check out these segments from [News Center Maine](https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/money/consumer/expanding-maines-community-solar-programs/97-f67af11f-8d12-4791-adfb-dd37fde4da05) and [WABI TV](https://www.wabi.tv/2021/10/14/push-community-solar-line-with-maine-goals/)! 

![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1639666888-thelucerne-landscape.jpg)

Lucerne Inn Community Solar Maine

The Historic Lucerne Inn Signs Up for Community Solar with Ampion

This past week, a bitter energy forecast cast a dark shadow on Maine’s upcoming winter– and new year. Starting in January 2022, electricity supply rates will skyrocket by 88% for Versant (Bangor Hydro Electric) customers and 83% for Central Maine Power customers. As if Maine winters weren’t harsh enough! 

The culprit? Rising wholesale electricity rates due to decreased natural gas supply. Our over-reliance on natural gas as a main form of energy has led us to this point, making it clear that we need to give more people access to locally-produced energy alternatives.

The good news? There is a way to control your electric rates, reduce your dependency on your utility, and support local, Maine-generated electricity. It’s called Community Solar.

Here, we explain more about Community Solar, as well as why your energy rates are increasing, the repercussions of higher supply rates, and how this clean energy program can provide much-needed financial relief for Mainers. 

## The Real Reason Behind Rate Increases ##

After a competitive bidding process for the standard rate, the Maine Public Utilities Commission landed on the [new rates](https://www.maine.gov/meopa/electricity/electricity-supply) of 11.6 cents per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for Versant customers and 11.8 cents for Central Maine Power customers. The new rates represent massive leaps from the current rate of 6.2 cents and 6.4 cents, respectively. 

You may be thinking to yourself, “Why is this happening? Why in Maine?” The Director of the Governor’s Energy office, Dan Burgess, explains that the rate hikes are a result of two factors: an over-dependence on natural gas and fluctuations in the global energy market:

These new high prices “are the direct result of New England’s over-reliance on natural gas to power its electrical grid,” Burgess said. “While Maine electricity prices are typically lower than other New England states, these price increases are being driven by volatile global energy markets and will cause too many Maine people to reach deeper into their pockets this winter to pay their bills.”

The problem comes down to a simple supply versus demand scenario. And it’s not just Maine; [multiple factors](https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/09/20/what-is-behind-rocketing-natural-gas-prices) including lower supply levels, disrupted imports, and fluctuating temperatures are causing even greater rate hikes in Europe and price jumps all over the world. 

The demand for natural gas increases everywhere in the winter, but Maine’s bone-chilling winter temperatures result in an even greater need for heat than most places. 

## What Does This Mean for Mainers? ## 

In 2020, the [average Maine household](https://www.eia.gov/electricity/sales_revenue_price/pdf/table5_a.pdf) used approximately 570 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity per month and spent an average of $95.77 per month on electricity. If we apply the [new CMP supply rate of 11.8 cents](https://www.maine.gov/meopa/electricity/electricity-supply) to the average Maine electric bill in 2020 (assuming all other factors remain the same), the average bill would’ve increased by $30.78, from about $95.77 to over $126.55. That’s almost an additional $370 per year!

Needless to say, this is a financial burden for Maine residents and businesses -– especially those who are still recovering from the recession and pandemic. These rate hikes have a particularly negative impact on Maine residents like retirees who are on a fixed income. Necessities like heat and electricity consume a much higher percentage of their income, and they end up allocating an unmanageable share of their hard-earned money toward their utility company. Since heating oil prices are up as well, many Mainers could lose financial stability – all just to power their homes.

## Community Solar: A Hedge Against Rate Increases ## 

There is a way to buffer the sharp price increases we’re all going to see. [Community Solar](https://www.maine.gov/meopa/electricity/community_solar) is a state-sponsored initiative that allows Mainers to save on electricity while enabling Maine’s transition to clean renewable energy sources.  

Residents can subscribe to a local solar farm at no cost.The clean energy produced by your household’s share of the solar farm feeds into the electrical grid, giving homeowners, renters, businesses and anyone who pays an electric bill the ability to support solar energy – no rooftop required. 

Mainers receive credits or kWh reductions on their electricity bills for their share of the power produced, allowing them to save up to 15%! In the end, Community Solar lets homeowners and renters save meaningful money and live more sustainably by supporting local power, and Maine gets closer to reaching its aggressive clean energy targets. We all benefit from this outcome.

Let’s look back at the average monthly electric bill in Maine that includes CMP’s standard rate for 2022: $126.55. With the opportunity to keep 15% of that per month, or $18.98, you’d save $227.79 per year. 


![](https://www.datocms-assets.com/50319/1638481323-me-rate-hikes-blog-post-sm-wide.jpg)


## Community Solar gives us hope for a brighter, more abundant future ##

Traditionally, solar energy was reserved only for homeowners whose rooftops were facing the right direction and received direct sunlight, and who were able to afford the cost of solar (or had a credit score high enough to receive solar financing). Today, Community Solar puts power in the hands of the individual, giving them the opportunity to help initiate the clean energy transition. Every new subscriber who enrolls improves the likelihood of more clean energy capacity being built and plays a role in the reduction of fossil fuel usage. 

Maine has done well to promote the expansion of Community Solar since legislation was passed in 2019. But the state can and should do more. We support policy changes to further expand Community Solar to accelerate progress in achieving Maine’s targets of 80% of electricity from renewable sources by 2030, and 100% by 2050.

Overall electricity rates will fluctuate, for sure. You may end up paying more due to factors that are out of your control, like the recent worldwide natural gas price increases. But Community Solar lets you mitigate some of that risk and take some control of your electric bill. The sun will keep shining, and Community Solar will continue to be a welcome reprieve. To learn how you can get started with Community Solar, visit [ampion.net/maine](https://ampion.net/maine?utm_source=website&utm_medium=blog). 



Community Solar: A Hedge Against Maine Utility Rate Hikes

Ampion Maine Rate Hikes

CHICAGO, IL – [Just Salad](https://justsalad.com), the sustainability-focused fast-casual restaurant concept, is proud to participate in Illinois’ Community Solar program through Ampion Renewable Energy. By joining this program, Just Salad has committed to utilize climate-friendly renewable energy, putting sustainability at the core of the company’s values and directly contributing to Illinois’ goal of transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2050.

“We’re thrilled to support clean, renewable energy in Illinois, and we thank Ampion for making the process of connecting to Community Solar simple and seamless,” said Sandra Noonan, Chief Sustainability Officer of Just Salad. “Just Salad’s mission is to make everyday health and everyday sustainability possible, and that extends to the way in which we power our stores.” 

By participating in the Community Solar program with Ampion, Just Salad joins a growing group of local businesses, organizations, and individual residents to subscribe to a community-shared solar farm, contribute their property’s monthly energy usage to the grid, and save money on its electric bills. Six of Just Salad’s Chicago-area locations are subscribed to shares of two Community Solar Farms through Ampion: Marengo Solar Farm in Marengo, IL and Mt. Morris Solar Farm in Polo, IL, both of which connect to Commonwealth Edison’s electric grid. Just Salad’s subscription represents 270,000 kWh of annual clean energy production–equivalent to over 21,000 gallons of gasoline consumed or 3,200 trees planted.*

“As Ampion embarks on this corporate partnership in Illinois with Just Salad, we look forward to collectively working to meet the state's sustainability goals and contribute to a greener future for the region,” said Nate Owen, CEO of Ampion. “With Ampion’s Enterprise Community Solar platform, Just Salad will gain access to hundreds of megawatts of clean, renewable energy while also saving money on its electric bills. We are excited to see them reap the benefits of this partnership, and hope to grow our footprint in the area to help other businesses do the same.” 

Ampion helps enterprise organizations access large volumes of renewable energy to accelerate their progress towards sustainability goals. Ampion’s Enterprise Community Solar platform provides access to distributed generation projects across the United States, streamlining ESG processes, reducing costs, and contributing to the growth of renewable energy.

*These equivalencies are derived from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.

**About Ampion:**

Ampion offers the easiest way to join the clean energy movement while saving money through Community Solar. As a Public Benefit Corporation, Ampion believes in giving people the power to make homes, businesses and communities more sustainable and prosperous. By connecting residents and businesses to local solar farms, Ampion boosts sustainability in communities and supports local economies. Learn more at [ampion.net](https://ampion.net). 

**About Just Salad:**

Just Salad is a fast casual concept with a mission to make everyday health and everyday sustainability possible. Empowering customers to eat with purpose, Just Salad is home to the world's largest restaurant reusable program and the first U.S. restaurant chain to carbon label its menu. The company was founded in 2006 in New York City and has 50 locations across New York, New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Dubai. Learn more at [justsalad.com](https://justsalad.com).

+++
**Media Contact:** 


```Sandra Noonan
Chief Sustainability Officer
Just Salad
sustainability@justsalad.com

Just Salad Partners with Ampion on Community Solar Project

# ECOS Offsets Production With 100% Clean Energy

## Partnering with Ampion Renewable Energy for Community Solar Project

[ECOS](https://ecos.com)®, a climate-positive manufacturer of sustainable cleaning products, announced today that it is taking part in California’s Community Solar program through Ampion Renewable Energy. This partnership marks an important milestone for both companies, as ECOS works to support its 100% renewable energy manufacturing operations and sustainable business practices and Ampion helps enterprise organizations access large volumes of renewable energy to accelerate sustainability goals.  
 
“Sustainability is at the heart of our company’s mission,” said Dr. Nadereh Afsharmanesh, Vice President of Sustainability & Education for ECOS. “ECOS has been a carbon neutral manufacturer since 2013, which includes powering our California facility with 100% renewable energy through the purchase of RECs. We’re thrilled to subscribe to a Community Solar project that not only helps us achieve 100% renewable energy but also helps create a cleaner electricity grid for Southern California.”
 
ECOS, headquartered in Cypress, CA, is subscribed to a share of Sheep Creek Community Solar Farm in El Mirage, CA. This subscription is made possible through Ampion’s partnership with Catalyze, the owner and operator of the Sheep Creek Community Solar Farm. This partnership will directly contribute to the development of renewable energy projects in California, which has a goal of becoming a carbon neutral state by 2045.
 
“We are excited to be helping ECOS, one of our first corporate customers in California, subscribe to Community Solar farms to offset its emissions with 100 percent green energy,” said Nate Owen, CEO of Ampion. “Community Solar is a vital cost savings and sustainability option for utility customers of all sizes, and through our Enterprise Community Solar platform, ECOS will gain access to large amounts of clean, inexpensive, renewable energy.”
 
The Sheep Creek Community Solar Farm connects to the electric grid through Southern California Edison (SCE), lowering the state’s reliance on fossil fuels. SCE’s Community Renewables Program is Green-e® Energy certified and meets the environmental and consumer-protection standards set forth by the nonprofit Center for Resource Solutions. Those who subscribe receive a Community Renewables monetary credit on their electric bills for the energy generated by their allocation of the Community Solar Farm.
 
This state-sponsored program also allows businesses, organizations and residents to subscribe to a shared Community Solar farm and contribute their property’s monthly energy usage to the grid. By joining the program through Ampion, ECOS is committing to climate-friendly renewable energy at no additional cost. 

 
**About Ampion:**
 
Ampion offers the easiest way to join the clean energy movement while saving money through Community Solar. As a Public Benefit Corporation, Ampion believes in giving people the power to make homes, businesses and communities more sustainable and prosperous. By connecting residents and businesses to local solar farms, Ampion boosts sustainability in communities and supports local economies. Learn more at ampion.net. 
 
**About ECOS®:**
 
Family owned and operated since 1967, ECOS makes plant-powered laundry detergents and cleaners that are safer for people, pets and the planet. ECOS cleaners are made in the USA using global ingredients, without dyes, formaldehyde, 1,4-dioxane, parabens, phthalates, or optical brighteners. They are pH balanced, greywater and septic safe, and never tested on animals. ECOS has won many awards for its green chemistry innovations, including the U.S. EPA 2021 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award. ECOS, Baby ECOS, ECOS Pets and ECOS PRO cleaners are available at major club and grocery retailers and natural foods stores throughout the U.S., internationally and online. For more information and retail locations, visit ecos.com.
 
+++
 
**Media Contact:**
Sarah Waldrop
ecos@powerdigitalmarketinginc.com


ECOS + Ampion

ECOS Moves to 100% Renewable Energy with Community Solar

Governor Mills officially named the week of September 20-24 “Clean Energy Week” in Maine to show support for clean energy development. In recognition of this announcement, News Center Maine featured a segment on Community Solar and chose Ampion to explain the program’s environmental benefits, notable savings and job growth potential. 

Ted Rioux, Senior Sales Executive of Community Partnerships at Ampion, met with Hannah Yechivi from News Center Maine at a solar farm in the town of Hermon. The 14,000-panel solar farm is developed and maintained by Cianbro and produces energy on behalf of Ampion’s Community Solar subscribers.

“Community Solar gives a group of people an opportunity to pool their resources and come together to share in the output of a larger solar project. They can benefit from the savings that result from solar energy, and they can benefit from participating in a program that helps lower our carbon emissions,” Ted told News Center Maine. 

“These are good programs. They help Mainers, they’re going to reduce our energy costs, and they’re going to contribute in a very positive way to economic growth in the state.”

Watch the interview and read more [here](https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/money/consumer/expanding-maines-community-solar-programs/97-f67af11f-8d12-4791-adfb-dd37fde4da05)!


Ampion Is Expanding Maine's Community Solar Access

Expanding Community Solar In Maine

### Electrification Is Transforming Our Energy Use

In the race to restrict emissions to combat climate change without hurting economic growth, electrification is a word you’ll be hearing more often. As electricity generation becomes progressively cleaner, replacing direct fossil fuel use with [electricity emerges as a crucial economy-wide tool for reducing emissions](https://www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050).

Electrification will change the type of cars and trucks we drive, how we cook our food, dry our clothes, heat our water, and how we heat and cool our buildings. Since the time humans began burning wood for heat and power, our energy has seen a steady evolution to cleaner sources of power. Wood gave way to cleaner coal. Coal eventually gave up its dominance to oil. In [just the last decade](https://www.economist.com/taxonomy/term/104/0?page=15&amp;page%5Cu003d12%5Cu0026page%5Cu003d15%5Cu003d=), as gas replaced oil as the dominant source of power, America’s [electricity industry continues to become significantly less carbon-intensive](https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/power-and-utilities/utility-decarbonization-strategies.html).

**Electrification is important because of what’s happening in electricity generation.**

* The [emerging trend](https://www.eesi.org/electrification/be) is cheap renewable power and coal plant retirements reducing the carbon intensity of the grid.
* By using the ever-cleaner grid to power our transportation, heating, cooking and cleaning appliances, we reduce our carbon footprint.

### Electrification is an exciting next step toward cleaner energy.

The potential speed with which electrification could take over our transportation, and reduce up to 28% of all U.S. emissions, is striking.

* [General Motors](https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/01/28/general-motors-electric/), one of the largest automakers in the world, will stop making gas-powered cars by 2035.
* California announced it will stop selling gasoline-powered cars in 15 years.
* [Volkswagen](https://www.forbes.com/sites/neilwinton/2019/07/01/volkswagens-ambitious-electric-plans-pose-big-questions/?sh=4083263c10ea) says it will be the leading manufacturer of EVs by 2025.
* Electric transportation and its charging infrastructure are poised to experience [unprecedented growth in 2021](https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/energy-and-resources/articles/power-and-utilities-industry-outlook.html).

**Electrifying buildings is an essential step**

* Advances in the same technology that’s in our refrigerators are probably showing up in your neighborhood as the replacement of choice for aged-out oil burners, gas furnaces, and hot water heaters – heats pumps.
* Electric heat pump technologies for buildings improve indoor air quality and reduce emissions.
* Once heat pumps technologies for buildings improve indoor air quality and reduce emissions.
* The advances in heat pump technologies can be compared to the strides seen in solar technology over the past 10 years.

### Utilities and customers will transition together.

The utilities are just getting started integrating new technology to decarbonize the grid.

* [Many utilities](https://www.nrdc.org/experts/sophia-ptacek/more-utilities-make-big-commitments-climate-action) have committed to clean energy goals. It may not be long before every utility has a plan to achieve net-zero emissions for electricity generation.
* New technologies are helping utilities save money and improve resiliency. One new technology that’s growing in importance is storage. Energy storage will be key to helping utilities advance their plans to phase out fossil fuels.
* Solar power is increasingly key to decarbonizing our electricity and currently [dominates new power capacity](https://www.forbes.com/sites/woodmackenzie/2021/03/18/how-solar-is-central-to-the-energy-transition/?sh=4d67a1605d04) as we electrify everything.

### Homeowner adoption is a key part of the electrification process.

* You don’t have to get rid of your gas-fired home heating and cooling, gas stove or dryer right away.
* “To hit our decarbonization goals, we don’t need to take out someone’s perfectly good water heater,” says Scott Blunk, the strategic business planner of electrification and energy efficiency for Sacramento’s Municipal Utility District. “We just need to replace it with an electric one when it goes out.”
* That makes it easy for homeowners because the incremental cost for end-of-life electric replacements will be a small premium over the money you were going to spend anyway. Rebates and incentives can help with replacement costs. Look for incentives in your state ([NY](https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/Residents-and-Homeowners/Find-Contractors-and-Incentives/Home-Energy-Performance-Programs), [IL](https://www2.illinois.gov/sites/KeepWarm/Pages/rebates.aspx), [MA](https://www.masssave.com/), [ME](https://www.efficiencymaine.com/at-home/)) before you start shopping. The utilities are just getting started integrating new technology to decarbonize the grid.

Throughout cities, towns and rural America, electric changeovers will make a positive impact on local economies and environments in much the same way solar does. Community shared solar provides thousands of residents and towns an equitable and affordable renewable energy choice. [Check out Community Solar options near you.](https://ampion.net/where-is-community-solar)

Electrification Is Transforming Our Energy Use

Electrification will change the type of cars and trucks we drive, how we cook our food, dry our clothes, heat our water, and how we heat and cool our buildings.

News & Updates

The Historic Lucerne Inn Signs Up for Community Solar with Ampion