Shaheen Tours Salem Boys & Girls Club

U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) toured the Salem Boys & Girls Club Monday and later discussed her efforts to pass a bill in Congress to promote energy efficiency for businesses.

Shaheen was given the tour by Salem Boys & Girls Club Chief Professional Officer Michael Centor, who later discussed recent efforts by the local nonprofit to be more energy efficient.

According to Centor, the club has reduced its oil use by 40 percent in the last 60 days by simply putting their hot water heater on a timer. New lighting, in particular in the club's gymnasium, has also resulted in significant electricity savings.

"Energy is almost 10 percent of our budget," Centor said. "We're looking for significant savings."

Shaheen discussed the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, a bill she has co-sponsored with Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio). Shaheen said the bill would help the private sector as well as municipalities, hospitals, schools and universities "to get the up-front money to make these kinds of retrofits."

Shaheen said getting the capital to make the energy retrofits is difficult for businesses.

"We don't value and price (those savings) in a way that would address the capital requirements to make those changes," Shaheen said.