New law aims to get Mainers to use "off peak" electricity
Maine Public | By Peter McGuire
Published April 14, 2026 at 3:52 PM EDT
A new state law will encourage Maine electric customers to shift their heavy power use to times of the day when there is lower overall demand.
The law directs Efficiency Maine to develop a pilot program offering education and outreach to customers who could benefit from switching to cheaper "time of use" rates offered by Maine's electric utilities.
Under those rates, customers can lower their monthly bill if they avoid using lots of electricity between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., when demand is highest.
That could mean putting off running a dishwasher, clothes drier, air conditioner or charging large batteries during other times of the day.
Officials across New England are implementing similar programs to reduce wholesale electric prices and the need to build out expensive infrastructure.
In a press release, law sponsor Sen. Denise Tepler, D-Topsham, said the program could help Mainers burdened by high energy costs.
"“This bill will establish a program that will help Mainers save money on their utility bills when electricity demand and rates are at some of their highest points throughout the year," Tepler said.
Continue reading at https://www.mainepublic.org/climate/2026-04-14/new-law-aims-to-get-...
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Maine Center For Public Interest Reporting – Three Part Series: A CRITICAL LOOK AT MAINE’S WIND ACT
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(excerpts) From Part 1 – On Maine’s Wind Law “Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine if the law’s goals were met." . – Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting, August 2010 https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/From Part 2 – On Wind and Oil Yet using wind energy doesn’t lower dependence on imported foreign oil. That’s because the majority of imported oil in Maine is used for heating and transportation. And switching our dependence from foreign oil to Maine-produced electricity isn’t likely to happen very soon, says Bartlett. “Right now, people can’t switch to electric cars and heating – if they did, we’d be in trouble.” So was one of the fundamental premises of the task force false, or at least misleading?" https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/wind-swept-task-force-set-the-rules/From Part 3 – On Wind-Required New Transmission Lines Finally, the building of enormous, high-voltage transmission lines that the regional electricity system operator says are required to move substantial amounts of wind power to markets south of Maine was never even discussed by the task force – an omission that Mills said will come to haunt the state.“If you try to put 2,500 or 3,000 megawatts in northern or eastern Maine – oh, my god, try to build the transmission!” said Mills. “It’s not just the towers, it’s the lines – that’s when I begin to think that the goal is a little farfetched.” https://www.pinetreewatchdog.org/flaws-in-bill-like-skating-with-dull-skates/
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Hannah Pingree on the Maine expedited wind law
Hannah Pingree - Director of Maine's Office of Innovation and the Future
"Once the committee passed the wind energy bill on to the full House and Senate, lawmakers there didn’t even debate it. They passed it unanimously and with no discussion. House Majority Leader Hannah Pingree, a Democrat from North Haven, says legislators probably didn’t know how many turbines would be constructed in Maine."
https://pinetreewatch.org/wind-power-bandwagon-hits-bumps-in-the-road-3/
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