A group of over fifty people, including at least 25 happy and excited children, gathered to view the Energy Magic Show on July 23 at the Acton Memorial Library. Magic Fred, the Magician, elicited full-throated, gleeful responses from the youngsters as he searched for wayward magic lights, sought out hidden “elephants,” and tried to avoid “snakes” as he examined bags for a piece of rope, among other tricks. One of the highlights was the levitation of a young volunteer from the audience. Many eruptions of delight dotted the performance, drawing patrons from all over the library to check out the high-volume energy in the main meeting room.
The children had many suggestions for the seemingly bewildered magician; however, the young people were not the only folks with helpful hints. The Acton Sustainability Office hosted the Energy Magic Show to help residents decode their energy bills and find ways to save. When asked why the event featured a magician, Sustainability Fellow Sandra Akufo commented, “For some people, getting help for their energy bills is like magic!” Akufo noted that many households are unaware of the state, federal, and utility programs that assist with discounts on energy bills, including electricity, natural gas, and oil. To address the gap, the Sustainability Office has prepared a pamphlet, “Going Green and Saving Green: A Guide to Energy Relief,” that was handed out at the Magic Show.
Also present at the Energy Magic Show were two of Acton’s Clean Energy Coaches, David Martin and Dave Hazen, ready to answer questions about energy efficiency and energy upgrades, along with Mass Save representative Ellie Rosenthal. Town of Acton Community Resources Coordinator, Laura Ducharme, was on hand to help people with energy assistance needs.
Referring to the Federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (called LIHEAP), Ducharme stated, “You’d be surprised who may qualify for this benefit.” For instance, she pointed out that a family of 5 earning $109,745, would be eligible for discounted energy bills. When asked for one piece of advice to help people, Ducharme responded, “Reach out! Ask the Town offices that offer application assistance for this program, which would be the Community Services Office (978-929-6651) and the Council on Aging (978-929-6652), and have us check your income.” Akufo reinforced this point. “All the resources can be overwhelming, but knowledge is power. Reaching out, whether to someone at the Town of Acton or SMOC (South Middlesex Opportunity Council) or Mass Save, and starting to have the conversations can clarify a lot . . . and make the process less daunting.”
Town Environmental Analyst, Lauren West, noted that the Sustainability Department plans further outreach, for instance, sharing the “Guide to Energy Relief” with income eligible families and residents of multi-family buildings in Acton.
For the children, the Energy Magic Show was fun problem-solving. For adults, the burden of energy bills can make them wish to pull an energizer bunny out of the magic hat. However, the Sustainability Office aims to make the process more manageable by educating the Acton community about energy efficiency and energy assistance. For more information, call 978-929-6515 or write sustainability@actonma.gov.
Karen Root Watkins is on the admin team for EnergizeActon.org, a community website and clean energy/climate education group sponsored by the Acton Climate Coalition and the Town of Acton Sustainability Office.