HALLOWELL — Scott Cowger said he and his partner, Vince Hannan, have a deep-rooted philosophy about being “green” and sustainable at their Hallowell inn.
As part of their mission to continue to be environmentally friendly innkeepers, the pair installed two electric vehicle chargers Thursday at their Maple Hill Farm Inn and Conference Center.
“We did a wind turbine, then solar and put in LED lighting throughout the inn several years ago,” Cowger said. “This was the next logical step.”
Cowger, a former Democratic state legislator, said businesses and individuals have a responsibility to help the fight against climate change by minimizing their footprint and impact.
“We’ve done that over the years,” Cowger said. “I even just put a deposit for the new Tesla Model 3, the affordable one.”
Cowger said last year he had a potential guest choose not to stay at the inn because the guest had a Tesla and wanted to be able to charge it. Cowger said the Level 2 chargers installed would be able to charge any electric vehicle, including a Tesla.
“These will put us on the map with electric vehicle drivers,” Cowger said.
The dual chargers were installed by ReVision Energy, the same company that worked on the inn’s wind turbine and solar energy installations. Cowger declined to say specifically how much the chargers cost, only disclosing a cost in the “several thousands.”
Currently, Cowger said, the demand for electric vehicle chargers at the Maple Hill Farm is not huge, but they wanted to be out in front of the growing need for these chargers. He plans to add more chargers if the demand calls for them.
At the beginning, there will be no fee to charge a vehicle, but that could change depending on the demand.
“But if the demand increases and we end up with people waiting in line to use them, we’ll probably charge a modest fee to cover our electric costs,” Cowger said. “But if our cost stays minimal, we’ll consider it being a good public steward.”
Ross Cunningham, CEO and president of the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce, said he is unaware of any public electric charging stations in the region, aside from Tesla’s station in the Marketplace at Augusta, which was installed in December.
“We are thrilled that Maple Hill Farm Inn and Conference Center continues to lead the way in sustainable energy and its associated technology,” Cunningham said in an email. “As the first lodging and conference center in our region to provide this service, they have once again demonstrated their commitment to the environment and their support for renewable resources.”
Cowger said many people visit the inn because of its sustainable energy practices, and he hopes other businesses follow their plan.
“We are proud to be first, and we hope that people will choose us because we made the investment,” Cowger said. “On the other hand, we would love to be a model for (others) to follow.”
In November 2005, the inn was named the state’s first “environmental leader” green lodging inn by the Department of Environmental Protection.
Jason Pafundi — 621-5663
Twitter: @jasonpafundiKJ
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