Community Energy Challenge:
Promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewables in
New England Cities and Towns
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EPA challenges all New England communities to save money and reduce
air pollution by assessing their energy use, taking action to improve energy
efficiency, and seeking out renewable energy choices. EPA provides technical
assistance to every community that joins the Challenge!
Participants assess energy use in schools, municipal buildings and/or wastewater/
watertreatmentfacilities. Reductions of 10% or more earn ENERGY STAR® recognition.
EPA offers free training and technical assistance.
The Community Energy Challenge is an opportunity for municipalities across New
England to identify simple and cost-effective measures that increase energy efficiency
and renewable energy use while reducing air pollution and saving money.
Why are Energy Efficiency and
Renewables so Important?
> Saves Money
New England has among the highest
energy costs in the nation.
• New England's 1500 cities, towns
and associated school districts to-
getherspend nearly one billion dollars
every year on energy for buildings.
•Our4500 public K-12 schools spend
more than $500 million on energy
— more than on textbooks and comput-
ers combined.
> Cuts Pollution
Energy use is the number one source
of air pollution in New England and
the nation.
Electricity generation alone emits
8%ofSO2andŁ
in New England.
48% of SO2 and 8% of NOx emissions
Please visit our Web site at:
www.epa.gov/ne/eco/energy/
energy-challenge.html
• Nationally, electricity generation
accounts for 43% of mercury emis-
sions and 40% of carbon dioxide
emissions.
• Energy from renewable sources
(renewables) emits fewer pollutants
during production and use.
> Reduces Strain on
Limited Energy Supplies
Energy demand in New England is
growing at 2% per year.
• Energy efficiency can dramatically
reduce the chances of price increases
and supply disruptions. It is also the
cheapest and most environmentally
sound way to slow this increasing de-
mand.
• Use of renewables helps diversify
energy supply and supports domestic
production.
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Accessible and Achievable
Every community has opportunities
to improve energy efficiency and
increase use of renewables cost-
effectively today.
• Numerous national studies agree
that, on average, 30% of the energy
used in commercial, institutional and
public buildings is wasted.
• Savings of 10% or more are well
within the reach of every community
and school district through sensible
management changes and cost-effec-
tive upgrades using proven, existing
technologies.
• A 10% reduction across New
England's municipal and school
buildings could save $100 million,
prevent billions of pounds of carbon
dioxide emissions, and save enough
energy to powertens of thousands of
homes for one year.
• New England already offers a
ety of renewable energy choices.
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35
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
EPA-901-F-07-003
July 2007
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Communities that join the
Challenge will receive:
' Targeted training and technical
support in the use of the ENERGY
STAR® Portfolio Manager benchmarking
software. Assessing performance is the
first step to ward identifying opportunities
to improve energy efficiency through
better facility management, upgrades
to lighting, HVAC, controls, and other
building systems and equipment.
• Assistance in efforts to increase their
use of renewable energy, through
renewable energy credits and the
development of small scale renewable
energy projects.
Communities that take
the Challenge agree to:
• Make a commitment to improve
energy efficiency.
• Assess—benchmark—the energy
performance of all municipal buildings,
schools and/or drinking water/waste
water treatment facilities in the
community.
• Set a goal to reduce energy use by
1 0% or more.
• Return a Community Energy Challenge
letter to EPA New England.
• Promote energy efficiency and
renewables to citizens, companies and
organizations in the community.
Why Benchmark?
• Using EPA's Benchmarking tool helps
a community establish an energy
use baseline, making it easy to track
improvements in efficiency overtime.
• Benchmarking provides a uniform
tool to compare progress across
communities.
• Buildings that are benchmarked and
achieve a certain level of performance
receive recognition from EPA.
• It is easy to track further progress in
improving energy efficiency in buildings
that have been benchmarked, making
possible further energy and financial
savings.
• These improvements can help a
community meet other environmental
goals, such as a reduction in local
air pollution and greenhouse gas
emissions.
How will EPA help?
• EPA New England and EPA ENERGY
STAR contractors will provide free, live
web-based training in benchmarking
and energy management, including
follow up technical support, to all
participating communities.
• EPA New England will recognize
community achievements under
the Challenge and track overall
progress.
• Participating municipalities may be
eligible for national EPA recognition:
• ENERGY STAR Leaders - for a
demonstrated average reduction of
1 0% or more across all buildings.
• ENERGY STAR Label - awarded to
buildings performing in the top 25%
according to the National Energy
Performance Rating System.
• EPA New England will organize
additional recognition activities,
including, but not limited to: media
events to highlight progress; case
studies posted on the web; and articles
in general and trade publications.
• EPA will encourage members of our
extensive partner network, notably
regional utilities, and energy service and
product providers, to help Challenge
participants implement their energy
efficiency plans.
For more information, contact:
Lucy Edmondson:
(61 7) 918-1004 or
edmondson.lucy@epa.gov
Shubhada Kambli:
(617) 918-1584 or
kambli.shubhada@epa.gov
SERA
GREEN
POWER
PARTNERSHIP
CHANGE A LIGHT
CHANGE IKE WORLD
ENERGY STAR
c/ERA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency New England
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