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E-news archive | New Energy Communities Initiative
Overview of Garfield New Energy Communities Initiative deliverables
Greening Public Facilities
Audits and efficiency improvements for buildings owned by local governments. Coordinate energy audits for all public facilities likely to produce energy savings. Set up performance contracting or self-finance to make energy improvements. Meet state greening government goals for energy efficiency.
Energy Star pilot program for the Roaring Fork School District. Set up energy tracking system, upgrade buildings and equipment through performance contracting, prompt behavior change by providing building energy data, create a sustainability master plan, encourage student involvement in school energy management, provide information to students’ households, share experiences with districts.
Best practices guidelines for new construction by partner governments. Create design guidelines and provide technical assistance for new public facilities: six new library facilities, parks maintenance facility in Rifle, and various other municipal and county facilities or additions.
Renewable Energy Demonstration Projects
Garfield 1 Megawatt Campaign: Aggressive outreach to energy companies and other business in Garfield County to invest in significant amounts of renewable energy to reach the 1 mW goal. The Small Commercial and Residential Solar programs are part of this campaign.
Small arrays: Arrange financing and coordinate installation of 10 small solar PV systems (10 kW or smaller) on public facilities in each community.
Mid-sized arrays: Arrange financing and coordinate installation of at least two mid-sized solar PV systems (30 to 50 kW) on highly visible public buildings.
Deerfield Park: Purchase and install a green-built, solar-powered Powerhouse Enterprises PowerPod dwelling unit to serve as a walk-through display of sustainable living; install an off-grid array to power parking lot and ball field LED lighting.
LED (light emitting diodes) Communities
Rifle demonstration project: Purchase and install LED bulbs and globes to retrofit 36 pedestrian-level, antique-style, downcast streetlights along Railroad Avenue and in the downtown core.
Small Commercial Audit and Retrofit Program
One-stop shop: Web site and print materials offer information on energy efficiency and renewable energy in a commercial setting. Where possible standardize incentives and rebates and increase accessibility.
Audit and retrofit downtown demonstration: Work with chambers and downtown associations to organize commercial property owners and tenant business owners in a downtown area; use local match to subsidize cost of technical grade energy audits; assemble a package of incentives from utilities, GEO, local match and Clean Energy Investment Fund financing to cover the cost of upgrades.
Special campaigns: Targeted outreach, workshops and technical assistance on efficiency in lighting and refrigeration for commercial properties outside the pilot area; encourage owner investment in upgrades with high ROI.
Measurement, tracking and awards: Provide online energy management system for owners and tenants to track usage and avoided costs; share energy savings results with other small business owners. Participants recognized at annual clean energy event and chamber events.
Residential Solar Electric and Solar Hot Water
One-stop shop: Web site and print materials offer information and resources on transportation energy use, home energy efficiency, costs and benefits of upgrades in lighting, appliances and weatherization, possible behavioral changes, information on solar PV and solar hot water systems in a residential setting. Where possible, standardize and increase accessibility of incentives and financing.
Efficiency campaign: Countywide campaign for households to track home and transportation energy use; emphasize utility and tax incentives and Insulate Colorado rebates for energy efficiency upgrades.
Solar PV and solar thermal top-off: As part of the Garfield 1 Megawatt Campaign, encourage homeowners to install solar PV and solar hot water; offer a limited amount of low-interest financing through the Clean Energy Investment Fund; maximize use of utility incentives.
Demonstration projects: Energy efficiency upgrades and installation of renewable energy systems at several target sites, such as a senior housing facility.
Insulate Colorado Program
Rebates: Offer rebates for 200 homes per year as part of overall residential efficiency program.
Marketing: Focused outreach through schools and other networks to directly reach households; paid advertising and earned media publicizes before-and-after stories and testimonials from beneficiaries.
ENERGY STAR New Homes Program
Training and education: Focus on builders, developers, building department and community development officials, elected officials, Realtors, home buyers and home owners. Individualized technical support to help multi-family affordable housing projects earn Energy Star certification.
Workshops and presentations: Technical training in energy efficient building techniques and materials for building industry professionals; training on Energy Star and HERS for builders and Realtors; workshops for homeowners on smart energy living and home upgrades.
Policy work: Create incentives to use HERS as a measure of code compliance; use Energy Star guidelines in adopting above-code programs; adopt a common rating system to track the energy performance of new homes.
Media campaign: Expand consumer awareness of HERS; build market demand for Energy Star rated homes; attract high levels of participation in program workshops.
Greening Government
Baseline measurement and ongoing tracking: Conduct baseline energy inventory for entire county; set up countywide energy usage tracking system; set up tracking for government partners where desired.
Adopt goals: Partner governments review and consider adopting Greening Government goals that meet or exceed state goals, or confirm that existing goals meet this standard.
Sustainability management system: Make informed decisions about energy use; work toward sustainability goals; tap regional collaboration for information and support network to boost results.
Campaign and rewards: Annual progress report and annual event to recognize participation and performance.
Model Codes
Advance green building and land use codes and design standards: Model code program emphasizes green building techniques that go beyond what is currently adopted, and codes that expand transportation options and encourage energy efficient smart growth.
Partnership projects with Sonoran Institute and Sustainability Center of the Rockies:
- Gather examples of model codes and standards for green building, smart growth, and livability and post on new website.
- Collect best practice transit-friendly land use and design standards to support transit in communities in RFTA service territory; work for adoption of related codes that fit each setting.
- Provide technical assistance to elected officials and staff in jurisdictions interested in adopting model codes, and for start-up implementation.
- Develop design guidelines for commercial structures and public buildings not currently covered by green building codes.
- Host at least two workshops per year for elected officials, planners, planning and zoning commission members, developers and residents to learn about model sustainability codes.
Sustainability Team
Team approach, enduring structure: Multiple skills and expertise needed to deliver successful programs and services, and to build an enduring countywide structure for long-term technical expertise, services and programs.
Initiative council: A policy-setting and program oversight team with representatives from partner governments and organizations.
Sustainability staff and contractors: Governance council employs a team of people with skills and expertise to deliver programs and services outlined in application; hire contract services as needed for discrete projects.
In-kind fiscal management: Garfield County staff will provide fiscal management and audit services.
Other
I. Clean energy transportation options
- Safe Routes to School program in all three Garfield County school districts.
- Education, outreach, and marketing to encourage clean energy transportation options.
- Promote policies that increase mode share of clean energy transportation in each community, including design guidelines and standards that encourage transportation choices.
- Group purchases of demonstration clean energy vehicles.
II. Education and training for a new energy economy for children, teens and adults.
- A partnership with Solar Energy International to:
Expand renewable energy training for K-12 teachers through the “Solar in the Schools” program.
- Provide scholarships for county residents to attend SEI’s renewable energy courses.
- Launch a Solar Olympics inventor’s competition for teens and young adults.
III. Clean energy financing
Develop a Clean Energy Investment Fund as a near-term financing mechanism; pursue an opt-in Clean Energy Financing District for Garfield County for 2010 and beyond.
- Clean Energy Investment Fund: Convene banking experts and investors to develop and capitalize the fund; offer low-interest loans for efficiency and renewable projects. $250,000 in seed funding from Manaus Fund for this component.
- Clean Energy Finance District: Work on policy and legal fronts to develop a robust long-term financing mechanism for private property owners; monitor Boulder County’s experience; aim for a Garfield County ballot question in November 2009.
- Renewable energy finance tools: Co-host a renewable energy finance workshop with SEI in Q1 2009; collaborate with SEI, using GEO Solar Innovation Grant, to fund expansion of innovative financing tools for renewable energy in Garfield County.
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