Energy Conservation Action Plan

Energy Conservation, Alternative Fuels, Alternative Energy Strategies, Green Buildings

Opportunities for energy conservation are increasingly available in almost every application in any setting. Home, school, office, and industrial environments have all benefited from cost-saving and energy-saving innovations. The advantages of energy conservation have been quantified on the local level as tons of air-pollutants avoided and dollars saved. Reduction in global green house gas emissions are also quantified with the benefit of reduced warming affect. Sites below provide a wealth of information useful in the home and community, and sources for additional policy information, data on technologies and how to order energy saving products.

On the community level opportunities for large scale energy saving applications may be hindered by the up front investment costs. These costs have been in many cases subsidized through local energy utilities which have succeeded in the integration of energy conservation into their rate base. For example, the Washington D.C. metro area, the local utility PEPCO underwrote the cost of compact fluorescent bulbs for several years. In other locations utilities have worked to provide interest subsidies for the purchase of highly efficient household appliances, like refrigerators. These appliances carry a higher purchase price, which may discourage buyers, but over the life of the equipment will actually save money though reduced energy consumption. Subsidizing interest payments bring the purchase price in line with conventional appliances.

For sample model codes and ordinances, click on the Smart Communities Network web site.

Policy and Planning Tools

ENERGY STAR Heating and Cooling Program
The ENERGY STAR Residential Heating and Cooling program is a voluntary program in which manufacturers agree to manufacture and market high efficiency heating, cooling and control products.
UCS Energy ProgramUCS advocates state, national, and international energy policies.
Clean Cities: Partnership for a Strong Community.
Alternative fuels information sources.
Alternative Fuel Vehicles
PLACES3S - Planning for Community, Energy, Economic, and Environmental Sustainability can be found at the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development.
The Green Building Alliance (GBA) is a Pittsburgh-based non-profit organization providing expert services and reliable information to facilitate green building solutions.
The National Pollution Prevention Center for Higher Education has created a Sustainable Architecture web site containing plans and modules.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System Criteria
Canada Green Building Council
Sustainable Building Source book
Global Warming International Center
EPA's Climate Change Site
Green Communities Canada
Green Development Tools
How To Reduce Your Energy Costs - The Energy Efficiency Guide for Businesses, Industry, Government and Institutions from the Commonwealth of PA. Request publication #0200-BK-DEP2010. Contact:
Office of Pollution Prevention and Compliance Assistance
Department of Environmental Protection
P.O. Box 2063, Harrisburg, PA 17105-2065
717-783-0540/-0541
Guidelines for Creating High-Performance Green Buildings from the Governor's Green Government Council - PA
Alternative Fuels Data Center
Vehicle Buyer's Guide
E85 Fleet Toolkit

Regulatory Tools

Community Energy Tools: Codes and Ordinances.
Energy Efficiency Design Standards
A guide to state and federal alternative fuel vehicles incentives and laws.
"Clean Fuel Vehicles" [PDF, 22 pp., 136KB] EPA-subchapter C: Air program, Part 88 (updated 1996).
Alternative Fuel Vehicles State Government and Fuel Provider Fleet Rule and Guide.
EPAct Initiatives for Alternative Fueled Vehicles. [PDF, 33 pp., 2086KB]

Technical Tools

The Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Networkoffers tips on saving energy and money at home.
Center for Building ScienceLawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Center for Building Science
About Public Technology, Inc.
Technologies and strategies for effective environmental management, especially solid waste and water.
Rocky Mountain Institute's energy information
National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium
LEAP, the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning system, is a software tool for integrated energy-environment and greenhouse gas mitigation analysis .
Industry Best Practices provide great ideas to help improve energy efficiency at facilities.
QuikFan, free software that helps calculate the benefits gained by applying variable-speed drives to fan motors in HVAC systems; ProjectKalc is free software designed for U.S. EPA's Green Lights partners to help analyze potential lighting upgrades; QuikChill is free software intended for Energy Star Buildings partners for assessing the costs and benefits of centrifugal chillers. http://cleanaircounts.org/
Home Energy Saver
The US Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) has numerous information resources and tools to help industry become more energy-efficient.

Financial Tools

Alternative fuels information and funding sources. - through Clean cities
The Road to Clean Cities (funding for alternative fuels)
The Alliance to Save Energy has several technical guides available on Energy Efficiency Financing .
The Energy Foundation

Other Tools

Mr. Solar Home PageYour contact point for information, products and services about every aspect of solar, wind & water power.
The University of Oregon's WebClasses/Resources related to Energy and Environmental Issues.
Information on Alternative Fuels Vehicles.
Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast is an interactive, virtual exhibition that explains what global warming is, as well as its causes and impacts.
A Consumer's Guide to Buying a Solar Electric System [PDF, 20 pp., 764KB] from the US Dept. of Energy.
Solar America "Our ultimate goal is to see one million solar energy systems on U.S. rooftops by 2010" - President Clinton.
Philadelphia's Million Solar Roofs Community Partnership
Green-E, or Green Electricity from the Center for Resource Solutions, is designed to help consumers compare different electricity offerings

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