Regional Circuit Rider for Energy Efficiency in Local Government Operations

Bucks County, Chester County, Delaware County, and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

Federal Funding: $242,651
Project Timeline: February 2011 – January 2014

Project Summary
Community Characteristics
Program Results/Estimated Results

Project Summary

Helping Small Municipal Governments Achieve Energy Efficiency Improvements

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) program to improve energy efficiency in small communities is well underway. DVRPC has met with regional and state experts and visited towns implementing energy efficiency projects to learn about their best practices. DVRPC has evaluated costs of retrofitting traffic signals with LED lights and will begin taking a lighting inventory and survey. DVRPC will also hold a quarterly energy efficiency seminar series for municipalities beginning in March 2012.

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) Regional Circuit Rider for Energy Efficiency in Local Government Operations project will provide training and direct assistance to the governments of the four suburban counties in Greater Philadelphia to develop and implement strategies to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions associated with their operations. This project will work with 4 of the 9 counties within the DVRPC region and focus on the 228 small municipalities that are too small to qualify for Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program and lack the resources of larger cities. DVRPC will serve as a "one-stop shop" for these municipalities to address the capacity gaps they face in making use of energy efficiency resources.

The project will provide six distinct services to the 228 targeted municipalities, beginning with outreach on savings opportunities available in energy efficiency and conservation. DVRPC will also develop and deploy training, analytical tools, and outreach materials for the municipalities on the benefits and processes for managing energy use and improving energy efficiency in municipal buildings, wastewater treatment facilities, vehicle fleets, employee commutes, and outdoor lighting. DVRPC will then provide direct technical assistance on analytical tools to evaluate energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from local government municipal operations. The Circuit Rider project will additionally design cost-effective packages for reducing energy use in municipally-owned buildings that leverage available grant funding and incentives to assure a maximum payback period of five years. DVRPC will prepare case studies and monitor and report data to track outcomes and lessons learned from the project.

By engaging municipalities in cost-effective energy efficiency investments in their own operations, this program will increase awareness of energy efficiency opportunities among citizens throughout the region. DVRPC will profile select communities that have institutionalized energy and greenhouse gas management through this program, using a standard template that will summarize energy savings, greenhouse gas emissions reductions, and provide a narrative of the project. These case studies will be available on DVRPC's Web site, and will be used to publicize the program, demonstrate the value of energy and greenhouse gas management, and communicate progress to other municipalities.

Community Characteristics

Population:	2,438,866
Area:	2,031 square miles
Government Type:	Regional Council
Community Type:	Urban and Suburban
Median Household Income:	$61,605 - $83,759

Program Results/Estimated Results

Expected GHG Reductions:	4,300 metric tons CO₂e annually
Expected Energy Cost Savings:	$680,000 annually
Expected Electricity Reductions:	4.5 million kWh annually

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