New Jersey Sustainable Energy Efficiency Demonstration Projects

Cherry Hill, Highland Park, and Montclair, New Jersey

Federal Funding: $500,000
Project Timeline: February 2010 – November 2012

Project Summary
Community Characteristics
Program Results/Estimated Results
Project Websites
Media Coverage
Photos

Project Summary

Developing the Capacity of Small and Medium Municipalities in Partnership with State and Federal Initiatives

The three participating municipalities of the New Jersey Sustainable Energy Efficiency Demonstration Project (NJ SEED) have adopted greenhouse gas reduction targets and Energy Plans that provide the communities the framework with which to reach those targets. In terms of outreach, NJ SEED has shifted its focus from one-to-one canvassing to a local community interest group approach, based on the more effective experiences from other Climate Showcase Communities projects. The new outreach strategy has proven effective - Cherry Hill has collected 500 pledges from the community to reduce energy consumption, Montclair has enrolled 16 businesses to participate in its energy efficiency campaign, and Highland Park has seen an increase in participants for its home energy audit program.

The New Jersey Sustainable Energy Efficiency Demonstration Project (NJ SEED) seeks to demonstrate that aggressive reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are possible in small and medium municipalities. It also aims to establish a protocol for leadership in municipalities through state and federal support, and to share information on measures that reduce GHG emissions among residents and businesses. The program will achieve these goals by:

Establishing a partnership among three New Jersey municipalities to set energy use and GHG emission reduction targets;
implementing programs to help residents, businesses, and local government reduce energy use and GHG emissions; and
modeling anticipated impacts and qualitatively documenting actual reductions for research purposes.

Each participating municipality will develop and implement energy plans with targets for reducing energy use and GHG emissions. Potential actions that could be undertaken include enrollment of community members and local businesses in state and federal energy-efficiency programs, efficiency retrofits of municipal buildings, green fleet campaigns, and updates to local codes and policies.

After one year, the project team will assess implementation efforts. Based on data gathered from project partners, changes will be identified and implemented to improve the program. This will be followed by a second round of review on key metrics including fiscal, economic, and environmental impacts. Finally, the project partners will disseminate lessons on the program through a state-wide workshop and two regional workshops. Lessons from the program will be turned into new actions for the Sustainable Jersey program.

In addition to cost savings, and energy use and GHG reductions, the project will provide three key benefits. It will:

Provide an example of how small and medium municipalities can drive energy use and GHG emission reductions;
emphasize how municipalities can encourage their residents and businesses to decrease GHG emissions; and
provide a model for other states to coordinate state and federal policies with local government activities.

The project is integrated with New Jersey's Sustainable Jersey certification program for municipalities that want to adopt sustainable policies and achieve cost savings.

Community Characteristics

Population:	75,000 (Cherry Hill) 16,000 (Highland Park) 38,000 (Montclair)
Area:	32 square miles (total)
Government Type:	Three Municipalities
Community Type:	Urban
Median Household Income:	$54,000-$77,000

Program Results/Estimated Results

Expected GHG Emissions Reductions:	5,000 metric tons CO₂e annually
Partners:	NJ Sustainable State Institute at Rutgers, New Jersey state government
Sample Projects:	GHG Inventories Energy Plans Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Anti-Idling Campaigns