State and Local Climate and Energy Program
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
Latest Update
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 has started to conduct outreach on the LED Traffic Signal Conversion Program through email announcements and a survey. The Commission will follow up with municipalities and work with PECO to retrofit the lights. DVRPC also released a request for proposals for a contractor to provide technical assistance on energy efficiency and conservation measures to municipalities.
Project Summary
Helping Small Municipal Governments Achieve Energy Efficiency Improvements
The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) Regional Circuit Rider for Energy Efficiency in Local Government Operations project provides 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 works with four of the nine 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 serves as a "one-stop shop" for these municipalities to address the capacity gaps they face in making use of energy efficiency resources.
The project is providing six distinct services to the 228 targeted municipalities, beginning with outreach on savings opportunities available in energy efficiency and conservation. DVRPC also develops and provides trainings, 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 also provides technical assistance on analytical tools that evaluate energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from local government municipal operations. The Circuit Rider project designs 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 is also preparing case studies and monitoring and reporting 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 website, 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 |