Mid-Atlantic Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Programs

Did you know that more than 85 percent of the energy consumed in the United States is from the combustion of fossil fuels? Fossil fuels produce carbon dioxide or "CO₂", the dominant greenhouse gas, as well as criteria air pollutants. Energy efficiency is an important strategy for addressing the growing emissions of CO₂ from energy generation and use. It is the practice of using less energy and using energy wisely to accomplish everyday needs. Clean energy is energy derived from highly efficient, clean technologies, including renewable energy and combined heat and power. Together Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy work as the best practice model in energy decision making. Choosing clean energy sources such as green power and combined heat and power and using that energy more efficiently saves resources on both the production and end use sides. EPA Region 3 implements various programs that help address both energy efficiency practices and clean energy choices:

Quick Links:

• ENERGY STAR Program
• Green Power Partnership
• State and Local Climate and Energy Program
• Combined Heat and Power Partnership
• GreenChill
• Responsible Appliance Disposal Program
• Climate Leadership Awards
• Heat Island Reduction Program

The ENERGY STAR Program is a joint endeavor between the EPA and the DOE which encourages energy efficiency in homes and businesses through the use of ENERGY STAR labeled products and by implementing energy savings practices, all of which save consumers money on energy costs while also cleaning up our environment. The ENERGY STAR partnership offers a proven energy management strategy that helps in measuring current energy performance, setting goals, tracking savings and rewarding improvements.

Philadelphia City Council Passes Energy Benchmarking Ordinance

Philadelphia Energy Benchmarking Ordinance (Bill No. 12005601)

EPA Summary of State and Local Energy Benchmarking Policies

2012 Battle of the Buildings Competition (PDF, 1 pp., 330 KB, About PDF)

Case Studies of Energy Efficient Buildings in the Philadelphia Area

Find a List of Energy Star Partners Here

For More Information

Andrew Kreider (Commercial & Industrial) - kreider.andrew@epa.gov or 215-814-3301

Emily Linn (Commercial & Industrial; Products; Water/Wastewater Treatment Plants) - linn.emily@epa.gov or 215-814-5273

Gail Tindal (Home Improvement; New Homes) - tindal.gail@epa.gov or 215-814-2069

The Green Power Partnership encourages organizations to buy green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with traditional fossil fuel-based electricity use. The partnership includes a diverse set of organizations including Fortune 500's, small and medium businesses, government institutions and colleges and universities. All energy-producing technology has some impact on the environment, but green power sources leave a much smaller footprint.

Find a List of Green Power Partners Here

The nearly 950 organizations on this list are collectively buying more than 14.3 billion kilowatt-hours of green power annually, which is the equivalent amount of electricity needed to power nearly 1.5 million average American homes for one year.

Not a Green Power Partner? Join

Become a Green Power Community!

Leading local governments across the nation are partnering with EPA to become Green Power Communities (GPCs). GPCs are towns, villages, cities, counties, or tribal governments in which the local government, businesses, and residents collectively buy green power in amounts that meet or exceed EPA's Green Power Community purchase requirements.

EPA Welcomes Philadelphia as its Newest Green Power Community Partner

For more information on becoming a Green Power Community in the Mid-Atlantic, contact Gail Tindal at 215-814-2069 or tindal.gail@epa.gov.

EPA's State and Local Climate and Energy Program provides technical assistance, analytical tools, and outreach support to state, local, and tribal governments. Specific assistance includes:

• Identifying and documenting cost-effective policies and initiatives that address climate change, including those that promote renewable energy, energy efficiency, and related clean technologies.

• Measuring and evaluating the environmental, economic, and public health benefits of climate change and clean energy initiatives.

• Offering tools, guidance, and outreach support for assessing the options and benefits of actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

• Fostering peer exchange opportunites for state and local officials to share information on best practices and lessons learned about innovative policies and programs.

For more information on the State and Local Climate and Energy Program in the Mid-Atlantic, contact Megan Goold at 215-814-2027 or goold.megan@epa.gov.

Five communities in Region 3 are currently receiving Climate Showcase Communities grant funding, which assists local governments in establishing and implementing climate change initiatives.

• Baltimore, MD - Baltimore City Nonprofit Greenhouse Gas Reductions Program

• James City County, VA - Advancing Greenhouse Gas Reductions Through Affordable Housing

• West Chester Area School District, PA - The Student Conservation Corps: Building a New Energy Foundation

• Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, PA - Regional Circuit Rider for Energy Efficiency in Local Government Operations

• Frederick County, MD - Green Homes Challenge

Sign up for the State and Local Climate and Energy listserv.

The Combined Heat and Power Partnership is a voluntary program seeking to reduce the environmental impact of power generation by promoting the use of combined heat and power (CHP). CHP, also known as cogeneration, is an efficient, clean, and reliable approach to generating power and thermal energy from a single fuel source. By installing a CHP system designed to meet the thermal and electrical base loads of a facility, CHP can greatly increase the facility's operational efficiency and decrease energy costs. The CHP Partnership works closely with energy users, the CHP industry, state and local governments, and other clean energy stakeholders to facilitate the development of new projects and to promote their environmental and economic benefits.

For more information on the CHP Partnership in the Mid-Atlantic, contact Emily Linn at 215-814-5273 or linn.emily@epa.gov.

Find a list of CHP Partners.

Not a CHP Partner? Join

GreenChill is an EPA partnership with food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change. GreenChill works to help food retailers transition to environmentally friendlier refrigerants, lower refrigerant charge sizes and eliminate leaks, and adopt green refrigeration technologies, strategies, and practices.

For more information on GreenChill in the Mid-Atlantic, contact Andrew Kreider at 215-814-3301 or kreider.andrew@epa.gov.

Find a list of GreenChill Partners.

Not a GreenChill Partner? Join

The Responsible Appliance Disposal Program(RAD) is a voluntary partnership program to help protect the ozone layer and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. As part of the program, partners recover ozone-depleting chemicals from old refrigerators, freezers, window air conditioners, and dehumidifiers. RAD partners include utilities, retailers, local governments, manufacturers, universities, and other interested organizations.

For more information on the RAD program in the Mid-Atlantic, contact Emily Linn at 215-814-5273 or linn.emily@epa.gov.

Find a list of RAD Partners.

Not a RAD partner? Join

In 2002, EPA launched the Climate Leaders program, an industry-government partnership that worked with companies to develop comprehensive climate change strategies. In September 2010, EPA announced that the Climate Leaders program would phase down its services, officially ending the program a year later, in September 2011. Many of the tools developed by EPA and used by Climate Leaders partners to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions are still available for use on EPA’s Corporate GHG Resources website. Additionally, EPA, along with a consortium of three non-profit organizations, is co-sponsoring a new Climate Leadership Awards program to recognize exemplary corporate, organizational, and individual leadership in response to climate change.

For more information on EPA's Corporate GHG Resources and the Climate Leadership Awards in the Mid-Atlantic, contact Emily Linn at 215-814-5273 or linn.emily@epa.gov.

EPA's Heat Island Reduction Program supports research into and implementation of mitigation strategies that address the urban heat island effect. Strategies may include: increasing tree and vegetative cover; installing green roofs; installing cool, reflective roofs; and using cool pavements.

For more information on the Heat Island Reduction Program in the Mid-Atlantic, contact Emily Linn at 215-814-5273 or linn.emily@epa.gov.