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Allegheny County Creates Energy Efficiency & Conservation Program For Municipalities
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Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato this week announced Lime Energy has been selected to conduct energy audits of 104 municipal buildings throughout the County as a part of the Allegheny County Energy Efficiency & Conservation Program.
Lime Energy will inspect lighting systems, heating and air conditioning, computer systems, and the overall thermal envelope to identify projects that can reduce energy usage and costs.
“The Allegheny County Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program will result in energy conservation projects in local government facilities throughout the County, which will translate into savings for taxpayers and jobs for local workers,” said Onorato. “This effort builds on our ongoing initiative to promote sustainable practices across Allegheny County.”
Lime Energy is expected to begin the audit process at the end of March and submit its reports by the end of July. Once the audits are completed, Lime Energy will analyze the results for each municipal building and recommend energy conservation measures to reduce energy demand and consumption, such as upgraded lighting, room occupancy sensors, insulation and other weatherization activities.
Lime Energy’s contract with Allegheny County is for $212,000. The installation or retrofit of the conservation measures is planned for this fall. Duquesne Light will assist the County in monitoring the results of the facility improvements to ensure quantifiable and measurable energy savings.
The County will provide grants totaling $2 million to fund the municipal upgrades. Grant allocations will be based on the percentage of low- and moderate-income population in each municipality. Thirty boroughs and townships are eligible for grants covering 100 percent of upgrade costs, 55 municipalities will be eligible for grants covering 75 percent of costs, and 19 will be eligible for grants covering 50 percent of costs.
The Allegheny County Energy Efficiency and Conservation program is possible thanks to $8.1 million from the Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant fostered by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
In addition to the municipal energy efficiency program, Allegheny County is using $5.2 million for conservation projects in its 19 largest facilities, including the County Courthouse, County Office Building, County Jail, Shuman Juvenile Detention Center, Health Department facilities in Oakland and Lawrenceville, and all four Kane regional centers.
Projects could include replacing windows and lights, updating heating and cooling systems, and installing solar and other cutting-edge technology. Preliminary projections indicate Allegheny County could save more than $2 million in utility costs annually under the program.
NewsClips: Allegheny County Hires Energy Consultant
Energy Audits Planned To Try To Save 104 Towns Money |
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3/15/2010 |
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