The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission will work directly with ten municipalities in southeastern Pennsylvania to reduce energy use in their government operations.

This direct technical assistance is provided through DVRPC’s Circuit Rider for Energy Efficiency in Local Government Operations Program. The ten municipalities chosen for this program—selected from over two dozen applicants—are:

-- Bucks County: Lower Southampton Township and Bristol Township;

-- Chester County: Easttown Township and Phoenixville Borough;

-- Delaware County: Lansdowne Borough, Nether Providence Township, and Upper Darby Township; and

-- Montgomery County: Cheltenham Township, Horsham Township, and Towamencin Township.

DVRPC's Circuit Rider team, which includes a certified energy manager, will work with officials from the selected municipalities to evaluate current energy use, analyze opportunities for energy savings, and identify and put in place those projects that provide the greatest reduction in energy costs.

The team will also train municipal staff in best practices for energy management. The training will help these municipalities become regional leaders in energy efficiency and conservation. This assistance will be provided at no cost to the municipalities.

The Circuit Rider also provides analytical tools, holds quarterly training seminars, and creates bulk purchase opportunities. These are available to all municipalities in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, and Montgomery counties.

“The Circuit Rider program provides smaller municipalities with easy access to the resources and tools they need to prioritize projects for cost-effectively reducing energy use,” said DVRPC Executive Director, Barry Seymour. “We saw a need for this type of program because small and medium-sized municipalities often have limited staffing and capacity to support the type of energy management found in larger municipalities.”

For more information, visit the DVRPC Circuit Rider Program webpage.

12/17/2012