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Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Energy management is a cornerstone of broad decarbonization. It involves actively benchmarking and auditing energy use, reducing energy inefficiencies through energy conservation measures, and transitioning energy sources to renewables. Municipalities that perform sustainable energy management can reap the benefits of decreased energy use, costs, and greenhouse gas emissions.
The following provides tangible actions catalyst communities can take to enable a just transition to decarbonization as it pertains to energy efficiency and renewable energy, and coincides with Michigan Green Communities. Relevant resources, webinars, and community examples accompany each action below.
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Benchmark and Track
Identify your municipality’s energy use and track it over time, noting both your achievements and areas for improvement. Municipalities should benchmark and audit their municipal energy use to reduce inefficiencies, costs, and greenhouse gas emissions. Benchmarking allows municipalities to track their buildings energy use and compare them to similar buildings nationwide. To better understand how to improve a building's energy use, municipalities should solicit an energy audit. Energy audits are used to identify and recommend energy conservation measures to reduce the amount of energy input without negatively affecting performance.
Resources:
- Energy Star Portfolio Manager
- Benchmarking and Building Performance Standards Policy Toolkit
- The Carbon-Free City Handbook
Webinars:
- Energy Benchmarking for Municipal Facilities
- Conducting Energy Audits for Municipal Facilities
- Climate and Energy Resources for Local Governments
Community Examples:
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Fund Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Encourage the deployment of public and private, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects by establishing financing tools that lower the cost burden for implementing projects. This could include a revolving loan fund for local governments and public financing or grant programs for community projects, including Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing. In order for programs to benefit the entire community, equitable access is essential.
Resources:
- Michigan Energy and Weatherization Resources
- Best Practices in Developing Energy Efficiency Programs for Low-Income Communities and Considerations for Clean Power Plan Compliance
- Program Design Guide: Energy Efficiency Programs in Multi-Family Affordable Housing
- Utility Data and Energy Efficiency Pilot Programs
- Low-Income Energy Affordability Data Tool
- Efficiency Standards for Rentals
- Green Revolving Loan Funds
- Michigan Saves
- How PACE Financing Works
- Energy Savings Performance Contracting Toolkit
- Energy Savings Performance Contracting in Michigan
Webinars:
- Fundamentals of Energy Savings Performance Contracting in Michigan
- Facilitating Community-Wide Clean Energy Improvements Using PACE Financing
- Financing Efficiency Improvements using Energy Savings Performance Contracts
- Clean Energy Financing Through Michigan Saves
Community Examples:
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Renewable Energy Deployment
Increase the use of renewable energy in your municipal buildings and public spaces. Renewable energy solutions include, but are not limited to, solar photovoltaic, solar hot water systems, community solar, wind, biomass, hydroelectric, and geothermal. Local governments should explore whether, how, and where clean energy fits within their community and lead by example, installing renewable energy on government facilities where appropriate (rooftops, landfills, etc.). Further, municipalities could also make renewable energy accessible to the community by adopting welcoming renewable energy zoning ordinances or creating an expedited permit process for residents and businesses to install renewable energy.
Resources:
- Planning and Zoning for Solar Energy Systems: A Guide for Michigan Local Governments
- Solar Research
- Solar Water Heaters
- State and Local Governments, State Solar Technical Assistance
- SolSmart
- Community Solar Information
- A Guidebook for Community Solar Programs in Michigan Communities
- Zoning for Wind Energy/Alternative Energy
- On-Site Renewable Energy Generation
- Energy Zones Mapping Tool
- State and Local Planning for Energy Platform
- Renewables Accelerator
- Beyond Renewable: Incorporating Social Sustainability and Community Benefits into Renewable Energy Projects
Webinars:
- Using EZMT Online Mapping to Plan for Clean Energy
- Demo of EZMT Online Mapping Tool
- Introduction to Planning and Zoning for Wind and Solar
- Planning and Zoning for Utility-Scale Wind
- Planning and Zoning for Utility-Scale Solar
- How to Become a Solar-Friendly Community Through SolSmart
- How to Use the Municipal Solar Site Selection Tool
Community Examples:
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Energy Efficiency Improvements
Reduce energy use intensity for public buildings. Energy efficiency improvements reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, while creating a more sustainable building stock in a community. An energy audit should be used to guide energy efficiency upgrades to ensure strategic investment when possible. Governments should perform energy efficiency upgrades on their own buildings to save public dollars. Additionally, energy efficiency should be prioritized in public housing to help alleviate low-income residents' energy burden.
Resources:
- Low Carbon Technology Strategies Toolkit
- A Guide to Energy Efficiency Planning for Rural Michigan Communities
- Energy Efficiency in Government Operations and Facilities
- Energy Efficiency in Affordable Housing
- Elevate Energy: Energy Efficiency Services for Affordable Multi-Family Buildings
- Community Energy Management Incentive Program
Webinars:
- Energy Efficiency Programs for Communities (2020)
- Energy Efficiency Programs and Funding (2021)
- What Happens After the Low-Hanging Fruit Has Been Picked When Implementing Your Energy Reduction Strategy?
- Climate and Energy Resources for Local Governments
Community Examples:
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Efficient Street Lighting
Light your community with the most efficient lighting technologies available. Start by inventorying your jurisdiction's owned lighting such as traffic signals, street lights, and parking illumination, then develop and execute a plan to replace fixtures with energy efficient alternatives like LEDs.
Resources:
- Outdoor Lighting Decision Tree Tool
- Adopting Energy Efficient Technologies for Street Lighting: Overcoming Challenges for Utilities
- Regulatory Barriers and Solution Pathways for Municipal LED Street Lighting Conversions
- Outdoor Lighting Challenges and Solution Pathways
Community Examples:
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Community Energy Use
Through increased guidance on energy-related issues, create opportunities for the residential, commercial, and/or industrial sectors to reduce their overall energy use and costs. Governments can provide tailored information and resources to various sectors in the community to encourage them to adopt sustainable energy practices. Governments can even initiate a community energy project, such as a community solar garden, to make renewable energy more accessible to all community members.
Resources:
- Energy Efficiency in Non-Governmental Buildings
- Commercial Building Resources
- Home Energy Savings Resources
- Decarbonization and Electrification Engagement
- A Communication Strategy for Home Energy Rating Disclosures
- Residential Energy Efficiency for Local Governments
- Engaging Tenants in Energy Efficiency - Solarize Toolkit
- Sustainable Development Code Chapter 7: Energy
- Community Energy Resource Guide
- CELICA Toolkit: Clean Energy Solutions for Low Income Communities
- Community Solar Information
- A Guidebook for Community Solar Programs in Michigan Communities
Webinars:
- Rental Home Energy Programs and Policies for Cities
- Helping Facilitate Rooftop Solar in Your Community
- Energy Management and Low-Income Community Solar
- Experiences with Michigan Community Solar
Community Examples:
- City of Ann Arbor Solarize
- City of Ann Arbor Solarize Toolkit
- City of Lansing MI Community Solar
- Marquette County Community Solar Garden
- City of Holland Community Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy
- City of Holland Home Energy Education and Retrofit Program
- City of La Crescent, MN Community Energy Action Plan
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Fleet Management
Plan for and implement projects to increase the environmental sustainability and efficiency of your municipal fleet and fleet maintenance program. To do this, local governments need to inventory their fleets and fuel use as well as establish a target and action plan for fleet decarbonization. A decarbonized fleet includes all low- and zero-emissions fuel and vehicle options, not only battery electric vehicles. Other considerations to improve fleet sustainability could include idle-reduction policies and vehicle miles traveled reduction strategies.
Resources:
- Clean Cities Coalitions
- Zero Emission Vehicles Network
- Federal Best Practices: Core Principles of Sustainable Fleet Management
- Fuel Transformation Program
Webinars & Workshops:
- Electric Vehicle Planning Resources for Communities
- Decarbonizing Your Commute
- You'll Never Walk Alone: Using Tools and Resources for Local Government Clean Fleets
- Medium and Heavy-Duty Vehicle Electrification – Challenges, Successes, and Resources
- National Association of City Transportation Officials' Training Program
Community Examples: