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March 02, 2010
CITY RECEIVES $650K GRANT FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECTS
BOA Approves Energy Efficiency & Conservation Block Grant to Develop City-wide Energy Roadmap, Residential Energy Efficiency Plan
SOMERVILLE - Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, the Somerville Board of Aldermen and Director of the Office of Sustainability and the Environment (OSE) David Lutes announced today the City of Somerville has received a $651,100 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG), from the U.S. Department of Energy, to fund a Comprehensive City-wide Energy Roadmap, as well as residential energy efficiency and renewable energy programs. At the regular meeting of the Board of Aldermen on Thursday, the Board voted to accept the funds, which will be used to provide energy incentives to residents to retrofit homes to reduce energy usage, and to provide energy efficiency upgrades to municipal buildings. The strategy required to expend the grant was developed in a partnership between the City of Somerville and the Somerville Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change.
"We are committed to reducing Somerville's carbon footprint by reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and this EECBG funding will help further our goal of creating a safer, more sustainable community," Mayor Curtatone said. "With the creation of the City's first-ever Environmental Strategic Plan in 2007, we committed to an aggressive goal of reducing energy use by 20%, and we've made great strides in reaching that goal, particularly in municipal buildings. The majority of the funding from this latest grant, however, will allow us to bring these programs and incentives to residential properties."
"The City made significant headway in the last several years, with the addition of the ESP as well as a $7.8 million contract with an Energy Services Company (ESCO) to identify cost-effective upgrades to municipal buildings, all of which are complete," said Lutes. "With these in-house initiatives already in place, we can now assist private citizens in identifying and implementing similar energy-saving measures, and the EECBG is an important step to achieving that goal."
The implementation plan created by the City and the Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change involves a multi-faceted approach, including the creation of a City- wide Energy Roadmap, the creating of a Residential Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Incentive Program, and a Municipal Building Efficiency Upgrade. A City-Wide Roadmap will be developed over the next six months with a contracted consultant to identify programs, organizations and structures to create a sustainable plan beyond the initial funding. In conjunction with the roadmap, a residential incentive program will focus on providing residents with necessary tools and incentives to reduce energy use and save money.
"The Commission has been working hard to push the envelope of energy savings in Somerville and we are pleased to have contributed to a plan that will help weatherize Somerville homes" said Andrea Ranger, Chair of the Commission on Energy Use and Climate Change. "Weatherization not only increases comfort but saves money and natural resources. It's a win-win."
For more information on the City's energy initiatives, or to learn about the residential energy incentives, please contact the Office of Sustainability and the Environment at 617-625-6600 x2106.
Contact:
Jackie Rossetti 617-625-6600, ext. 2614
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