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Local Best Practices
Local Programs
Best practices for municipal clean energy programs include strategies that deliver clean, reliable, and low-cost ways to meet energy demand while reducing peak electricity system loads and the environmental impacts of energy use. These strategies are being detailed in a forthcoming publication: Local Government Clean Energy Strategies. Draft chapters of the guide are being posted on this page as they are available.
In addition to the draft chapters, this page presents trainings and other resources in the following areas:
- Energy Efficiency
- Energy Supply
- Transportation and Air Quality
- Urban Planning and Design
- Waste Management Strategies to Reduce Energy Use
- Cross-Cutting Programs and Resources
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency reduces demand for energy and peak electricity system loads. Common energy efficiency measures include hundreds of technologies and processes for practically all end uses across all sectors of the economy.
Municipal Buildings
Many government buildings could use nearly one-third less energy through low-cost or no-cost improvements.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Energy Efficiency in Municipal Operations (expected February 2009)
- Additional Resources: ENERGY STAR brings government agencies a proven energy management strategy to save energy and money while demonstrating environmental leadership.
Affordable Housing
Improving energy efficiency in affordable housing can reduce the energy cost burden on low-income households while generating other energy, environmental, and economic benefits for the local community and region
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Energy Efficiency in Affordable Housing (PDF) (65 pp., 567K, About PDF)
- Additional Resources: ENERGY STAR offers affordable housing stakeholders proven, turn-key solutions that can be deployed via housing policies and programs to cost-effectively increase energy efficiency for low-income households.
Schools
The annual energy bill to run America's primary and secondary schools is a staggering $7.6 billion—more than is spent on textbooks and computers combined.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Energy Efficiency in K-12 Schools (expected February 2009)
- Additional Resources: School systems can become an ENERGY STAR partner, apply for the ENERGY STAR label for high-performing schools, and take on the ENERGY STAR Challenge.
Energy Efficient Purchasing
Purchasing efficient products reduces energy costs without compromising quality.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Energy Efficiency Product Procurement (PDF) (40 pp., 796K, About PDF)
- Webcast: Energy Efficient Product Procurement
- Additional Resources: The ENERGY STAR program offers savings calculators, online trainings, and case studies to help local governments establish effective procurement policies.
Water and Wastewater Utilities
The nation's wastewater plants and drinking water systems spend about $4 billion per year on energy to treat water. Individually, these operating costs can add up to one-third of a municipality's total energy bill.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Energy Efficiency in Water and Wastewater (expected Fall 2009)
- Additional Resources: EPA's ENERGY STAR program has introduced expanded energy efficiency tools and resources to help eliminate energy waste and lower operating costs of water and wastewater utilities.
Residential, Commercial, and Industrial Buildings
Building energy codes require new and existing buildings undergoing major renovations to meet minimum energy efficiency requirements. Well-designed, implemented, and enforced codes can help eliminate inefficient construction practices and technologies with little or no increase in total project costs.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Energy Efficiency in Building Codes and Beyond (expected Fall 2009)
- Additional Resources: ENERGY STAR can offer training, tools, service provider information, and case studies to interested members of your community.
Energy Supply
Clean energy supply includes renewable energy and combined heat and power (CHP). Renewable energy includes solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biogas, and low-impact hydroelectric power. CHP, also known as cogeneration, is a clean, efficient approach to generating electric and thermal energy from a single fuel source.
Green Power Procurement
Purchasing green power can be one of the easiest ways to reduce the environmental impacts associated with electricity use, while offering a number of other benefits.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Green Power Procurement (PDF) (36 pp., 547 K, About PDF)
- Webcast: Green Power Procurement
- Additional Resources: EPA’s Green Power Partnership works with Fortune 500 companies, small and medium sized businesses, colleges and universities as well as state, federal and local government partners.
On-site Renewable Energy
By installing equipment that captures energy from sunlight, wind, water, and other renewable energy sources, local governments and communities can achieve substantial energy, environmental, and economic benefits.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: On-site Renewable Energy Generation (PDF) (43 pp., 796 K, About PDF)
- Additional Resources: EPA's Green Power Partnership offers resources and tips for organizations considering installing on-site renewables.
Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
CHP helps to reduce the environmental impact of energy production by promoting the generation of power and thermal energy from a single fuel source.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Combined Heat and Power (PDF) (31 pp., 338 K, About PDF)
- Additional Resources: EPA’s Combined Heat and Power Partnership is a voluntary partnership program that can assist local governments in evaluating and implementing new projects and promoting their energy, environmental, and economic benefits.
Landfill Gas to Energy
Preventing emissions of methane (a powerful greenhouse gas) through the development of landfill gas energy projects helps communities protect the environment and build a sustainable future.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Landfill Gas to Energy (PDF) (34 pp., 484 K, About PDF)
- Additional Resources: EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program offers technical assistance, guidance materials, software tools, and assistance creating partnerships and finding financing for projects.
Transportation and Air Quality Programs and Resources
In communities throughout the country, local leaders are seeking to balance their air quality and transportation goals through efficient technologies, traffic control measures, and renewable fuels.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Efficient Fleet Technology (expected Spring 2009)
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Traffic Control Measures (expected January 2009)
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Alternative Fuels (under consideration)
- Additional Resources: EPA’s voluntary transportation programs encourage the use of renewable fuels, efficient freight transport, diesel retrofit technologies, idling reduction, and alternatives to single occupancy travel:
- The SmartWay Transport Partnership is a collaborative voluntary program between EPA and the freight industry that increases the energy efficiency and energy security of our country while significantly reducing air pollution and greenhouse gases. The partnership offers fuel-saving strategies including upgrade technology packages, savings calculators and innovative financing options.
- The SmartWay Grow & Go promotes the environmental benefits of renewable fuels and is a renewable fuel component for EPA's existing SmartWay Transport Partnership.
- The National Clean Diesel Campaign, in conjunction with state and local governments, public interest groups, and industry partners, reduces emissions from diesel fleets. The campaign provides technical and financial assistance to stakeholders interested in reducing their fleets’ emissions effectively and efficiently.
- Best Workplaces for Commuters provides the tools, guidance, and promotion necessary to help employers of any size incorporate commuter benefits into their standard benefits plan, reap financial benefits, and gain national recognition.
- The Green Vehicle Guide assists car buyers in finding the cleanest, most fuel-efficient vehicles that meet their needs by assigning air pollution and greenhouse gas scores to each model, as well as the estimated city and highway fuel economy. The guide also has information about EPA's vehicle compliance programs, including tables of emission standards for vehicles.
- EPA's Office of Transportation and Air Quality offers information, tools, and resources that identify emission reduction strategies, national policies, regulations, incentives, calculators, funding sources, and other types of assistance to help local governments achieve their air quality and transportation objectives.
Urban Planning and Design
From land use planning to material selection, the choices communities make regarding their built environment affect energy consumption, the environment, public health, economic development, and the quality of life. By using smart planning and design strategies and energy efficient technologies, communities can develop in ways that minimize energy costs and enhance their environment, while protecting public health and allowing for economic growth.
Smart Growth
Communities across the country are using creative strategies to develop in ways that preserve natural lands and critical environmental areas, protect water and air quality, and reuse already-developed land.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Smart Growth (expected Spring 2009)
- Additional Resources: Through research, tools, partnerships, case studies, grants, and technical assistance, EPA’s Smart Growth Program is helping America's communities turn their visions of the future into reality.
Urban Heat Island Reduction
The term "heat island" describes built up areas that are hotter than nearby rural areas. Heat islands can affect communities by increasing summertime peak energy demand, air conditioning costs, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, heat-related illness and mortality, and water quality.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Urban Heat Island Reduction (expected Summer 2009)
- EPA’s Heat Island Reduction Initiative offers outreach materials, tools, and guidance that provide cities and counties with information to develop projects, programs, and policies that reduce temperatures, save energy, and provide additional environmental and health benefits.
Waste Management Strategies to Reduce Energy Use
Waste prevention and recycling not only help us better manage the solid waste we generate, but are also potent strategies to reduce energy use. Manufacturing goods from recycled materials typically requires less energy than producing goods from virgin materials. Waste prevention is even more effective at saving energy. When people reuse things or when products are made with less material, less energy is needed to extract, transport, and process raw materials and to manufacture products. In addition, reducing the amount of waste transported to disposal sites saves fuel.
- Draft Clean Energy Strategies Guide: Waste Management (under consideration)
- Additional Resources: EPA programs assist local governments with waste management strategies that result in reduced energy use.
- WasteWise helps organizations reduce their impact on global climate change through waste reduction through technical assistance for waste prevention, recycling, and buying recycled materials, all of which contribute to lowering greenhouse gas emissions and saving energy.
- EPA’s Responsible Appliance Disposal Program aims to partner with utilities, municipalities, retailers, and manufacturers to help protect the ozone layer and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases through best practices of collecting and disposing of household refrigerated appliances.
Cross-Cutting Programs and Resources
Lead by Example
Lead by Example programs offer local governments opportunities to achieve substantial energy cost savings within their own operations, demonstrate environmental leadership, and raise public awareness of the benefits of clean energy technologies.
- Lead by Example (PDF) (25 pp., 862 K, About PDF)
- Lead by Example Guide (expected 2009)