Energy Action Plan Resources Municipal Facilities The Energy Aware Planning Guide, developed by the California Energy Commission in 1993 and updated in 2011, is a comprehensive resource for local governments seeking to reduce energy use, improve energy efficiency, and increase usage of renewable energy across all sectors. The Energy Aware Planning Guide presents a menu of strategies and best management practices to help local governments improve energy efficiency, and reduce energy consumption. Strategies explored include: transportation and land use changes; optimizing water use; building improvements; and other strategies. Each strategy section contains general plan language ideas, implementation ideas, case studies, and resources. The Energy Aware Planning Guide also contains supporting information and references to help local governments organize strategies into an Energy Action Plan and estimate the likely energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction impacts of their strategies. Energy Aware Planning Guide: www.energy.ca.gov/energy_aware_guide/index.html Look at the “Community Energy: Municipal Facilities” chapter. You may also want to look at “Buildings Section” for residential and commercial energy efficiency program and policy ideas. You can also find ideas in other cities’ and counties’ general plans. You can do a Google search to find them. Some good examples: City of Huntington Beach Energy Action Plan (2011) Irvine Energy Element (2006) City of Monrovia Energy Action Plan (2008) Corte Madera Resource Conservation and Sustainability Element (2009) Los Gatos Environment and Sustainability Element (2010) Pleasanton Energy Element (2009) San Bernardino Energy and Water Conservation Element (2005) San Luis Obispo Conservation and Open Space Element (2006) Taft Open Space and Conservation Element (2010) Marin County The Built Environment Element (2007) Sacramento County Housing Element (2008) San Luis Obispo County Conservation and Open Space Element (2010) Santa Barbara County Energy Element (2009) Solano County Resources Element (2008)
Best Practices to Promote Energy Efficiency The Institute for Local Government’s Climate Action and Best Practices Framework offers activities local agencies can implement in ten areas, many of which relate to reducing energy use in agency facilities. The framework is available at http://www.ca-ilg.org/ClimatePractices. In addition to activities the agency may consider, the website also includes examples of what cities and counties are doing in the ten areas. Especially relevant to preparing an energy action plan are best practice areas related to energy efficiency, green building and water/waste water systems. The Institute’s whitepaper, “Working with Utilities to Finance Energy Efficiency Improvements” also provides examples of successful energy efficiency retrofit projects. It is available at http://www.ca-ilg.org/node/2995. Funding The California Energy Commission has public agency assistance programs called Efficiency Services and Loan Programs. They include state and federally-funded technical and financial assistance programs that improve the efficient use of energy in buildings and processes for public agencies. CEC: www.energy.ca.gov/efficiency/public_programs.html The California Air Resources Board has developed the Cool California Funding Wizard to help locate grants and incentives for sustainable projects. Search this tool for grants, rebates, tax credits, and other financial assistance to assist you with clean air vehicle purchases/retrofits, recycling and waste prevention, water recycling, and many other environmental projects. Funding Wizard: www.coolcalifornia.org/funding-wizard-home The investor-owned utilities (Southern California Edison Company and Southern California Gas Company) have incentives, financing and technical assistance programs to help local governments improve energy efficiency in their own operations and communities. Southern California Edison: www.sce.com Southern California Gas Company: www.socalgas.com Ideas and examples of how local agencies have funded energy efficiency retrofit programs, including accessing utility incentive programs is available through the Institute for Local Government’s Financing Sustainability Resource Center at http://www.ca-ilg.org/ghgfinance.
Policies The Energy Aware Planning Guide has policy and implementation language suggestions for general plans and other local government guidance documents. You will also find policy language in other cities’ and counties’ general plans. Tracking Set up a Utility Manager computer program to track municipal usage. Identify need for sub-metering to plan, budget and manage bills. Energy Star (US EPA, Dept of Energy)- Portfolio Manager is an interactive energy management tool that allows you to track and assess energy and water consumption across your entire portfolio of buildings in a secure online environment. The national energy performance rating is a type of external benchmark that helps energy managers assess how efficiently their buildings use energy, relative to similar buildings nationwide. The rating system’s 1–100 scale allows everyone to quickly understand how a building is performing — a rating of 50 indicates average energy performance, while a rating of 75 or better indicates top performance.