DPW looking into joining NYSERDA Clean Energy Community
NORWICH — Department of Public Works (DPW) Superintendent Edward Pepe informed council members of the NYSERDA Clean Energy Communities, and how the city would benefit from becoming one.
Pepe said joining the Clean Energy Community would make Norwich eligible for grants that are meant to be used for improving energy efficiency in the city.
"We're looking at this because if you do this, if you become part of this Clean Energy Community, you're able to apply for grants to help upgrade and make energy efficient improvements," he said.
The grants can range from $5,000 plus upkeep, to $70,000, according to Pepe, although most commonly fall around $10,000.
In order to join, however, Pepe said Norwich would need four "high impact actions" geared toward energy improvement.
"So one of them we already did. LED street lights. So we've got that in the bag. That's good; so we need three more," said Pepe. "One that I think would be pretty straightforward is benchmarking, which is we keep track of how much energy we use in all the buildings."
Another more involved option is obtaining a unified solar permit, according to Pepe.
"One of them is this unified solar permit, which would make it easier to get solar panels in the City of Norwich," he said. The unified permit streamlines the process for New York municipalities to get solar.
Pepe said another option is becoming a Climate Smart Community, which is similar to the Clean Energy Communities.
"One of them is becoming a Climate Smart Community as well," he said. "You have all these actions, and you have to earn points for these actions, and the more points you have the better you are for grants. You don't have to be a part of this to apply for the grants, but it helps you."
Two other options included having code enforcement attend an energy code enforcement workshop, and installing an electric car charging station in the city.
For now, Pepe said he will be keeping an eye on things and getting a start on some projects to assist Norwich in getting these grants.
"I've been looking into it, and I've got a better feel for how the programs work now, and where we can take them," said Pepe. "So I'll keep this on my radar, to start moving toward some of these easier things to get down so we can possibly earn some grants."
Council members were supportive of the idea. Alderman David Zieno saw the merit, pointing out that the energy efficient upgrades would save the city money while also providing grant funding.
"So these projects would ultimately, like lighting upgrades, save us money and also bring in grant revenue at the same time," he said.
Pepe said joining the Clean Energy Community would make Norwich eligible for grants that are meant to be used for improving energy efficiency in the city.
"We're looking at this because if you do this, if you become part of this Clean Energy Community, you're able to apply for grants to help upgrade and make energy efficient improvements," he said.
The grants can range from $5,000 plus upkeep, to $70,000, according to Pepe, although most commonly fall around $10,000.
In order to join, however, Pepe said Norwich would need four "high impact actions" geared toward energy improvement.
"So one of them we already did. LED street lights. So we've got that in the bag. That's good; so we need three more," said Pepe. "One that I think would be pretty straightforward is benchmarking, which is we keep track of how much energy we use in all the buildings."
Another more involved option is obtaining a unified solar permit, according to Pepe.
"One of them is this unified solar permit, which would make it easier to get solar panels in the City of Norwich," he said. The unified permit streamlines the process for New York municipalities to get solar.
Pepe said another option is becoming a Climate Smart Community, which is similar to the Clean Energy Communities.
"One of them is becoming a Climate Smart Community as well," he said. "You have all these actions, and you have to earn points for these actions, and the more points you have the better you are for grants. You don't have to be a part of this to apply for the grants, but it helps you."
Two other options included having code enforcement attend an energy code enforcement workshop, and installing an electric car charging station in the city.
For now, Pepe said he will be keeping an eye on things and getting a start on some projects to assist Norwich in getting these grants.
"I've been looking into it, and I've got a better feel for how the programs work now, and where we can take them," said Pepe. "So I'll keep this on my radar, to start moving toward some of these easier things to get down so we can possibly earn some grants."
Council members were supportive of the idea. Alderman David Zieno saw the merit, pointing out that the energy efficient upgrades would save the city money while also providing grant funding.
"So these projects would ultimately, like lighting upgrades, save us money and also bring in grant revenue at the same time," he said.
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