This is a program that was created in 2013. Approximately 148 of the 169 municipalities in the state of Connecticut are currently participating. The Town of Columbia joined this effort in June 2015 and signed the pledge to: 1) To reduce energy consumption by at least 20% by 2018 and 2) To purchase 20% of its electricity from clean, renewable energy sources by 2018. Even though Columbia is joining the program later in the game, Eversource will allow the Town to capture projects that were completed from 2010 and forward that have reduced energy consumption or committed to renewable energy. This will be accomplished by importing all utility bill data for municipal buildings including Horace W. Porter school into an Energy Star Portfolio Manager. This process should be complete by October 31, 2015 and we will post usage reports for viewing here.
For every point we get for energy reduction, we receive Bright Ideas Grant Dollars to complete future energy saving projects or put on events for residents. Examples
of projects include but are not limited to installing solar panels, switching out regular light bulbs to LED bulbs, replacing older windows with energy efficient windows, etc. Every 100 points equals $5,000 in a Bright Ideas Grant and Columbia has already attained 201 points!
On October 14, 2015, Columbia was awarded the Silver Star level for its work to date at the Energize CT Clean Energy Communities Award Ceremony at Oakdale Theater in Wallingford, CT.
Upcoming Events:
The EAC will hold its first Bright Ideas Grant Eversource Clean Energy Community Program Event, a Light Bulb Swap, on April 16, 2016. Visit the News and Events section of the homepage or visit Facebook.
