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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1. Energy Strategy Plan Memo 02/23/2010 Mount Prospect INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM Village of Mount Prospect Mount Prospect, Illinois DATE: MICHAEL E. JANONIS, VILLAGE MANAGER MICHAEL DALLAS, ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST FEBRUARY 17, 2010 ENERGY STRATEGY PLAN TO: FROM: SUBJECT: PURPOSE To review the proposed Energy Strategy Plan and provide Village staff any revisions prior to its submittal to the Village Board for adoption. BACKGROUND During the December 8, 2009, committee-of-the whole meeting, Village staff presented a draft Energy Strategy Plan (hereinafter "Plan") to the Village Board which outlined several energy efficiency goals and activities, as well as designated how the Department of Energy's (DOE) Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program funding could be allocated. After a discussion by the Board regarding the Plan's content, it was decided that staff would complete the DOE's required forms in order to receive the rest of the EECBG funding, but postpone further discussion regarding the formal Plan until a later date. On December 15, 2009, staff obtained approval from the Village Board to submit the forms to the DOE. The energy efficiency and conservation strategy reflected in the forms outlined the five (5) major areas (goals) chosen by the Village Board at the December 8 meeting, including: 1. Public Education and Outreach; 2. Sustainability Committee; 3. Street Lighting; 4. Weatherization Program; 5. Public Transportation, Bicycling, and other forms of Travel. The DOE is still reviewing the Village's energy efficiency and conservation strategy. In the meantime, staff and its consultant Camp, Dresser and McKee (CDM) revised the Plan to address the Board's comments. DISCUSSION A. Plan Structure and Content The Energy Strategy Plan is still divided into six (6) main sections: 1. Introduction 2. Energy Assessment 3. Energy Efficiency and Conservation Opportunities 4. Short-Term Energy Efficiency and Conservation Goals 5. Long-Term Energy Efficiency and Conservation Goals 6. Implementation The first section is an introduction to the Plan, describing how it was conceived and the process to maintain it. The second section provides an energy consumption assessment for both Village operations and the H:IVILMIMDallaslEnergy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECGB)IBoard Documents and PresentationslEnergy Strategy Plan Review 112-17- 10.doc Energy Strategy Plan February 17, 2010 Page 2 community. The third section describes the process that was used to identify the proposed energy efficiency and conservation goals. The fourth and fifth sections describe these goals (short and long-term) in greater detail and identify some of the implementation benefits and challenges. The sixth and last section of the Plan identifies and explains some issues related to the implementation process. Noticeable changes to the Plan include the following: · Enerqyassessment: Information was added to further explain energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. · Enerqy snapshots: In Sections 4 and 5, the energy snapshot windows were removed to avoid confusion. Some of the data still exists, but is now in Tables 4.1 and 5.1. · "Green" vs. "Sustainable": The Plan's language was revised to reflect the Board's interest in focusing the Plan's efforts on sustainability. . Equivalents: The greenhouse gas/energy savings equivalents used in the previous Plan were confusing. Staff and COM still believe providing a greenhouse gas equivalent helps to "normalize" the data to something more readily understood by the general public. In this revision, the "number of vehicles taken off the road in a year" was used as an equivalent. · Costs: There was some confusing information throughout the previous Plan that indicated how much each goal would cost to implement it and what amount should be allocated towards it. The information was distilled down to two columns in Tables 4.1 and 5.1: (1) estimated costs to achieve energy savings; and (2) EECBG funds leveraged for project implementation. B. Energy Strategy Plan As a Guide The Village's Comprehensive Plan "guides planning and development policy for the Village, ... describ[ing] goals and objectives for existing and future development in the Village, as well as the steps necessary to achieve these goals.,,1 It establishes a general baseline from which to measure its progress or the change within the community. Similarly, the Energy Strategy Plan sets forth short and long-term goals necessary to improve energy efficiency and conservation. It too, via its energy assessment, establish a general baseline from which to measure its progress. The Plan is by no means a document that obligates the Village to meet specific standards or spend funds on specific programs. There are no mandates or timelines associated with the Plan's goals. It should merely be considered a guide or a tool, like the Village's Comprehensive Plan, to help the Village Board and staff make future policy decisions and implement activities related to energy efficiency and conservation. RECOMMENDATION Review the Energy Strategy Plan and approve its submittal to the next Village Board meeting for adoption. Michael Dallas Administrative Analyst c: EECBG Steering Committee 1 Village of Mount Prospect Comprehensive Plan, 2007, p.6.