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Monthly Archives: August 2011

Energize Missouri Communities – Featured Projects City of Lebanon

Through the Energize Missouri Communities program, the Department has awarded 71 projects throughout Missouri with $11.3 million in grants for energy efficiency and conservation upgrades.

Project Name: City of Lebanon’s Downtown Green Street Project

Program Area: Green Streets

Location:City of Lebanon, Laclede County, Missouri

Audited Square Feet: 96% of 192,195 sq. ft. completed

Project Total: 42 businesses

Projected Annual Energy Savings: 134,299 kWh

A little more than 30 miles south of Lake of the Ozarks State Park resides the Laclede County seat, Lebanon. The City of Lebanon is bisected by historic Route 66 and accompanied by an equally historic collection of buildings around the downtown area. Lebanon has a vibrant downtown business district area. However, building age and energy efficiency, or lack thereof, is having an impact on the growth and sustainability of local businesses.

In an effort to reduce the impact of the high energy costs, the Energize Missouri Communities Green Streets Program awarded the City of Lebanon just over $321,000. The Green Streets Program encourages local governments to partner with private businesses to receive energy audits, implement energy efficiency projects, and enhance economic development. Green Streets projects lie within a one-half (1/2) square mile area, undergo ASHRAE Level II energy audits, and lead to improvements such as lighting upgrades, HVAC, and insulation improvements. The City of Lebanon has 42 downtown businesses participating.

The Lebanon Downtown Green Street project’s collection of small businesses includes a hatchery, barber shop, bank, newspaper, offices, print shops and retail stores. Building owners and tenants hope to invest the funds that have previously been directed towards energy bills into increasing inventories, upgrading storefronts and hiring new employees.

“The Green Streets program has been the most exemplary example of how a federal grant can stimulate a community,” said Richard Shockley, Lebanon’s Director of Public Works. “We are seeing private property owners take advantage of this grant, receive professional energy audits that they likely would not have done on their own and invest in upgrades to their facilities with audit knowledge and data to support their decisions. The program has also led to property owners upgrading their facilities with projects that fall outside of the grant. And, if you look at the dollars that are contributed at the federal level, you can see big returns as the money circulates through the community.”

Thus far, 96% of the buildings involved in Lebanon’s Energize Missouri Communities Green Streets project have completed their energy audits and are in the process of selecting energy efficiency upgrades that have simple payback periods of less than 10 years. Upon completion, the participating businesses are expected to reduce their total annual energy consumption by 134,299 kWh, the equivalent of 458.25 MMBTUs, or removing 18 cars from the road.

 

Posted on Aug 31, 2011

Missouri State Fleet – How we are Progressing

The Division of Energy implements the Missouri State Fleet Efficiency and Alternative Fuels program to reduce fuel consumption, improve fleet management and promote the use of alternative fuels.

Each state agency implements a vehicle fleet energy conservation plan and provides an annual report to the Division of Energy charting its progress.

The Missouri General Assembly passed Sections 414.400 – 414.417, RSMo, in 1991 to set standards for economically and environmentally responsible state fleet management. The Fuel Conservation for State Vehicles state statute and the federal Energy Policy Act were catalysts for the program.

Key program goals:

  • Reduce total consumption of motor fuel by state government resulting in a corresponding decline in expenditures.
  • Evaluate environmental and economic effects of using alternative transportation fuels.
  • Through the program we are striving to increase the number of alternative fuel vehicles in state fleets and we are encouraging State agencies to use alternative fuel in alternative fuel vehicles.

The 2010 report produced by the Division of Energy reflects the following:

  • State agencies are traveling less. Compared to Fiscal Year 2009, state employees drove 11 percent fewer miles in Fiscal Year 2010.
  • Gasoline usage increased ten percent compared to Fiscal Year 2009; diesel fuel usage decreased 85 percent and E85 usage decreased by three percent.
  • Of the 30 reporting state entities, 17 entities met or exceeded the statutory requirement. Two state agencies did not meet the statutory requirement, and 11 entities were not required to meet the statutory requirement because they either did not purchase any new vehicles or they operated 15 or fewer eligible vehicles. However, it should be noted that the two agencies that did not meet the statutory requirement did purchase hybrid electric fuel-efficient vehicles.
  • All agencies are meeting the state purchase requirement of purchasing Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) compliant, fuel efficient vehicles.
  • All agencies are meeting the 70% alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) purchase requirement.
  • Based on the finding in our 2010 annual report. It is likely that Missouri universities would see return on investment ROI by purchasing AFVs on Office of Administration’s established contracts.
  • The expansion of E85 infrastructure across the state will prompt state agencies to fuel with alternative fuel whenever possible, in order to meet the 30% alternative fuel use mandate.

To review the 2010 State Fleet Report click here.

 

 

Posted on Aug 30, 2011

Tip of the Week: Unplug it

Reduce phatom energy by unpluging your devices.

It takes a second to unplug the charger after your device is charged and it is well worth your time. Electric power is still consumed even if a device is switched off or in standby mode.

At the Office: These energy loads can use up to 5% of an office building’s electricity. This small step can result in over $20,000 in savings per month for large buildings

At Home: Phantom energy can account for about 10 percent of an individual home’s electricity use. It might not sound like much, until you consider that cutting out that 10 percent will get you over a month of free electricity every year.

Photo courtesy of onceabeekeeper.com

Posted on Aug 24, 2011