Patrick Administration Awards Nearly $1M for Municipal Energy Managers
BOSTON – Thursday, May 1, 2014 – The Department of Energy Resources (DOER) today announced nearly $1 million in grants that will allow 36 Massachusetts cities and towns to employ energy managers who assist local efforts to reduce municipal energy use and costs and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
“On-site, municipal energy managers can deliver tremendous benefits to cities and towns across the Commonwealth. We’ve seen it happen,” said DOER Commissioner Mark Sylvia. “These grants will bolster efforts in three dozen communities in support of the Patrick Administration’s statewide clean energy goals.”
The grants, offered through DOER’s Green Communities Division, will provide support for local energy managers for two years. They provide up to $50,000 for a full-time energy manager or up to $25,000 for a part-time position during the first year of the program. Based on first-year achievements, grantees may be awarded up to $35,000 in the second year for a full-time position and $17,500 for part-time.
These grants represent the first round of funding from the program announced in December 2013. They are funded with proceeds from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auctions, which DOER also directs to fund a portion of the Mass Save® energy efficiency programs and the Green Communities Designation and Grant program.
DOER awarded funding for part- or full-time energy managers to the following municipalities:
Amesbury
|
$ 25,000
|
Part-time
|
Ashfield
|
$ 8,455
|
Part-time
|
Ashland
|
$ 24,055
|
Part-time
|
Auburn
|
$ 18,000
|
Part-time
|
Boston
|
$ 50,000
|
Full-time
|
Bourne
|
$ 21,870
|
Part-time
|
Chelmsford
|
$ 50,000
|
Full-time
|
Concord/Carlisle
|
$ 50,000
|
Full-time
|
Dartmouth
|
$ 25,000
|
Part-time
|
Falmouth
|
$ 25,000
|
Part-time
|
Hamilton/Wenham
|
$ 24,960
|
Part-time
|
Haverhill/Methuen
|
$ 50,000
|
Full-time
|
Leominster
|
$ 25,000
|
Part-time
|
Lowell
|
$ 50,000
|
Full-time
|
Marshfield
|
$ 25,000
|
Part-time
|
Medfield
|
$ 50,000
|
Full-time
|
Medway/Millis
|
$ 50,000
|
Full-time
|
Millbury/Sutton
|
$ 24,220
|
Part-time
|
Nantucket
|
$ 50,000
|
Full-time
|
New Bedford
|
$ 40,649
|
Full-time
|
Norfolk
|
$ 25,000
|
Part-time
|
Provincetown
|
$ 50,000
|
Full-time
|
Tisbury/Edgartown/Oak Bluffs
|
$ 50,000
|
Full-time
|
Watertown
|
$ 50,000
|
Full-time
|
West Springfield
|
$ 25,000
|
Part-time
|
Westwood
|
$ 25,000
|
Part-time
|
Winthrop/Chelsea
|
$ 50,000
|
Full-time
|
Woburn
|
$ 25,000
|
Part-time
|
The Patrick Administration’s aggressive clean energy initiatives have made Massachusetts a leader in energy efficiency, renewable energy and emissions reductions. The American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has named Massachusetts number one for three years running. Governor Patrick set a new solar goal after reaching the previous goal of 250 megawatts four years early. The Commonwealth now aims to install 1,600 megawatts of solar capacity by 2020. The clean energy revolution is yielding economic benefits as well, with 11.8 percent job growth in the last year and 24 percent growth in the last two years; nearly 80,000 people are employed in the clean tech industry in Massachusetts.