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Mayor Marcia Leclerc Signs Resolution for East Hartford to Become a Clean Energy Community

Posted on: October 26, 2015 - 3:54pm

(October 21, 2015) East Hartford, CT – Mayor Marcia A. Leclerc signed a Clean Energy Pledge this week, which will greatly benefit the town and the Board of Education and allow the Town of East Hartford to become a Clean Energy Community. This pledge, which was approved by the Town Council at its October 6 meeting, tasks the town in supplementing programs already in place and reducing its energy usage 20 percent by 2018.

East Hartford, which joins 143 other municipalities in taking the pledge, will see several benefits from becoming a Clean Energy Community.  In addition to the pledge to reduce energy by 20 percent, the town will receive grants to further energy efficiency totaling $43,000, which will be immediately available, the town will receive energy benchmarking by building, which will be set up in Energy Star Portfolio Manager and will also receive acceptance into the Municipal Technical Assistance Program for future energy efficiency project planning.

“Cost savings and energy reduction create a benefit to our tax base, as well as reduce our carbon footprint,” noted Mayor Leclerc.

This pledge will supplement current programs in place, which have been instituted by Mayor Leclerc since 2011. Since taking office, the Mayor has prioritized solar arrays on municipal buildings with projected savings of $1.6 million, energy performance contracts totaling $14.2 million in savings, an electric vehicle charging station in front of town hall and an extensive LED conversion of all the town’s streetlights.

The LED project specifically was a triple bottom line winner for the Town. The budget savings, increased safety and reduced greenhouse gas emissions that resulted from this project will make East Hartford more sustainable and have contributed to the town’s energy reduction goals. The Town paid no upfront costs for the project and is expected to save over $250,000 per year in energy, operations and maintenance costs, which will be used to finance the LED upgrade, in addition to securing $500,000 in rebates from Eversource from that project.

For more information on the Clean Energy Pledge and Clean Energy Communities, please visit http://www.energizect.com/communities/programs/clean-energy-communities.