New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
New Bedford one of only three cities praised by the US Dept. of Energy!
The United States Department of Energy will recognize the City of New Bedford at a clean energy economy summit in Washington, D.C. this week. The Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy David Danielson will recognize New Bedford along with two other cities nationwide for its leadership in advancing clean energy economy and for its accomplishments through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG). The other two cities are San Antonio, Texas and Savannah, Georgia.
Scott Durkee, who directs the City’s Energy Office, will attend the Second Annual Better Buildings Summit for State and Local Communities and receive the recognition on behalf of the City.
“We are pleased to receive national recognition of New Bedford’s work in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. My administration remains committed to advancing strategies that save taxpayer dollars, grow jobs, improve the environment, and increase the competitiveness of our economy,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell.
Under the Recovery Act, New Bedford utilized the EECBG funding to develop and expand energy programs serving both municipally owned buildings and for the homes of residents. Examples of City efforts include:
Energy Efficiency
Municipal:
Nine buildings had energy efficiency measures installed which translates to $350,000 in annual savings;
Residential:
Over 1500 residents have requested Home Energy Assessments with over 900 assessments completed and over 175 have had work done. As well, 1,039 residents have signed up for the Energy Challenge.
Solar (Photovoltaic)
Launched by Mayor Lang shortly before leaving office, Mayor Mitchell has pressed forward with the New Bedford Solar Initiative. The Initiative’s goal is to install 10 MW of solar on municipal buildings and property within five years as well as support solar installations for the residential and commercial sectors.
By Dec., 2013, the City expects to have 10 different solar systems deployed, equating to 8.7 megawatts of installed capacity, which will generate 12,506,368 kWh of electricity annually. The 20-year estimated savings for these projects will be over $9.1 million dollars.
Transportation
New Bedford now has installed 8 electric charging stations that are being used daily.
