PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Jorge O. Elorza today announced the City of Providence has become the sixth ‘Rhode Island Energy Champion’ as part of National Grid’s ongoing Rhode Island Energy Challenge: Find Your Four! Campaign.
“Providence is proud to be recognized as an Energy Champion,” said Mayor Elorza. “This program is one of many steps we are taking to meet our climate and environmental goals. The city’s first Municipal Energy Report shows the significant progress we are making to reduce energy consumption in municipal facilities, from our LED streetlight retrofits to City Hall’s Energy Star certification. Programs like Find Your Four! and Solarize help bring these same energy and cost-savings to our residents and businesses.”
Find Your Four! was a four-month challenge managed by the non-profit organization, SmartPower. Johnson & Wales University was also recognized as the ‘2015 Collegiate Challenge Champion.’ Their grassroots outreach efforts helped the City reach its goal of signing up over 3,200 residents for the Challenge. Providence will receive a grant of $7,500 from National Grid to help the City invest in further energy savings.
“Providence’s designation as an Energy Champion marks an important milestone in the “Find Your Four” campaign,” said Timothy F. Horan, president of National Grid in Rhode Island. “The city’s participation alone is another indication of Rhode Islanders’ commitment to energy efficiency.”
The Municipal Energy Report, also released today, presents the City’s many accomplishments in reducing energy costs and consumption in municipal buildings. The report discloses the City’s energy data in an effort to lead by example by increasing transparency and tracking progress towards achieving the city’s goal to reduce energy consumption 30 percent by 2030. The entire report and data set is available online at https://data.providenceri.gov/Neighborhoods/City-of-Providence-Energy-Data/dmye-wwhm.
City Hall’s high Energy Star score is the result of careful energy management and planning over the past few years with the completion of numerous lighting retrofits, heating system upgrades.
These announcements come one day after the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources announced that Providence was selected as one of this spring’s Solarize Rhode Island communities. Providence’s Solarize campaign begins today, with the selection of SolarFlair as the vendor, and will run through the end of June.
“SolarFlair is excited for this opportunity to partner with the City of Providence and offer affordable solar power systems to all the residents of the city,” said Matt Arner, President of SolarFlair. “The City has demonstrated a commitment to reducing electricity costs while also promoting sustainability. Both of these goals can be achieved when homeowners and business owners turn to solar power.”
Also managed by SmartPower, Solarize Providence provides tiered-pricing for residents and businesses to go solar, making the cost more affordable as more people sign up. The Office of Sustainability will soon be announcing neighborhood events to learn more about the benefits of going solar. Visit SolarizeRi.com to learn more and sign up for your free solar consultation.