National energy saving pilot program launches in six Rhode Island communities

Under a new, national energy saving program, six Rhode Island communities will be guided by a shared energy manager who will set energy reduction goals, provide technical assistance, track energy use and guide energy efficiency.

The energy manager will come from the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER), as part of the larger Achieving Community Efficiency Program (ACE). The towns of Warren, South Kingstown and North Providence, RI, along with the public school systems of Barrington, Scituate and North Providence will represent the pilot members.

“Local municipalities and school districts often face unique energy challenges with limited staff resources and access to clean energy information,” State Energy Commissioner Carol Grant said. “Through the ACE pilot program, each participating community will receive access to a shared energy manager, who will help them discover opportunities for improving their energy efficiency, saving money, and cutting their carbon emissions. We hope to take what we learn from this pilot and replicate this model across even more Rhode Island communities and partner energy offices around the country.”

The ACE program will run for several years and officially launched this spring. It stems from a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program. Beyond Rhode Island, other partners include Massachusetts and West Virginia, and all benefit from federal financial and technical assistance for their more localized efforts.