NEW! The City seeks proposals from financial institutions to participate in the Community Energy Challenge. Due 11/06/09.
In September of 2009 the City of Bellingham was awarded $780,100 in federal funding through the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program (EECGB). The $2.7 billion grant program, funded for the first time by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, represents a Presidential priority to deploy the cheapest, cleanest and most reliable energy technologies we have - energy efficiency and conservation - across the country.
The following is a list of our proposed activities and budgets totaling $780,100:
A. Municipal Facility Energy Conservation (MFEC) Program
– This project will include a comprehensive building energy audit of City
facilities in order to prioritize funding for energy efficiency projects.
EECBG funds will be used to implement energy-saving measures that will have
the most impact on reducing energy consumption.
Budget: $18,000 Administration, $69,100 Project Management, $170,000
Retrofits
Milestones: Audits Complete, 1st Quarter 2010
Project defined and bid, 2nd Quarter 2010
Retrofits Complete, 4th Quarter 2010, 1st Quarter 2011
B. Community Energy Challenge/Energy Efficiency Community Challenge
– The City is partnering with
Sustainable Connections,
Opportunity Council,
Puget Sound Energy,
Cascade Natural Gas and
others to promote community-wide energy efficiency improvements through the
Energy Efficiency Community Challenge. This program will offer resources for
energy efficient improvements to commercial and residential facilities;
reduce barriers to implementing energy efficiency technology, train a
workforce to implement building improvements; and raise awareness of
energy-conservation opportunities through social marketing. The EECBG funds
will be used to develop the program and create a financing mechanism, which
will leverage private investment from local lenders for energy efficiency
projects. This mechanism will help community members to overcome the
first-cost barriers of energy efficiency investing.
Budget: $37,000 Administration, $50,000 Program Development (SC and OC),
$250,000 Loan Loss Program
Milestones: Create Loan Loss Reserve Fund and Launch Program, 4th Quarter
2010
Complete retrofits utilizing 100% of financial incentive program funds, 4th
Quarter 2012
C. Green Code Adoption – The International Code Council has
approved a National Green Building Standard (ICC-700) for residential
construction. This building code includes provisions for construction of
smaller, more energy-efficient homes and contains regulations that are
consistent with the other International codes currently in use by the City
of Bellingham. EECBG funds will allow the City to review and analyze codes
that are suitable for local adoption and approval through the standard
legislative process. EECBG funds will be used to eliminate barriers to
implementing energy efficient measures and provide greater predictability of
the permit review process.
Budget: $3,000 Administration, $17,000 Internal Review and Adoption, $3,000
Professional Engineer Review
Milestones: Review and Analyze Code, 2nd Quarter 2010
City Council Action, 3rd Quarter 2010
Communications Materials, 4th Quarter 2010
D. Energy Efficient Land Use Planning – The City’s growth
strategy includes establishing a series of compact “urban villages” to
promote infill and community development. Urban villages are high-density
mixed-use neighborhoods that promote a multitude of transportation options
besides the automobile and provide amenities that allow residents to live,
work and recreate in close proximity. EECBG funds will allow the City to
continue developing master plans and development regulations that support
the creation of urban villages and emphasize connection with local
high-frequency transit systems.
Budget: $15,000 Administration, $148,000 PCDD Staff for public process,
master planning, development regulations, legislative process
Milestones: Project area(s) defined, 1st Quarter 2010
Public process completed, 1st Quarter 2011
City Council Action by December 2011
For more information on this program see the Department of Energy's website at: http://www.eecbg.energy.gov/
Staff Contact: Tara Sundin, Special Projects Manger - tsundin@cob.org or 360-778-8392.
