Energy
The SSCRPC recognizes the important role that long range planning plays for developing communities. The SSCRPC also recognizes the importance that energy planning will play in our communities’ futures. Community Energy Planning can be considered a method of evaluating land use, community, residential and business design options for more efficient use of energy.
Energy costs make up a substantial portion of municipal budgets, and effective energy planning can reduce costs to both municipalities and taxpayers.
Through energy planning, municipalities and residents may fully understand their energy use and take educated steps to develop strategies to make reductions in future energy expenditures. Moreover, they can consider policies that provide incentives for their businesses and residents to think and act in more energy efficient ways, through energy-oriented construction, retrofits, and efficient design.
SSCRPC believes that funding sources for energy efficiency programs and energy policy development will continue to exist, as energy efficiency is an important component of private and public sector objectives and policies. Underutilized grant funding, Energy Efficiency Portfolio funds, and private partnership programs such as Ameren’s Act Now are available to communities who have the structures in place to take advantage of them.
SSCRPC will work with local leaders to facilitate and develop programs to optimize existing opportunities and strategies to take advantage of available resources. We will also work to prepare communities to take advantage of any future programs that could be developed by the public or private sector.
Local leaders are a critical part of the energy planning process. The current economic climate necessitates consideration of creative mechanisms for reducing costs of operations. Energy planning can assist communities and their residents in making educated decisions for their future, and in fully utilizing available funding to offset costs for improving energy efficiency.
The resources below highlight community successes and available planning programs and information identified by the SSCRPC:
Contacts
Please direct any environmental planning related questions or comments to Steve Keenan.