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To Contact Us:
PH: 603-778-0885 FX: 603-778-9183
Site Last Updated November 23, 2011
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Rockingham Planning Commission Community Energy Planning |
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Background - Energy Legislation in New Hampshire At Town Meeting 2007, communities across New Hampshire placed resolutions on their ballots calling for a strong federal responce to energy climate change policy. Many of these cities and towns also took advantage of the opportunity to act locally on this national issue and began forming Local Energy Committees. These committees are often comprised of local citizens and municipal staff members and are charged with assessing and improving community action on energy efficiency and conservation. As Local Energy Committees began developing strategic plans and projects within their communities, municipalities supported a proposal to formalize their communities' roles and responsibilities. House Bill (HB) 189 was approved on July 29, 2009, to provide enabling legislation for municipalities to establish local energy commissions and further defined the purpose and duties of these commissions. Since the enabling legislation was passed, throughout New Hampshire communities have formed and continue to form Local Energy Committees and Commissions (LECs) to address local energy efficiency and conservation. Approximately 13 LECs have been created within the 27 municipalities serviced by the Rockingham Planning Commission. The focus of these committees and commissions can vary from municipal operations to residential consumption habits. While the focuses may differ, the goals to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions while saving money and protecting future instabilities in the energy market, are shared by communities in the region. 2010-2012 Energy Technical Assistance and Planning (ETAP) Program The Energy Technical Assistance and Planning for NH Communities (ETAP) program is a two year program providing energy efficiency techincal assistance free of charge to NH communities and counties. ETAP's goal is to advance energy efficiency in all NH municipalities and provide the tools communities need to monitor energy performance and plan for every efficiency forthe future. ETAP offers servcies for every community, regardless of where you are in the energy planning process. For communities that are just beginning, ETAP can provide assistance with training on how to conduct municipal energy inventories and develop preliminary "roadmap" for municipal energy planning. Over the next two years, ETAP will:
For communities that have already completed inventories and are looking to implement projects, ETAP can provide a number of services, including:
Note: ETAP is funded by the American Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and is being administrered through the NH Office of Energy and Planning. The ETAP team is lead by CLF Ventures and Peregrin Energy Group with assistance from staff of the NH's 9 Regional Planning Commissions, including Rockginham Planning Commission and Clean Air-Cool Planet. 2008-2009 Local Energy Planning Due to the high concentration of LECs and expressed need from the communities in the region, the RPC joined in acollaborative effort to develop an energy planning and services program. In 2008-2009 RPC worked wtih Clean Air-Cool Planet (CA-CP) and the Nashua Regional Planning Commission, under a New Hampshire Charitable Foundation grant, to assist local energy committees in our region in planning for their energy futures. RPC staff worked with local energy committees in teh towns of Atkinson, Hampton Falls and New Castle to gather energy consumption data, develop energy inventory and reporting spreadsheets, facilitate communication with elected officials and planning boards and develop technical and planning docuemnts (i.e., Master Plan Energy Chapters and municipal energy use reports). Refer to the links below to access the documents producted as part of this program. General Energy Information
Atkinson Final Energy Report FY2008 Atkinson MP Energy Chapter Final Draft Hampton Falls Energy Report FINAL Hampton Falls ROADMAP-ACTION PLAN Final New Castle Final Draft MP Energy Chapter In 2007, the Rockingham Planning Commission conducted a report for the City of Portsmouth on the experiences municipalities have had with Green Building Ordinances. The focus of the report was to look at the communities’ successes and challenges encountered by implementing higher energy efficiency and sustainability requirements. Out of the 72 communities with Green Building Programs, 8 communities were chosen to be studied more in depth through personal phone interviews and written survey. These communities were chosen based on varying geographic regions, population size, size of green building program and willingness to participate. These communities included:
The goal of this research was to help support efforts already underway by the City of Portsmouth to strengthen their green building requirements, which include density bonuses to the private sector in their Central Business A District. While the report was conducted for Portsmouth, it is applicable to any community that is considering adoption of Green Building Standards. A copy of the Executive Summary and the Full Report are available. Additionally, the NH Office of Energy and Planning in conjunction with the NH Department of Environmental Service, has created a model Green Building Ordinance for communities. This can be used in conjunction with the information from the Green Building Report to create a customized green building ordinance that will work for your community. A subcommittee of the Commissioners have begun the process to update the Comprehensive Master Plan for the region. A new chapter to be included into the Master Plan will be on Energy as it relates to community planning. The chapter is set up in a modular format and can be used as a template by Local Energy Committees as they prepare their Energy Action Plans. A draft copy of the Energy Chapter is available for your preview. New Hampshire Tidal Energy Commission In 2007, NH State Legislature created the NH Tidal Energy Commission through HB694. The purpose of the commission is to assess the feasibility for renewable energy to be produced by the tidal powers underneath the General Sullivan and Little Bay Bridges. The Rockingham Planning Commission has one staff member seated on the Tidal Energy Commission and is actively engaged in representing the regional interests of the communities. Small Wind Energy Systems - Model Ordinance Office of Energy and Planning Small Wind Energy System Model Ordinance Other Resources for Communities An annotated compilation of other resources and funding for Local Energy Committees.
For further information on community energy planning, please contact RPC Planners Julie LaBranche or Theresa Walker at 603-778-0885.
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