Rockingham
Planning
Commission
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Rockingham Planning Commission |
To Contact Us:
PH: 603-778-0885 FX: 603-778-9183
Site Last Updated April 21, 2008
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Rockingham Planning Commission Community Energy Planning |
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Background Throughout New Hampshire communities are forming Local Energy Committees (LEC) to beginning addressing their energy consumption. The focus of these committees 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 all the same. Approximately 12 LECs have been created within the 27 municipalities serviced by the Rockingham Planning Commission. Due to this high concentration and expressed need from the communities, the Planning Commission is working to develop a technical assistance program. The assistance program will be a collaborative effort between Carbon Coalition, Nashua Regional Planning Commission, NH Carbon Challenge, Northeast Grassroots Environmental Fund and the Southwest Regional Planning Commission. The program will include but not be limited to: committee visioning, master plan updates, community inventorying, residential programs and ordinance development. Please check back to this section of our website often, as our programs will be expanding over the coming months. For further information on community energy planning, please contact Eric Steltzer at 603-778-0885 or esteltzer@rpc-nh.org. Key Documents (described below in further detail) 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. The issue of installing residential scale turbines in New Hampshire is increasingly being experienced. As of February 2007, no towns in New Hampshire had a small scale wind turbine ordinance and the mode of review of these projects was through a ZBA variance hearing. This process is largely inadequate as it only addresses concerns of height and doesn’t provide a framework to review other potential impacts to the public. The Rockingham Planning Commission has drafted a model Small Wind Energy System Ordinance to permit these turbines as a use but to do so through a public process. 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 Regional Planner Eric Steltzer at 603-778-0885 or esteltzer@rpc-nh.org.
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