You are here: HOME > Energy Initiative
banner

Energy Initiative

  

Energy Initiative 

 

CMRPC can assist communities with achieving Green Community status- a designation that makes municipalities eligible for significant grant funding.
 

Green Community certification activities include:

  • Developing zoning amendments
  • As-of-right siting – renewable energy / alternative energy
  • Expedited permitting 
  • Energy baseline / energy reduction plans 
  • Energy-efficient policies
  • Purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles 
  • Minimizing life-cycle costs

CMRPC can provide communities with energy-related Technical Assistance, including: 

Studying, designing, constructing and implementing energy efficiency activities. 
Procuring energy management services.
Adopting energy efficiency policies.
Siting activities related to \construction of renewable energy generating facilities.

 

Affordable Access Resource Coordination (AARC):

In 2019, CMRPC was awarded an AARC Grant in the amount of $95,765. Under AARC, DOER’s Green Communities Division funds public technical assistance organizations to develop programs and provide clean energy training to community organizations that support low income populations.

In collaboration with DOER, the Worcester Community Action Council, the City of Worcester Housing Development Division, the Green Low-Income Housing Coalition/Dismas House, and other local community groups, CMRPC has crafted a toolkit that we hope will address barriers to clean energy investment by the State’s LMI residents. One piece of the toolkit is a Clean Energy Webpage. The page serves as a singular hub for many of the programs offered by the State, investor-owned utilities, municipal light plants, and other organizations that can help households achieve their energy goals. The webpage also features an Energy Efficiency Program Finder. The Program Finder is a quiz that will help potential applicants identify programs that will help them accomplish their desired goal (i.e. Lower Energy Bills, or, Upgrade Heating System). The quiz includes approximately thirty clean energy programs that respondents may qualify for based on their own unique responses. CMRPC utilized Typeform to develop the quiz, and employed logic jumps within the assessment to show respondents only the programs that may be applicable to them. The Program Finder will serve as a jumping off point for our region’s homeowners, renters, or landlords to apply for energy assistance or incentives .

The Energy Technical Assistance available through CMRPC is applicable to any energy-related goal or challenge. If you are unsure whether your project is eligible, please contact Trish Settles, Regional Collaboration and Community Planning Manager, at (508) 459 3320 or tsettles@cmrpc.org to discuss.

Funding is available but limited. Call today.