New Energy Efficiency Opportunities for CT Municipalities 

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) is hosting a 2-hour workshop for municipal officials to provide an overview of two important new energy efficiency programs in Connecticut: Energy Savings Performance Contracting, and Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE).  The programs will be presented by staff from DEEP and the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA).

Workshop Overview

• CT’s new Energy Savings Performance Contracting (ESPC) program and resources to assist municipalities
• Lessons learned from CT municipal representatives
• CT’s new Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy program and resources to assist municipalities
• Questions, discussion, and dialogue

This workshop is free, but requires registration in advance.  This is one of four workshops taking place in different regions of the state this fall.  All four workshops will cover the same material.

Register Now! 

Who should attend the workshop:

• Town Managers
• Public Works managers
• Facility managers
• Financial managers
• School Superintendents or Boards of Education facility staff
• Municipal managers with responsibility for energy
• Members of town Clean Energy Committees/Task Forces
• Mayors, First Selectmen, and other elected town officials

For more information:

Contact Craig Diamond at the Clean Energy Finance Center, which is helping to organize the workshop in coordination with DEEP and CEFIA: craig@CleanEnergyFinanceCenter.org, 860-904-2734.

Background on the New Programs

Energy Savings Performance Contracting

Municipalities face very tight budgets. There are significant opportunities to reduce energy and operational expenses in municipal buildings – especially K-12 schools – but it is usually challenging to finance capital improvements, and thus many of those opportunities go unrealized. ESPC is a nationally proven and effective tool that allows state and municipal governments to make energy and operational improvements with guaranteed energy savings and no required upfront capital investment.

The DEEP has created a new program to help Connecticut municipalities plan and implement ESPCs. The program, which was designed based on established best practices, offers technical assistance in energy efficiency and financing, standardized processes and contracts, and a pre-qualified list of energy services providers. This workshop will give municipal managers and elected officials a strong understanding of the benefits of ESPC, available resources, and first steps municipalities can take to assess if ESPC is an option for their town.

Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy

In June 2012, Connecticut passed legislation that gives commercial and industrial property owners access to a new form of financing for building energy upgrades. C-PACE, which is being implemented in many other states, is an innovative financing approach that allows building owners to pay back energy efficiency loans on their property tax bills. It will allow Connecticut commercial building owners to access cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable energy. Hundreds of millions of dollars in energy upgrades are possible in Connecticut's commercial and industrial buildings, and C-PACE will enable our state to access the private capital to finance it. The program is launching now, and is managed by the Clean Energy Finance & Investment Authority (CEFIA). Although the program is statewide, municipalities interested in extending this type of financing to their property owners must opt-in through an agreement with the CEFIA.

Register Now!