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EPA Administrator Celebrates Hull’s Energy Initiatives

Release Date: 07/17/2008
Contact Information: David Deegan, (617) 918-1017

(Hull, Mass. – July 17, 2008) – The Boston Harbor community of Hull, Mass. was visited today by EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson as the Town joined EPA’s New England Community Energy Challenge.

By joining EPA’s New England Community Energy Challenge, Hull joins 117 other cities and towns from across the six New England states that have committed to analyze energy use in municipal buildings with ENERGY STAR’s Portfolio Manager tool, and reducing energy consumption by at least 10 percent. Currently, membership in the Challenge represents about 27 percent of New England’s population.

Hull has long been recognized for its dedication to wind power, having installed its first modern turbine - a 40 kW Enertech system - in 1985. While the initial system is no longer used, the Hull Municipal Light Plant subsequently installed two additional Vestas systems rated at 660kW and 1.8 MW. These turbines deliver more than 10 percent of the Town’s total electricity use to the municipal grid.

“Hull is raising the energy efficiency bar for communities across the country,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “In committing to energy efficiency, Hull is committing to the health of its environment, its economy and its residents.”

“Members of the Challenge are making a real difference for our environment,” said Robert Varney, regional administrator for EPA’s New England office. “New England cities and towns are showing remarkable leadership on efficiency issues, and we are pleased to be helping municipal officials and citizens save energy, reduce pollution and stretch budget dollars.”

EPA collaborates with regional utilities, non-profits, businesses, and others to promote cost effective energy efficiency measures to communities participating in the Challenge. As a result, participants have access to a network of resources to improve energy efficiency and take advantage of renewable energy resources in their community.

The New England Community Energy Challenge is a regional program of the ENERGY STAR Challenge, a nationwide campaign to improve energy efficiency in commercial and industrial buildings across the United States by 10 percent or more. Cities and towns that join the New England Community Energy Challenge sign on to be an ENERGY STAR partner, and pledge to support energy efficiency measures.

Energy use in commercial buildings and manufacturing plants accounts for nearly half of the total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption nationwide. ENERGY STAR was introduced by EPA in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 50 different kinds of products, new homes and commercial and industrial buildings. Buildings that have earned the ENERGY STAR designation prevent greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy-efficiency specifications set by the government. Last year alone, Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved about $16 billion on their energy bills while reducing the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 27 million vehicles.

For more information:

- EPA’s New England Community Energy Challenge
epa.gov/region1/eco/energy/energy-challenge.html

- The ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=evaluate_performance.bus_portfoliomanager

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