Successful Energy Conservation Practices in the Real World of Local Government

About the Program

Category: County Resiliency (Best in Category)

Year: 2015

Establishing energy conservation practices, projects, and procedures is one thing. Successfully implementing and living by them is quite another. At the low point of the Great Recession, Oakland County, Michigan, established an aggressive program of energy conservation procedures with two goals in mind: becoming a more sustainable county and reducing energy costs. A target was set - cumulatively save $5 million and reduce annual energy consumption 15% by 2015 - and for six years numerous projects were undertaken and energy conservation policies were implemented. The County achieved its goals and its target, but it took a solid multi-faceted program.