Government agencies spend more than $10 billion a year on energy to provide public services and meet constituent needs. Local governments grapple with tightening budgets, but nearly one-third of the energy used to run typical government buildings goes to waste.[1] In order to combat this growing issue, many local governments are turning to ENERGY STAR® .

In 2002, Lexington, Kentucky, became an ENERGY STAR Partner and in 2003 the city created an internal energy team. Fayette County, Kentucky, received a boost in 2009 when it received $2.7 million in Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Funding. The funding allowed the county to implement two major initiatives that would help the county internally and externally in its energy efficiency goals.

Lead by Example, the county’s internal energy efficiency plan, was crafted to improve energy efficiency within local government buildings by benchmarking and managing their energy usage, creating programs internally that restrict buying non ENERGY STAR certified products, and incentivizing employee participation through friendly competition.

Empower Lexington, the county’s external energy efficiency plan, was created to improve energy efficiency within the community, mainly through resident participation and awareness. Empower Lexington is a unique plan because a nonprofit organization was hired to be the community’s energy advisor, giving residents a one-stop shop website on how to reduce energy consumption and save money. Some of the features include free benchmarking and managing energy software, resources for tax incentives and benefits, and tips and tools to save energy within homes and small businesses. Additionally, the county has crafted its first community energy efficiency strategic plan, which aims to reduce energy consumption by at least one percent per year on a voluntary basis, through several ENERGY STAR initiatives and policies.

ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy, helping residents, business owners, and government agencies to save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. Currently, over 600 local governments and local government agencies have taken the ENERGY STAR Challenge and/or have partnered with ENERGY STAR.

To learn more about Lexington-Fayette County and their energy efficiency measures, check out January/February 2012 edition of PM magazine’s PM Plus column and a free downloadable podcast on the Knowledge Network. The podcast features an interview with Tom Webb, an environmental initiatives program manager with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government.