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CONCORD - Highlighting the benefits to taxpayers, public health and the environment, Gov. John Lynch today urged the members of state agency energy teams to continue to move quickly to implement his Executive Order to cut state energy use by 10 percent.
"State government's yearly electric bill is more than $18 million dollars, making us the largest energy user in the State of New Hampshire. With the dramatic rise in energy prices, those costs are only increasing. That is why I issued an Executive Order directing state government to cut its energy use by 10 percent," Gov. Lynch said. "Successful implementation of this order will allow us to reduce state government costs and reduce the pollution that threatens the health of our citizens and our environment."
As part of Gov. Lynch's Executive Order, state agencies were required to appoint energy coordinators. In addition to hearing from Gov. Lynch, the energy coordinators also heard today from the state ' s new energy manager, Gary O'Connell, and about new state purchasing policies aimed at increasing energy efficiency and other steps their agencies should take to reduce energy use.
At today's session the state's purchasing director detailed new guidelines that require state agencies to purchase equipment, including air conditioners and computers, with an Energy Star rating, unless specifically granted a waiver by the Department of Administrative Services. These products pay for themselves, often in less than a year, by reducing operating costs.
Under the Executive Order, every agency was also required to create a Clean Fleets Program to reduce energy waste and costs in the 4,000 vehicles in the state ' s fleet. Under the order, all new passenger and light-duty vehicles purchased by the state must have a highway fuel economy rating of at least 27.5 miles per gallon and be certified as low-emission vehicles, with the exception of emergency and law enforcement vehicles. Light-duty trucks must have a highway fuel economy rating of at least 20 miles per gallon.
The Department of Transportation recently purchased 27 passenger cars and three vans under the new guidelines, and the new vehicles represent a 20 percent increase in fuel economy over the vehicles they will be replacing.
As part of the Governor's energy efficiency initiative, the Department of Administrative Services has also established the State's Enterprise Energy Management System, to track energy use and measure progress.
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