Slipstream supports Dane county communities in developing energy plans to reduce energy consumption

Many of the largest US cities adopted ambitious goals to reduce their energy and carbon emissions. However, not all communities have the same resources to tackle complex issues of reducing overall energy consumption. To leverage the resources that collaboration can provide, seven communities in Dane County (Fitchburg, Marshall, Middleton, Monona, Stoughton, Sun Prairie, and Waunakee) came together to develop energy plans that provide clear guidance on near term actions for each community.

While some of the collaborating communities made publicly facing goals and resolutions independently, a group effort allowed streamlining of the analytic process and process to share ideas and inspiration.

The Wisconsin Office of Energy Innovation (OEI) provided funding and Slipstream provided project management and technical support so the group could embark on a year-long effort to identify and prioritize near-term actions for reducing energy and carbon.

The goal of this collaboration was multifold:

• Develop a baseline energy use profile for municipal operations.
• Identify energy savings opportunities to reduce energy and costs to each municipality.
• Create a near-term energy plan for each municipality.
• Leverage collaborations and lessons learned by working together.

These steps positioned the seven communities as leaders in creating a sustainable and resilient municipal operation.

Check out the final energy plan that identifies opportunities in municipal government and draws on technologies to quickly move these communities closer to their goals of saving energy, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, and reducing carbon emissions.

We divide the energy plan into three parts: a main report, community-specific reports, and appendices. The main report provides background on the project and process, and overarching recommendations that can be applied to all communities in this collaboration. In a separate document, we provide seven standalone chapters (one for each of the collaborating communities) that detail the community-specific municipal energy profile and corresponding recommendations. The appendices provide further detail into the calculations and assumptions in the analysis.