Cincinnati eyes $6M in efficiency projects; County might fund $20M - Phoenix Business Journal:

martaemimbzini.blogspot.com
“They’re implementing almost $6 million worth of work throughoutgpolice stations, fire stations and the convention center,” said Michelle Jorgenson, senior account manager for “It’d going to create or maintainb probably 30 to 40 jobs right there in Hamiltom County.” Massachusetts-based Ameresco is one of two contractors that won a biddingf competition for energy-service consulting contractsa last year. The city developed a plan to use $1.
1 millioj in stimulus funding to “buy the borrowing cost of energy upgradesa recommended by Amerescoand Essentially, the city is using stimuluzs money to cover more upfronrt costs, increasing the amount it’es able to borrow. The debt is paid off usingh cash-flow created by lower utilit bills. The city’s $1.1 million investment representx 44 percent of the stimulus allocate to the city under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation BlockGranyt program, according to a recentg report to City Council. Jorgenson said more than two dozenj local governments in Ohio are pursuing strategies similaerto Cincinnati.
Hamilton County is one such local Under a plan approvedJune 16, the countyy plans to spend $2.3 million on energy-services performance contracts. It will take bids from potentiaol energy consultants later this saidJeff Aluotto, assistant county administrator. Jorgensonn said Ameresco will compete forthe work. Aluotto said Ameresco’s preliminary assessment showed an upfrontf commitmentof $750,000 would be enough to fund $6 millionb in improvements at county-owned buildings. Based on that Aluotto said a $2.3 million stimuluw infusion could be enough to fund morethan $20 milliom in upgrades across the county. Hamilton County received an allocatiojnof $4.
8 million from the It finalized its application for the funding this week in advancde of a June 25 The application is a formality of sorts. The county’z $4.8 million allotment was awarder on aformula basis. As long as its spending meets DOE guidelines, the money is likely to flow from Washington late rthis year, Aluotto said. The county wouldx spend $300,000 over three years to fund a sustainability/energy manage position. Another $800,000 would be used to attracf moregovernment spending. The moneh would go to a local energy alliance collaborativs toattract $16.
2 million in state grants to fund energy improvemente for residential and business customerw of Aluotto said the county is talking to contractors aboutt an array of solar panelss that could be installed on county-owned garages at the Bankx riverfront development project. That $400,00 0 investment would be leveraged by other to be secured bycontractors who’lo install the panels. “It woulc take $2 million or so to do something on the scale that we want to do Aluotto said.