Sustainability Program
Our Energy
The City recognizes the need to conserve energy and increase our use of renewable energy sources. As a first step, the City is improving energy efficiency of City buildings and City operations and plans to increase the use of renewable energy sources in the future.
Local & Regional Initiatives
Henderson
has partnered with other local jurisdictions and organizations to create the
HomeFree Nevada Program. The
program helps homeowners identify potential energy saving measures through
whole-house energy audits and perform some of the improvements.
Henderson is currently compiling the data necessary to complete a baseline
greenhouse gas emissions inventory for 2005. The City has joined
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability to use as a resource as the information is gathered and analyzed.
Once complete, the emissions inventory will help the City develop strategies and
policies to reduce emissions and assess progress.
The
City is currently working with
Ameresco,
an Energy-Savings Performance Contractor, as part of a long-term citywide
project to retrofit existing facilities for energy efficiency. As part of
this project the majority of the City's streetlights will be converted to
induction lighting technology which uses up to 60% less energy than the
current lighting fixtures. As part of the first phase, the City upgraded
the Robert A. Swadell Justice Facility with new energy and water saving
equipment. The City also completed a conversion of all its traffic signals
to light-emitting diodes (LEDs), which use 92% less energy. So far, the
energy savings this project has generated is equal to removing 619 cars from the
roads or powering 238 homes each year.
The
City received $2.2 million in
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block
Grants (EECBG)
direct
funding in August 2009 through the
Department
of Energy. These funds are being managed by Construction Management
and Utility Services to complete a variety of renewable energy and efficiency
projects at City facilities including the Silver Springs Recreation Center and
the City of Henderson Emergency Services Facility. A portion of the funds
will also be used to support
HomeFree
Nevada, a regional energy efficiency retrofit program.
Henderson
joined forces with other public and private entities in the region to create an
umbrella organization known as
Green Chips.
This organization is designed to coordinate investment in conservation and
renewable energy projects, provide an information and referral source for new
environmental sustainability efforts, and stimulate the creation of green jobs
in the local economy.
Additional Information & Resources
All forms of energy production have consequences.
Although nuclear energy is considered an attractive alternative to coal and
other fossil fuels, the resulting waste must be managed in a safe and cost
effective manner. The Yucca Mountain Repository in Nevada is one solution
that has been under development for several years. As part of the safety
measures being conducted by the
Department of Energy, the
Clark County Nuclear Waste Office was established. This office manages
local outreach efforts and supports the
Clark
County Monitoring Program, which measures key indicators of the local
economy, environment, and quality of life to set a baseline and quantify any
potential impacts if the repository is completed.
Wonder
what your personal greenhouse gas emissions are? Get an idea by using
the
household emissions calculator on the
Environmental Protection Agency's
Greenhouse Gas
Emissions website.
Learn more about energy efficient products and home improvement projects
through the
Environmental Protection Agency's
Energy Star Program.
Check out
federal
rebates, tax
credits, and financing offered by the
Department of Energy
and
state
assistance programs offered by the
State of Nevada Office of Energy for energy efficient improvements and purchases.
UNLV is following through on its commitment to renewable energy research,
education, and economic development through its
Solar Energy Initiative.
The program uses partnerships and collaborative research efforts to position
Southern Nevada as a center for solar energy development and innovation.
Green Fact
If
every U.S. household would swap five of its most-used incandescent light bulbs
for compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), annual energy costs would be cut by $6.5 billion, saving each family
about $60 per year. In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, this would be
equivalent to taking 8 million cars off the road. - United States EPA Energy
Star Program.