City of Hoboken Announces New Cost-Effective Energy Saving Program
The “green” solution program will be implemented in early January in the City’s municipal facilities including City Hall, all firehouses, Police headquarters, the public library, the Multi-Service Center, the Boys & Girls Club and four of the five garages (not including Garden St.), will not only result in significant cost savings, but also provide a positive environmental impact on the community.
“The municipal Direct Install Program is part of a $190 million PSE&G investment to bring energy efficiency measures to residents, businesses, and hospitals,” said Al Matos, the utility’s vice president for renewables and energy solutions. “Hoboken was among the first cities to register for an audit under the new program and is the first Hudson County municipality that will benefit from it.” The lighting upgrades being installed at City Hall and at several parking garages are expected to significantly reduce energy use in the city.” The upgrades will include sensor lighting.
According to the Concord Engineering Group, the organization which conducted the comprehensive energy audit of each municipal facility, Hoboken was one of the first of ten communities in all of New Jersey to complete the review.
“I want to thank Director Pope, Director Sacs, the City Council and the Committee for a Green Hoboken for working together to make this possible,” Mayor Zimmer commented. “Together, our proactive approach will result in Hoboken receiving significant cost and energy savings for our City.”
The Direct Install Program will initially provide 100% of the costs to install improvements in the City’s facilities. Upon completion of the work, the municipality will repay 20% of the total sum. The 20% repayment is payable over 24 months with no interest and is applied the to the City’s PSE&G monthly billings. The total annual savings just in the City’s four garages and City Hall will be approximately $95,000 annually for the first two years. The savings to taxpayers at these five facilities is forecasted to exceed $155,000 per year thereafter.
“The Direct Install Program is an excellent opportunity for Hoboken to significantly bring down its energy costs, greatly improve lighting in our municipal facilities and also bring a series of other environmentally friendly improvements to our community,” Transportation & Parking Utility Director Ian Sacs said.
The first phase of the City of Hoboken’s Direct Install Program will go into effect in the beginning of 2010. ◦
