Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources

Serving about 22,000 students, Providence Public Schools is one of the largest school districts in Rhode Island. The district has a diverse learning community throughout its 37 schools, with about 68% of student population identifying as Hispanic. Along with its students, Providence Public Schools employs more than 3,200 professionals who support these students.   This year, Providence Public Schools worked with the RI Office of Energy Resources (OER) to upgrade four of its school buildings to energy efficient LED lighting: Central High School, Juanita Sanchez, and Leviton Complex. The school district took advantage of the School Lighting Accelerator Program which is designed to offer technical assistance, procurement support and financial incentives to Rhode Island public schools to accelerate the transition to LED lighting, complete with smart controls.     Converting to LED lighting will not only result in significant cost savings, but it is essential for saf...

We are proud to recognize one of the winners of the 2022 Lead by Example Clean Energy Awards – Department of Corrections (DOC). With 1.3 million square feet of facilities in Cranston at the Pastore Government Center, the DOC is home to some of the oldest buildings in the state. DOC has 11 buildings, including its Maximum-Security facility, which was built in 1878.  DOC has an average of 2,300 inmates and aims to maintain a safe environment for them as well as the employees – adequate lighting is a big factor in safety. The agency was using older fluorescent lights throughout its facilities and was overdue for an upgrade to energy efficient LED lights. In the past two years, DOC has converted 90% of its facilities to LED lighting and it plans to have 100% of its lighting upgraded in the next year. At the same time, the agency improved its HVAC system by installing piping insulation and steam traps. DOC received $1.3 million in utility incentives to complete the LED retrofit project....

We are proud to recognize one of the winners of the 2022 Lead by Example Clean Energy Awards – Quonset Development Corporation. The Quonset Development Corporation (QDC) is home to over 200 companies, varying between small businesses to some of the States’ biggest energy consumers. The QDC connects tenants of its business park with programs and resources that improve their operations, energy efficiency, and sustainability. To that end, the agency signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with National Grid in 2020 to assist tenant businesses with energy efficiency measures. The QDC and National Grid have worked together to host a series of workshops on energy topics targeted at the industrial sector for the tenants. In previous years, some of the topics included Industrial Energy Efficiency 101, Natural Gas Efficiency, and Lighting Technology and Controls. Energy efficiency projects are extremely important for helping the State to reach its climate goals. Improving energy effici...

We are proud to recognize one of the winners of the 2022 Lead by Example Clean Energy Awards – the Town of Smithfield. In 2021, the town of Smithfield audited, mapped, and converted its streetlights to energy saving LEDs throughout the community. The town converted 1,625 assets and deployed smart controls to allow for pre-programmed dimming or full remote control of the lighting. This conversion program is estimated to save over 518,000 kWhs annually, which is enough energy to power 86 homes annually. Before the installation, Smithfield conducted an analysis of its entire street lighting system using GIS mapping. The town was able to identify all its lighting assets to determine if they were needed or truly redundant. This resulted in the removal of 410 fixtures and saved 137,000 kWhs annually, which is enough to power 23 homes per year. The reduction of these fixtures contributed to lowering the town’s greenhouse gas emissions and light pollution. Smithfield was able to partner with N...

Abbie Hasenfus joined OER in February 2022 as programming services officer. We are delighted to have her on our team and asked her to introduce herself to our readers. Please share with us your information about your background. In 2019, I joined URI’s Energy Fellowship program and was placed at OER, where I worked specifically on outreach work for the Farm Energy Program. I graduated from URI in 2020 with a BS in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (ENRE), a Minor in Marine affairs, and a certificate in Energy Economics and Policy. I returned to URI during the pandemic to complete a master’s in Environmental Economics. My research pertained to energy justice through grid modernization, specifically studying how peaker power plants influence the socioeconomic characteristics of their surrounding neighborhoods. Describe what led you to work at OER? I was always passionate about climate change but never knew how to make a career of it. Who knew it would be at the intersection of...

We are proud to recognize one of the winners of the 2022 Lead by Example Clean Energy Awards – The Rhode Island Army National Guard (RIARNG) In 2020, RIARNG installed its first rooftop solar PV system on the Camp Fogarty Armory building. At the time, it was the largest rooftop solar PV system on a state facility at 207 KW. In 2021, the RIARNG began construction on an even larger rooftop solar PV system at 550 KW. This solar system is on the Combined Support Maintenance Shop (CSMS) located at the Camp Fogarty Regional Training Site. The CSMS is an 80,000 square foot maintenance shop that was constructed in 2010. Once up and running, this solar system will be the State's largest rooftop solar PV array on a State agency and doubles the size of their first solar project at the Camp Fogarty Armory. The system is expected to generate nearly 700,000 kWh annually, producing around 80 percent of the facility’s average annual kWh consumption. The total cost of the project was $1,045,000 and ...

Steve Chybowski joined OER in December 2021 as chief of program development, with a focus on energy efficiency, buildings optimization and decarbonization. We are delighted to have him on our team and asked him to introduce himself to our readers. Tell us about your background. I completed my undergraduate studies at Michigan State University and my graduate studies at Indiana University. After college, I worked with the City of Fishers, Indiana where I led the City’s sustainability efforts and developed the community’s first greenhouse gas emissions inventories. Then, I worked with Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute where I provided education and training to local government staff throughout the state of Indiana on energy efficiency and renewable energy opportunities. In 2021, I moved to Rhode Island and joined OER where I now lead its energy efficiency programming. What led you to work at OER?     I chose to work at OER because I want to make the world a...