Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources

The Narragansett Bay Commission (NBC) is a renewable energy leader among Rhode Island State quasi-public agencies. NBC currently obtains 45 percent of its energy needs from six 1.5 MW industrial class wind turbines and has established a goal of obtaining all electricity from local renewable energy resources by December 2018 to achieve "net-zero" status.  Wastewater treatment facilities are one of the largest consumers of electricity. The treatment process requires a consistent and reliable source of electricity to run its wastewater collection and treatment operations. NBC is using more than 36,000,000 kWh of electricity annually at a cost of about $4 million per year. Therefore, NBC is leading by example and making a full transition toward renewable energy sources to achieve its “net-zero” status well in advance of the 2025 goal set forth in Governor Raimondo’s Lead by Example Executive order. The State's Lead by Example initiative promotes the adoption of cle...

B u ilt in 1936, the historic Virks building, located in Cranston, served as an institutional hospital for 78 years. Renovations from 2014 to 2017 upgraded the facility and transformed it into the new home for the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services. The Department of Administration, Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) went above and beyond code to bring the building into the future with energy efficiency improvements: * Building envelope upgrades to provide additional insulation to walls, the roof and windows, resulting in significant natural gas savings. * High-efficiency lighting for the entire building. * Daylight harvesting controls and light occupancy sensors. * Energy efficient heating, cooling, ventilation and plumbing systems. These measures save 121,821 kWh of electricity per year (24 percent of the building baseline) and 4,050 therms of natural gas (a 15 percent savings). The State's Lead by Example initiativ...

Rhode Island College, serving over 9,000 students in Providence, has recently completed the first phase of a two-year $14 million project to upgrade 41 buildings and campus infrastructure. The total project is expected to save more than $1,600,000 in energy costs annually for the next 15 years. Infrastructure upgrades and energy conservation measures include: LED lighting Energy management systems Central plant improvements Variable frequency drives Water conservation measures Building weatherization Energy efficiency motors Demand control ventilation Transformer replacements These upgrades not only provide energy savings, but also contribute to creating more comfortable and effective teaching and learning environments. Last spring, Rhode Island College was selected as a 2017 U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon School as result of its environmental, health and wellness efforts. The State's Lead by Example initiative promotes ...

If you own an electric car or have been thinking about getting one, we have some great news. The small parking lot north of the Powers Building (One Capitol Hill) now has two dual (level II) charging stations with connections to charge four cars at a time. And charging is free! Additionally, the Francis Street State parking lot across from the State House has two new dual stations serving four spaces. These are not the first electric car charging stations on Capitol Hill. The Powers Building garage has five dual stations – six spaces are for employee use and four are reserved for state fleet vehicles. All outdoor stations are reserved for State employees during work hours and are open to the public on nights and weekends. The State's  Lead by Example initiative  promotes the adoption of clean energy measures across public sector facilities and state agencies. State and municipal employees are helping to reduce energy costs and mitigate greenhouse gas emi...

The Rhode Island Army National Guard (RIARNG) has been busy since 2016, replacing inefficient, dated lighting with state-of-the-art LED fixtures in its facilities statewide. The new LED fixtures feature occupancy and daylight sensors to ensure that they are turned off when they are not needed to help conserve energy. The first two facilities, completed in 2016, decreased their energy use by 44 percent compared to the baseline year, and have resulted in a 34 percent reduction in energy costs. RIARNG is also planning on converting three other facilities within the coming months, and is going to be completing a full exterior lighting retrofit on its largest site, the Camp Fogarty Regional Training Site, located in East Greenwich. RIARNG utilized funding from multiple programs including the Rhode Island Public Energy Partnership, as well as incentives from National Grid to reduce the cost of its projects. The State's Lead by Example initiative promotes th...

On Veterans Day, hundreds of people from all over Rhode Island gathered to celebrate the grand opening of the new Veterans Home in Bristol. The new state-of-the-art facility, which houses 208 veterans, replaces the previous Veterans Home built in 1955. On top of the new Veterans Home is a 168-panel rooftop solar array. With a 43.7 kW capacity, the annual carbon emissions savings from this installation equal driving a car 96,394 miles! The building also exceeds Rhode Island's energy efficiency code requirements with some of these green enhancements: Occupancy and daylight sensors to control lighting use Extra building insulation Low flow plumbing fixtures that reduce water use by up to 30% Automated hot water recirculating systems to optimize energy use Use of high solar-reflecting outdoor landscape to reduce the "heat island" effect Recycling of 70% of the construction waste The State's  Lead by Example initiative promotes the adoption of ...

Located within the 4,000-acre George Washington Management Area, on the shores of Bowdish Reservoir, the 100-acre George Washington Memorial Camping Area is an overnight, primitive camping facility offering a multitude of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. There are 45 well-spaced gravel sites suitable for tents, trailers and RVs.    If you are visiting the campground this season, you will notice that many of the lighting fixtures along the roadways have solar panels mounted on them. These lights operate entirely on 160W solar panels, independent of the power grid. They are extremely efficient too. For every one day of solar charging, the lights can operate for up to four days without a recharge.    The project was made possible by the Department of Environment Management in partnership with the Office of Energy Resources and is part of the State's Lead by Example initiative to reduce the state's energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. To learn more,...