Lowering Bills and Increasing Clean Energy
“We are Saving Some Green by Going Green”
Over the past five years, due to our on-going efforts to save money and share services, Montclair has joined a local government aggregation pool for purchasing electricity.
The Township Council authorized Hudson County to act as the lead purchasing agency for the Essex Hudson Regional Cooperative Purchasing System (EHRCPS). The agreement includes Montclair and 33 other towns and cities in Essex and Hudson counties, and the two county governments.
The cooperative purchasing plan significantly lowers the Township’s electricity supply rates, saving us money, yet increases the amount of our electricity supply generated from renewable sources.
As a result, the Township of Montclair enjoys a savings rate of 13% compared to the Basic Generation Service rate we would be paying PSE&G.
Along with the savings is the important additional benefit that fully 25% of the electricity the Township now buys comes from clean, renewable energy sources, a requirement first proposed to the cooperative purchasing group by the Montclair Environmental Commission.
While New Jersey’s current Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) requires all suppliers in the state to include approximately 18–19% renewable energy (comprised of Class I, Class II, and Solar renewable energy) in their supply portfolio, our EHRCPS contract requires that our supplier provides us with power consisting of 25% renewable energy.
This specific renewable energy percentage is designed to adhere to the Energy Action requirements of the Sustainable Jersey (SJ) program (www.sustainablejersey.com), so participating towns like Montclair earn an additional 10 points toward certification by participating in the EHRCPS.
Increasing the township’s commitment to save tax dollars and expand our use of renewable energy are strong examples of Montclair’s leadership as a model community for sustainability initiatives.