Welcome to the City of Manchester's Sustainability Action Center

For over a decade the City of Manchester has been working to increase the energy efficiency and reduce the environmental impact of City-owned buildings. Major milestones in this effort include:

• 1999 - A major efficiency improvement project was implemented that upgraded most of the lighting in the school and municipal buildings and provided the core of the building controls and automation system that still exists today. Several new heating systems were also installed under this project.

• 2004 - Municipal Infrastructure Improvement Project: Over $100 million was invested in our school buildings providing much needed capital improvement as well as improving energy efficiency and student, faculty and staff comfort. Specific energy related improvements included:
  • Replaced old wasteful unit ventilators with high efficiency heat recovery ventilation systems
  • Replaced Upgraded low energy intensity heating systems
  • Selected roofing replacements and insulation upgrades
  • Selected window replacements
  • Expanded building automation system to provide improved control and efficiency  

• 2010 - The City was awarded over $1 million in America Revitalization and Reinvestment Fund from the federal government. This money is being carefully invested in high return energy projects.

We aren't finished:

• 2011 - Manchester is implementing a comprehensive Energy Management Program to further improve energy efficiency with the assistance of ARAMARK our long term partner in facilities preventative maintenance. 
  • The program will implement both capital and operational improvements as well as establish a more proactive energy awareness initiative.
  • The program will invest nearly $2,000,000 and is expected to produce an additional $400,000 + in annual energy savings. Much of the money will come from State and federal funding as well as utility rebates and other incentives.

Tracking the Progress:

Most people recognize the EnergyStar label from purchasing appliances and electronics. The US Dept of Energy also provides EnergyStar labels high efficiency building as well. The building must be in the top quartile for energy efficiency among buildings of it type. For example a school would need to be more energy efficient than 75% of the other schools in the country to be awarded the label. Manchester received its first EnergyStar labels for one of it's schools a few months ago. We are in the process of applying for the label for several other schools and expect to have over a dozen labeled by the end of the year.

Click here if you would like to see a map of Manchester's EnergyStar Certified Schools

Click here if you would like to see the City's Energy Policy