Energy Inventories and Energy Saving Successes in the Adirondack Park, NY
The Adirondack Park is a six million acre state park, half of which is owned privately while the other is owned and protected by the State of New York under a constitutional amendment. Although the Adirondack Park is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Glacier National Parks combined and is roughly the size of Vermont,there are only 125,000 people living in 102 towns and villages.
Currently, the Adirondack Climate and Energy Action Plan (ADKCAP), along with many supporting organizations is attempting to address the energy use in the Adirondacks. ADKCAP is a coalition of the Adirondack region’s organizations & people, which aims to coordinate a region-wide plan to catalyze a rapid transition to an efficient, renewable energy and transportation economy in the Adirondacks. It is helping existing groups to think broadly, to build cross-sectoral partnerships, to access resources and to develop innovative, action-oriented solutions in this sector. It provides a comprehensive framework in which a broad set of actions and programs can be aggregated to achieve a common goal.
Two municipalities have demonstrated energy saving success through initiatives of their own. Since 2004 Lake Placid Since 2004, the Village of Lake Placid has made
considerable efforts to conserve energy through a number of projects resulting in increased energy efficiency. Through projects and rate changes, Lake Placid has succeeded in lowering its peak load of electricity use by 5 megawatts (MW) of power over a three year period.
The Village of Tupper Lake has executed several projects that will contribute to significant energy savings. Although the energy savings cannot be currently measured, the Village took part in an energy inventory which will allow the Village to track energy savings and benchmark into the future.
The Village of Lake Placid Case Study (pdf)
Village of Tupper Lake Case study (pdf)
The Town of Long Lake and the Village of Tupper Lake are the first two municipalities to conduct energy inventories in the Adirondack Park. Inventories are an important first step that allow a municipality to benchmark energy use and target cost effective energy use reduction strategies. Free software is available that allows a municipality to complete this process independently. Long Lake has a population of 852 and is 449 square miles. The Village of Tupper Lake is 1.8 square miles with a population of 3,935.
Long Lake Inventory (pdf)
