What is Shared Energy Manager?
The Shared Energy Manager program is a climate action implementation program designed by the Energy Programs Office to assist local governments in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with on-the-ground, practical support from a professional energy manager to conduct energy assessments, renewable energy studies, and other services to implement their climate action plans. The energy manager works with the program participants to review existing plans and project proposals, make recommendations, and perform assessment services to reduce energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
These services are tailored to each municipality’s needs and goals and are not a “one size fits all” approach to energy management. Examples of specific technical assistance tasks which have been performed for participating local governments include:
- Energy Benchmarking
- Energy Star Certification Facility Verification
- Audits & Energy Conservation Measure (ECM) analysis and recommendation for:
- Municipal Buildings
- Streetlighting and Traffic Lighting
- Wastewater Treatment Facilities
- Renewable Energy Feasibility Evaluation, including Solar Photovoltaic (PV) and renewable thermal technologies
- Fleet Electrification Analysis, including alternative fuel vehicles and Small Rolling Equipment
- Energy Management Plan creation
- ECM specification and implementation assistance
Year 1 and 2: Wilson Engineering Services, Inc.
Wilson Engineering Services was selected for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 program years to provide energy management services to five (5) municipalities across Pennsylvania under the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PA DEP). The following communities participated in the Shared Energy Manager Program working to implement their climate action plans:
Year 1: Bellefonte Borough, Chester County, City of Reading, Elizabeth Township, and Indiana Borough
Year 2: Abington Township, Ben Avon Borough, Cumberland County, City of Easton, and City of Shamokin
The total projection of potential savings in the final year 1 report of $425,672/yr from all Shared Energy Manager activities with a total potential emissions reduction of 1812 Metric Tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e). For year 2, the total estimated savings were at least $441,962 and an estimated emissions reduction of 352 MTCO2e.
2020-2021 Cohort Results
Local Government | $ Savings Identified | NG Savings Identified (therms) | Electric Savings Identified (kWh) | GHG Emissions Reductions Identified (MTCO2e) | Incentive Funding Identified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bellefonte Borough | $141,097 | 0 | 2,359,715 | 857 | $106,310 |
Chester County | $82,210 | 0 | 1,426,581 | 272 | $57,381 |
City of Reading | $17,378 | 632 | 182,783 | 34 | $16,949 |
Elizabeth Township | $26,054 | 101 | 129,770 | 22 | $148,265 |
Indiana Borough | $158,933 | 710 | 1,089,564 | 275 | $398,530 |
Total | $425,672 | 1,443 | 5,188,413 | 1,460 | $727,435 |
2021-2022 Cohort Results
Local Government | $ Savings Identified | NG Savings Identified (therms) | Electric Savings Identified (kWh) | GHG Emissions Reductions Identified (MTCO2e) | Incentive Funding Identified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abington Township | $16,863 | 23,764 | (139,126) | 136 | $21,451 |
Ben Avon Borough | $13,711 | 2,030 | (101,220) | 54 | $2,514 |
Cumberland County | $31,792 | 258,102 | 98 | $266,070 | |
City of Easton | $379,596 | 528 | 116,992 | 64 |
|
City of Shamokin |
|
| |||
Total | $441,962 | 26,322 | 134,748 | 352 | $290,035 |
2024-2027 Shared Energy Manager Program
The 2024 Cohort for the Shared Energy Manager program started in January of 2024 and concluded in December. The 2025 program year has started with another 20 participants, including 3 school districts for the first time. Starting in 2024 we expanded the Shared Energy Manager program utilizing funding from the US Department of Energy through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to include a larger number of participants per year (20). We had 22 participants in 2024 and have 20 participants for the 2025 year. As of the end of the 2024 program year $2,869,389 in annual energy savings was identified for the full cohort. These savings represent over 14.5 million kWh in annual electric and 222K therms in natural gas savings. Those savings have the potential to eliminate over ten thousand metric tons of annual greenhouse gas emissions. The shared energy manager (Wilson Engineering) also identified $23,868,080 in grants, tax deductions or rebates, loan programs, and other incentives to support participant projects. Lastly out of the $23 million in incentive/grant funding identified, $2,688,405 has already been applied for and awarded or secured.
2024 Cohort Results
Local Government | $ Savings Identified | NG Savings Identified (therms) | Electric Savings Identified (kWh) | GHG Emissions Reductions Identified (MTCO2e) | Incentive Funding Identified | Incentive Funding Secured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Abington Township | $12,129 | 405 | $223,250 | $208,250 | ||
Allentown | $30,257 | 122,980 | (1,310,313) | 4,158 | $336,324 | $230,070 |
Ambridge Borough | $15,000 |
| ||||
Bucks County | $515,880 | $404,580 | ||||
Camp Hill Borough | $26,921 | 2,056 | 236,711 | 85 | $192,012 | $50,000 |
Carlisle Borough | $789,155 | 90,614 | 5,404,042 | 2,184 | $14,976,498 |
|
Carnegie Borough | $2,209 | 24,542 | 11 | $4,360 |
| |
Centre Region | $29,084 | 57 | $540,450 | $50,000 | ||
Chester County | $23,723 | 244,751 | 77 | $478,705 | $478,705 | |
Cumberland County | $1,738,160 | 2,575 | 8,860,150 | 2,851 | $4,336,712 |
|
Doylestown TWP | $5,910 | 3,871 | 20,886 | 27 |
| |
East Pikeland TWP |
| |||||
Easton City | $15,597 | 113,256 | 36 | $65,663 |
| |
Forest Hills Borough | $18,451 | $316,676 |
| |||
Hatboro | $4,753 | 4 | $45,000 |
| ||
Lewisburg | $5,646 | 209 | 48,479 | 16 | $100,000 | $50,000 |
Lower Merion TWP | $57,877 | 177 | $142,500 |
| ||
Meadville City | $17,488 | 180,200 | 57 | $216,800 | $216,800 | |
Millvale |
| |||||
Sharpsburg | $92,029 | 747,750 | 274 | $1,362,250 | $1,000,000 | |
Total | $2,869,389 | 222,305 | 14,570,454 | 10,419 | $23,868,080 | $2,688,405 |
2026 Application
Going forward the expanded Shared Energy manager program will continue to include a larger number of participants per year (20) and enroll school districts as well as local governments entities which were not originally participants in the Local Climate Action Plan program. The first two cohorts of our shared energy manager were limited to energy saving measures for participating government facilities and operations. The current program scope of work for the energy manager program includes everything from government facilities and operations to projects such as energy efficiency and management plans for residential and commercial properties as determined by the participating local government. The types of activities that may be conducted for a local government participant include creating energy management plans for residents and businesses. Additionally, assistance will be provided with identifying or applying for funding from other state and federal funding programs such as Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants when available. The energy manager could potentially assist with any or all of:
- the development of community programs by local governments,
- the sourcing and application for program funding,
- the creation of requests for proposals, and
- review of the proposals submitted by respondents.
PADEP Shared Energy Manager Program Application Form Survey (surveymonkey.com).
If you would like to learn more about the program, please contact Chris Nafe at chnafe@pa.gov or 717-783-9726.