Not all government spending is equal. There are investments that government can make to benefit us all. “Lead By Example” is one of those investments.
Born out of energy legislation and run by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, the Lead By Example program uses bond funds to retrofit state buildings to make them more energy efficient. The energy savings are used to pay back the bonds.
So far, 37 projects are underway. As reported in The Hartford Business Journal, the estimated cost savings of those projects is $1.5 million per year. This is just the tip of the iceberg.
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According to the Office of Policy and Management, the state owns more than 3,700 buildings. If every building were retrofitted, we can roughly estimate that we could save one hundred times the $1.5 million in current savings or about $150 million per year. Now that is a lot of money!
If we were to add municipal buildings to the mix, the additional savings could be enormous. Think of all the town halls, schools, and community centers around the state. Many of these buildings are old and energy inefficient. Any savings realized could help reduce property taxes.
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Lead By Example is a start. Its success should make us confident to expand the program. By expanding this program, we would realize greater savings, put more people to work doing the retrofits and benefit the environment, too.
State Rep. Brian Becker represents Avon, Farmington and West Hartford in the 19th District. For more information, visit his website at www.housedems.ct.gov/Becker.
