In Medway, Kennedy said, officials hope to develop - and fund - a commercial loan program to help area businesses pursue projects that will cut their energy use.
Other possible projects include the installation of LED street lights and setting up electric vehicle charging stations, she said.
One plan under consideration involves equipping town vehicles with thermal imaging equipment to perform drive-by energy audits on homes. Kennedy said the town would then provide the homeowners with information on how much energy their houses waste in lost heat, along with programs that could help make them more energy efficient.
But the first step is to come up with a long-term communitywide plan with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s help.
During the next two years, Medway and other selected towns will receive technical help drawing up energy action plans, establishing baselines of energy use for the municipal, residential, and commercial sectors, and setting goals for reducing energy use.
Also selected for the energy action program were Medford, Stoughton, and the towns served by the Reading Municipal Light Department - Lynnfield, North Reading, Reading, and Wilmington, said Erin Brandt, energy planner for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.
The Local Energy Action Program, funded through the Barr Foundation, does not provide money directly to towns. However, the planning council’s professional services for the next two years are valued at about $15,000 per community. Towns in turn must provide equivalent staffing time for energy planning.
Twenty-one communities applied for the first round of energy program awards and a second round is expected to be announced by fall.
