Community receives latest NOPEC grant

Madison Township, in recent years, has put NOPEC Energized Community Grant money toward a variety of projects.

That tradition has the potential to continue in 2020, as the township recently was awarded a $46,272 NOPEC Energized Community Grant.

“The primary goal of providing funds is to help communities implement energy savings or energy infrastructure measures,” NOPEC stated on its website.

In addition, NOPEC noted that the Energized Community Grants can be used for government facilities, businesses or residents. Examples of eligible projects include

LED lighting upgrades, insulation and generators.

NOPEC, formally known as the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, is a provider of energy aggregation programs for communities throughout Ohio. The organization uses the principle of buying in bulk to get lower rates on electricity and natural gas for its group of members than those members could receive individually.

Madison Township has been a NOPEC electric and gas community since 2002.

Along with receiving the latest $46,272 grant, Madison Township has about $4,160 in carryover funds from its 2019 Energized Community Grant, township Administrator Tim Brown said.

“This is a reimbursement grant, so we paid in 2019 and NOPEC reimburses us in 2020,” Brown said. “This is a result of the completion of work in relation to the calendar, not the way the grant is structured.”

So far, the township hasn’t chosen any specific energy-improvement projects to be funded by the 2020 NOPEC grant. Brown said he first wants to be sure all 2019 NOPEC projects are completely paid for, so the township knows precisely how much carryover funding from last year could be used in addition to the 2020 Energized Community Grant funding.

“We don’t want to spend money the township doesn’t have,” he said.

Over the past three years, Madison Township has been awarded a total of $143,712 through the NOPEC Energized Community Grant program, Brown said. These grants have helped fund a variety of significant energy-improvement projects in the township, such as:

2018

• Replacement of five heating, ventilation and air conditioning rooftop units at the township Administration Building on Hubbard Road.

2019

• Installation of new energy-efficient windows in the banquet hall at Stanton Park on Chapel Road.

• Installation of a new HVAC system in the banquet hall.

“The hall did not have air conditioning before the upgrade, and the gas furnaces we replaced were at least 20 years old when taken out of service,” Brown said.

• Stanton Park’s electrical service was upgraded from single phase to threephase.

This improvement has created a more dependable source of electricity for the park, Brown said. Also, the electrical system in the park was moved from above ground to underground.

Benefits resulting from this change included creating a more picturesque view of Lake Erie by removing poles and wires; and improving safety for visitors, since there is no more risk of above-ground lines being brought down by trees, Brown added.