Horsham Seeks Insight into Cutting Energy Use

Horsham Township officials are hoping that the new year will bring new and more cost and energy-efficient ways to power township facilities.

Horsham is one of 10 municipalities that the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission chose from Montgomery, Bucks, Chester and Delaware counties to work with in finding ways to reduce energy use in government operations.

Offered through the Circuit Rider program, the year-long review includes insight from a certified energy manager and involves working with Horsham officials to evaluate current energy use, analyze opportunities for energy savings, and identify and put in place projects that provide the greatest reduction in energy costs, according to the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.

The team will also train municipal staff in best practices for energy management. Training will help these municipalities – including Horsham - become “regional leaders” in energy efficiency and conservation.

In addition to the no-cost assistance, the Circuit Rider program also provides analytical tools, offers quarterly training seminars, and creates bulk purchase opportunities.

“The Circuit Rider program provides smaller municipalities with easy access to the resources and tools they need to prioritize projects for cost-effectively reducing energy use,” said Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission Executive Director, Barry Seymour. “We saw a need for this type of program because small and medium-sized municipalities often have limited staffing and capacity to support the type of energy management found in larger municipalities.”

Horsham Township Manager Bill Walker said more specific information would be made available next year once projected cost savings are determined. Until then, Walker said he’s looking forward to finding ways to save money and use less energy in powering the municipal building, the police station, Horsham Township Library, the public works garage, as well as energy for traffic signals and street lights.

Walker said the analysis could mean “inexpensive ideas,” put in place in the short term, as well as more costly long-term capital improvement projects that take some time to get underway. 

Besides Horsham Township, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission said the nine other municipalities selected – from a pool of more than two dozen – are Cheltenham and Towamencin townships in Montgomery County; Lower Southampton and Brsitol townships in Bucks County; Easttown Township and Phoenixville Borough in Chester County; and Lansdowne Borough and Nether Providence and Upper Darby townships in Delaware County.

For more information on the Circuit Rider program, visit www.dvrpc.org/EnergyClimate/CircuitRider.