New Jersey’s strategy for tackling climate change centers on replacing outdated fossil-fuel powered equipment with new electrically-driven alternatives and then producing that electricity with clean, renewable supplies and advanced power management technology.  Making this future a reality requires understanding not just where and how electric power is produced, but where and how energy is used.  The Department has developed several tools and data sets and compiled other relevant resources to assist New Jersey communities in their clean energy efforts.

ENERGY USAGE

Learning about energy usage in your community can lead to more strategic energy decisions and help municipalities plan for and achieve clean energy goals. Through cooperation with each of the seven investor-owned utilities in the State, Sustainable Jersey publishes Aggregated Community-Scale Utility Energy Data. This robust dataset represents municipal-level electric and natural gas usage annually from 2015 to 2021 across the residential, commercial, industrial, and street lighting sectors.

Seeing the value in this dataset, the NJDEP’s Bureau of Climate Change and Clean Energy has published this dataset in a geospatial format, so that the changes and trends in energy use can be viewed in maps and municipal energy use dashboards in ArcGIS Online.

These resources can be utilized by municipalities for community energy planning.  Community Energy Planning is the process by which communities collaboratively select and strategically implement emissions-reducing initiatives in support of the state’s greenhouse gas reduction and clean energy goals. The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities funds these efforts through its  Community Energy Plan Program.  The Department of Energy has also developed a Guide to Community Energy Strategic Planning.