In 2003, Wisconsin residents spent nearly $14 billion to heat and cool their homes, fuel personal vehicles, operate schools, libraries and other public buildings, run small business equipment, manufacture and ship goods, and perform other activities essential for daily living (WDOA, 2004). Energy is all around us. It provides us with the power and mobility that characterizes our modern lifestyle. Yet, few give thought to where energy comes from, how it is produced and delivered to our homes, how energy impacts the local economy and environment, or the role we can play in ensuring a safe, reliable and affordable supply of energy for current and future generations. This article will discuss why communities should be concerned about planning for energy, offer suggestions how to increase energy conservation and efficiency measures at the community level, and describe a planning process for accomplishing these goals.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, American cities and towns account for over 80 percent of national energy use (DOE, 1996). Land use patterns, including the density, arrangement and mix of land uses in the community, strongly influence the efficiency and demand for local energy. Sprawling or scattered patterns of development, for example, result in long commuting distances, heavy reliance on personal vehicles, and costly utility and infrastructure provision. Compact or mixed-use development, as an alternative, provides additional travel options such as walking, biking and mass transit, more efficient travel routes, and reduced construction and maintenance costs associated with roads and utilities. Community design opportunities, including landscaping, site design, and building orientation also provide significant opportunities to improve energy efficiency and reduce consumption. Street trees, for example, reduce heating and cooling costs by blocking hot summer rays and providing shelter from cold winter winds.

Local energy choices influence all aspects of community life, including the environment, economy, and overall quality of life. More efficient travel patterns, for example, result in shorter commuting times, reduced traffic congestion and lower air pollution. Likewise, homes, businesses and government buildings that are more efficient produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Many conservation measures designed to reduce energy consumption, such as cluster development, trails and greenways also serve to protect our valuable natural resources. Vegetation, in the form of landscaping, street trees, forests, agriculture and other green space, act to reduce ambient air temperatures, thereby resulting in lower energy costs.

From an economic standpoint, energy is also crucial. Provision of safe, reliable and affordable energy supplies, which depends on the proper siting and maintenance of energy facilities, is a key to local economic development. Furthermore, when households, businesses and local governments cut energy expenditures, they have more money to reinvest in the local economy. It is estimated that over two-thirds of Wisconsin�s energy expenditures leave the state�s economy, a drain of approximately $4,100 per household (WDOA, 2004). Energy savings, in turn, can serve as disposable income for individuals, working capital for local businesses, and surplus funds required by local governments to provide essential services and infrastructure.

The argument for energy planning is compelling. Through local planning and design choices, local communities can influence up to 70 percent of local energy demand, or 56 percent of the national total (DOE, 1996). By considering opportunities for energy conservation (using less energy) and energy efficiency (reducing wastes) within a comprehensive plan, local residents and governments save money, reinvest in the local economy, improve environmental quality, and ensure clean, safe and reliable energy supplies for future generations.

The Wisconsin Comprehensive Planning Law empowers city, county, village and town planning commissions to prepare, adopt, and periodically update a comprehensive plan to guide the future development and redevelopment of their community. The comprehensive plan must contain at least nine elements � issues and opportunities; housing; transportation; utilities and community facilities; agricultural, natural and cultural resources; economic development; intergovernmental cooperation; land use; and implementation. Each plan must include an inventory of existing conditions, projections of future conditions, and a statement of goals, objectives, policies and implementation strategies related to each plan element. The law provides for public participation throughout the preparation of the comprehensive plan, wide distribution of proposed plan elements for review, and adoption of the plan by local ordinance.

Although not specifically required by law, the comprehensive plan is an ideal place for communities to consider energy and its relationship to other important community issues. Figure 1 describes the relationship between energy and other comprehensive planning elements.

Communities may take one of several approaches to address energy in a local comprehensive plan; they may consider energy as one component of the utilities and community facilities element, as a theme that runs throughout all of the elements, or through the inclusion of a separate energy element. Independent of the approach selected, there are several common steps within the planning process where it makes sense for communities to think about energy. Figure 2 shows a diagram of a general planning process. Following is a description of major steps where energy planning might fit within that process.

During the initial start-up phase of a planning project, communities may wish to form an Energy Advisory Committee. The committee should be composed of a diverse group of citizens and stakeholders representing commercial, agricultural, industrial, transportation, housing, utility providers, and other community interests related to energy. This committee will be charged with the task of developing a community energy vision, identifying local energy issues and opportunities, helping to draft, review and recommend energy goals, objectives, and implementation strategies, and encouraging citizen participation and partnership development throughout the planning effort. The advisory committee may also be assisted by a working subcommittee of local government staff, whose role it is to provide ongoing assistance in the form of data, analyses and professional insight.

Inventory and Analyze Energy Data
Documenting existing energy conditions and trends and projecting future energy demand is a crucial step in planning for safe, reliable and affordable sources of energy and identifying opportunities to introduce energy efficiency and conservation measures. Information should be collected on the types and sources of local energy available, energy consumption by type (i.e. petroleum, natural gas, biomass, etc.) and by sector (i.e. residential, commercial, government, etc.), energy costs, local energy providers, existing energy programs, and the condition and capacity of existing energy facilities. Connections between energy and other community features, such as land use patterns, transportation routes, air and water quality, and so forth should also be examined. These types of data and others may be collected from local government offices, utility providers, the Energy Division of the Wisconsin Department of Administration, the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and the U.S. Census Bureau.

Develop Energy Goals and Objectives
Through the development of energy goals and objectives communities are able to articulate their values and preferences towards energy and provide a framework to guide future decision-making in fulfillment of their vision. A wide range of energy issues may be addressed in the goals and objectives, including use of renewable energy resources, energy production and distribution issues, siting of new energy facilities, and opportunities to improve energy efficiency or reduce energy consumption. Sample energy goals and objectives are included in Figure 3.

Select Implementation Strategies
An implementation strategy should support energy goals and objectives by describing specific programs, policies and other recommendations to be implemented by the local community. Each strategy should include a measurable component, a timetable for completion, and a responsible party so that communities may monitor progress toward plan implementation. Examples of energy related strategies are also included in Figure 3.

Implement and Monitor Plan Progress
The comprehensive planning process does not end with the development or adoption of the comprehensive plan. Communities are also responsible for implementing and monitoring progress towards successful fulfillment of the plan goals. Common implementation tools, including zoning and subdivision regulations, building codes and capital improvement programs can be revised to incorporate energy conservation and efficiency measures without compromising other community objectives. Non-regulatory tools, such as education, incentive programs and partnership building may also be essential for moving energy considerations beyond local government and into mainstream community decision-making.

Following plan implementation, communities should take a retrospective look at progress towards their energy goals and objectives. Reductions in energy consumption, improved energy efficiency, greater use of renewable energy resources, lower levels of energy-related pollution, and safe, reliable and affordable supplies of energy are indicators that a community is on track towards meeting its energy goals.

California Energy Commission. (January 1993). Energy Aware Planning Guide. Publication No. 700-93-001. Available online: www.energy.ca.gov/reports/70093001.PDF.

Greenwood City/County Planning Department and Matheny-Burns Group. (August 2003). Energy Conservation Element of the Greenwood City/County Comprehensive Plan. Greenwood, South Carolina.

South Carolina Energy Office and the Office of Regional Development. (November 2000). Preparing an Energy Element for the Comprehensive Plan. Available online: www.state.sc.us/energy/PDFs/Planning_Guide.pdf.

U.S. Department of Energy. Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development. (June 1996). The Energy Yardstick: Using Place3s to Create more Sustainable Communities. Available online: www.sustainable.doe.gov/pdf/places.pdf.

Wisconsin Department of Administration. Energy Division. (2004). 2004 Wisconsin Energy Statistics. Available online: www.doa.state.wi.us/energy/.