NORTH BRANFORD -- On Tuesday, Oct. 11 the Town of North Branford's energy efficiency efforts were recognized at a special ceremony held at the Energize Connecticut Center in North Haven.

The ENERGY STAR® Achievement Ceremony was developed by United Illuminating (UI), a subsidiary of AVANGRID Inc., to honor municipalities for their recent ENERGY STAR eligibility or certifications, as well as a continued commitment to the Clean Energy Communities program sponsored through the Energize Connecticut initiative.

UIL Holdings Corporation President and Chief Executive Officer Anthony Marone lead a panel of speakers that included Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Scientist Linda Darveau and Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Robert Klee.

Since joining Clean Energy Communities in 2012, North Branford added 14 municipal buildings and five board of education buildings to their ENERGY STAR portfolio, an online tool created by the EPA to measure and track energy and water consumption, as well as greenhouse emissions. Three board of education buildings are either eligible for or have already received ENERGY STAR certification.

North Branford's efforts have resulted in an approximate annual reduction of 5,306 MMbtu which is equal to the amount of energy consumed by roughly 54 homes. Additionally, the town reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 264 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCDE) which produces the same results as if they removed about 55 cars from the road for one year. Overall, North Branford has achieved an annual estimated energy cost savings of $119,000.

"Offering valuable programs through our partnership in the Energize Connecticut initiative is of utmost importance to our company and we strongly encourage our municipalities to take advantage of the opportunity to manage their energy consumption," said Anthony Marone, president and chief executive officer, UIL Holdings Corporation, a subsidiary of AVANGRID Inc. "This collaboration with the EPA has allowed us to witness tangible

results from these efforts and, in my opinion, is a major reason why Connecticut is one of the most energy efficient states in the nation."

These energy-conscious efforts by North Branford are part

of an overall pledge made when joining the Clean Energy Communities program to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent and support renewable energy by 20 percent by 2018.

To learn more about programs offered through the Energize Connecticut initiative, please visit

energizect.com or call 1-877-WISE-USE.

About Energize Connecticut:

Energize Connecticut helps you save money and use clean energy. It is an initiative of the Energy Efficiency Fund, the Connecticut Green Bank, the State, and your local electric and gas utilities, with funding from a charge on customer energy bills. Information on energy-saving programs can be found at

energizect.com or by calling 1-877-WISE-USE.