Energy

ENERGY STAR

The County made a fundamental commitment to protect the environment through the continuous improvement of our energy performance by becoming an EPA Energy Star Partner in 2013. Through the partnership, the County measures and tracks the energy performance of our facilities by using the Energy Star Portfolio Manager tool. In accordance with the Energy Star Energy Management Guidelines, we have developed and implemented policies to achieve energy savings and have educated employees on the importance of energy efficiency.

In 2015, we completed the construction of the Central Energy Plant located in downtown Bradenton. This chiller plant provides chilled water to three county facilities and has reduced the energy consumption for cooling these buildings. With two chillers already running at the plant and a capacity for a third, there is opportunity for the plant to cool additional buildings in downtown Bradenton. In fact, the Central Energy Plant's construction helped earn Manatee County 14th place in the EPA's Energy Star National Building Competition for the Downtown District. Our Administration Building alone received a number of awards including 9th in Building Energy Reduction, top in Reduction by Category, and Reduction of 20% or more. Find more details on the Battle of the Buildings page.

Renewable Energy

Manatee County currently has two facilities that are equipped with solar array technology. Click on the button below to view the performance dashboard for the solar arrays at Robinson Preserve.

Solar Panel DASHBOARD

Solar Siting Study

In addition to our solar arrays, Manatee County partnered with graduate students from USF's Patel College of Global Sustainability to determine the feasibility and economic viability of adding new solar energy infrastructure to County facilities. With this research, Manatee County can work on taking the necessary steps towards curbing our reliance on fossil fuels and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.

Learn more about the results of the study by clicking here.

Smart Waste

Solar trash compactors can be found at a number of our County parks, preserves, and beaches. These "smart" waste bins communicate their real-time status and notify crews when they are ready to be collected, thus saving time and energy.