New Hampshire state government has avoided over $45 million in energy costs over the last decade, according to its annual energy report.

The state, one of the largest energy users in the country, has been documenting total building energy consumption and working to reduce both total energy use and the state’s reliance on fossil fuels since 2004.

According to the 2020 Annual State Energy Report, state government has reduced its total annual building energy use by 7% and its building fossil-fuel use by 12% in comparison to the baseline year, state fiscal year 2005.

As a result, between fiscal years 2009 and 2020, the state has avoided over $45 million in energy costs, the report says.

The report says the state has kept its total building energy costs stable through a combination of energy-efficiency projects, such as the use of LED lighting and switching to lower-cost fossil-fuel resources, heat pumps, solar panels and a thermal biomass facility.

“Energy management is one of the ongoing success stories of state government,” said Administrative Services Commissioner Charlie Arlinghaus, whose agency manages the state’s building and other infrastructure. “We continue to move to less costly, more efficient resources and use fewer of them each year, saving precious taxpayer dollars and continually improving the state’s footprint.”

The energy report is produced annually by the Department of Administrative Services’ State Energy Management Office, the Department of Environmental Services and the Governor’s Office of Strategic Initiatives.