https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • Magazine
    • Back
    • Digital Editions
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • Subscribe to GovPro
    • Manage GovPro Subscription
    • Advertise
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
acc.com

Public Works & Utilities


Power Principles

Power Principles

Looking for a way to cut emissions? Start with city hall.
  • Written by Ron Blagus
  • 1st June 2009

With the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, billions of dollars have been allocated to improve the energy efficiency of residential, commercial and governmental facilities and operations. States and local governments have new opportunities to obtain funding for energy audits, building retrofits and renewable energy projects.

An energy audit measures a building’s total energy use to identify areas for efficiency improvements. Audits look at all aspects of a building and its energy consumption — including HVAC, mechanical, lighting and building automation systems — and produce a detailed and comprehensive picture of its operating efficiency.

Audits include several steps, such as:

  • reviewing all energy sources;
  • analyzing utility bills and comparing usage data to similar facilities to determine energy intensities;
  • verifying equipment and systems operations; and
  • checking the integrity of the building envelope.

By evaluating a building’s consumption and performance levels, an audit can reveal where energy is being wasted or over-consumed so government officials can make changes.

How Do Performance Contracts Work?

As part of a performance contract, the government agency receives an estimated energy and operating cost savings from the facility upgrade from an energy services company (ESCO), which conducts an energy audit to identify areas where energy consumption and expenses can be reduced. Those savings are calculated over a specific period of time to show how the improvements will pay for the upgrade’s cost. The project work is geared toward increasing comfort and energy efficiency while lowering energy costs. Projects also can help decrease consumption, emissions and reliance on traditional energy sources. Because an ESCO guarantees the savings, there is no risk to the government agency.

How Can Arra Funding Complement Performance Contracts?

Adding stimulus money to a performance contract can help organizations pursue conservation measures with longer paybacks, such as renewable energy technology. The Department of Energy specifically recommends leveraging stimulus dollars through proven financing vehicles, and the guarantee that accompanies a performance contract promotes ARRA priorities of accountability and transparency. A performance contract also counters concerns regarding excess spending because projects that pay for themselves in a definitive time period will not burden governments with excessive debt obligations after stimulus funds are gone.

Power Terms

Energy retrofits

Buildings account for nearly 40 percent of all energy and 70 percent of electricity use nationally per year. The quickest route to a lean utility bill is efficient facilities, which can be achieved through energy retrofits, such as lighting, HVAC equipment, mechanical system and building envelope upgrades. Those changes can cut consumption 15 to 25 percent on average. In addition, retrofits can make systems and equipment more reliable while improving indoor air quality and comfort.

Demand response

Smart thermostats or other load control devices in homes and businesses can cycle equipment like air conditioners on and off for short periods of time when demand for electricity is high. That demand response helps stabilize prices, reduce the need for additional power plants and avoid disruptive brownouts and blackouts. Cities and counties that do not operate their own utilities should see if their local power provider has a demand response program, because participation often includes a rate break or other financial incentive.

Sustainability

Many municipalities are moving from one-off improvements to developing cohesive, long-term strategies focused on creating better places to live and work, and boosting the bottom line. Renewable energy, facility retrofits and demand response are viable elements and can be augmented by activities such as ongoing service and maintenance, greenhouse gas measurement and monetization, and energy awareness and communication programs. Combined sustainability efforts can continuously improve efficiency, cut emissions and maximize savings.

Renewable energy

Renewable technology like biomass gasifiers, wind turbines and solar panels can help reduce environmental impact and hedge against energy inflation. It also can help meet commitments tied to initiatives like the U.S. Council of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Cities and counties must consider a number of location-specific variables — fuel availability, utility rates, rebates and tax incentives — to ensure the technology will deliver a significant return on investment.

Sidebars/Case Studies

  • Facility upgrades aim for Energy Star approval — Dayton, Ohio
  • Solar energy powers city’s water facility — Hillsboro, Ore.
  • Smart meters lead to lower utility bills — Tallahassee, Fla.

Ron Blagus is energy market director for Minneapolis-based Honeywell Building Solutions.

Facility upgrades aim for Energy Star approval

Dayton, Ohio, is using energy-efficient upgrades and facility improvements to reduce emissions and meet its sustainability goals. The work is part of an energy conservation and building modernization program with Honeywell that is reducing utility expenses and greenhouse gas emissions at the targeted facilities by more than 30 percent.

Part of a 10-year performance contract, the program includes infrastructure upgrades that affect more than 12 city facilities and will cut $420,000 in annual energy and operating costs. Work includes sealing building envelopes; upgrading HVAC equipment, building controls and lighting; and equipping traffic signals with light-emitting diode (LED) technology.

The upgrades will reduce electricity consumption by approximately 3.7 million kilowatt-hours per year. Upgrades also will decrease carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 4,000 tons each year — roughly equivalent to removing more than 650 cars from roads or planting 825 acres of trees, according U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) figures.

The program helps the city meet goals outlined in its recently adopted Sustainable Practices Policy, which promotes a cleaner, healthier environment. The policy also helps the city meet its commitments adopted as part of the U.S. Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. City officials hope the upgrades will earn the Energy Star seal of approval for city hall, which would demonstrate that it meets EPA and Department of Energy standards, and that it uses less energy, is less expensive to operate and emits fewer greenhouse gases than its peers.

Solar energy powers city’s water facility

A solar project is helping Hillsboro, Ore., cut its energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions. The city has installed ground-mounted solar panels next to the Hillsboro Evergreen Reservoir water storage facility to generate more than 104,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually — nearly 20 percent of the power needed for the 15 million-gallon Evergreen Reservoir.

As part of the project’s 20-year power purchase agreement, Honeywell installed the technology and sells the electricity the panels produce back to the city for use at the reservoir. Renewable NRG in Portland, Ore., mounted the solar panels, and SolarWorld Group’s new fabrication plant in Hillsboro supplied the panels and installation hardware.

By using solar energy, the city is cutting carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 3.6 million pounds over the 20-year agreement — the equivalent to removing more than 295 cars from the road for a year, according to EPA figures.

Smart meters lead to lower utility bills

In 2004, Tallahassee, Fla., launched an initiative to improve lighting, automation and HVAC equipment, as well as water conservation in 45 facilities. Part of a 12-year, $4.5 million performance contract, the work saved the city more than $780,000 in the first year.

In 2008, the city began installing a smart metering network system to automatically collect electricity, natural gas and water usage data from residents and businesses. The system, which covers more than 220,000 electric, gas and water meters, will help the city improve customer service and reduce its operating costs by an estimated $21 million over 15 years.

As part of the program, more than 110,000 electric meters were replaced with smart meters, and retrofitted more than 25,000 gas meters and 85,000 water meters. The meters include digital registers and wireless technology that send readings to more than 300 “collector” meters throughout the city. The collectors feed into the city’s utility systems, generating accurate usage and billing information. The new infrastructure will help the city implement demand response programs and other conservation strategies in the future.

Tags: Public Works & Utilities

Related


  • St. Lucie county adds foam polystyrene recycling program
    St. Lucie County, Fla., residents and businesses will now be able to recycle more foam polystyrene products, thanks to a $50,000 grant from the Foam Recycling Coalition. After starting a single-stream program in 2014, St. Lucie County has seen a continuous increase in the tonnage being processed at the St. Lucie Materials Recovery Facility, as […]
  • Six cities share $745,000 in grants for sustainability projects
    The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America (ABFHA) announced today $745,000 in grants to nine U.S. cities that are the winners of the 2021 Childhood Obesity Prevention and Environmental Health and Sustainability Awards. The grants, which were awarded during USCM’s 89th Winter Meeting, go to mayors who initiate exceptional […]
  • How small cities are tackling lead service line replacement
    “We move Heaven and earth,” says Montana Birt. A transplant from Georgia, Birt is a pastor in a local church in Thorp, Wisc., the smallest of cities with a population of just more than 1,600. His more earthly endeavor, however, involves digging up and replacing lead pipes that threaten to poison his neighbors’ water in […]
  • Hi-tech sewers can help safeguard public health, environment and economies
    In the wake of the coronavirus, economic recovery is top of mind for all city leaders, the majority of whom believe that investing in infrastructure and technology can spur a rebound. Yet current analyses indicate that we only have funding available to cover approximately 57 percent of infrastructure system improvements through 2029, leaving an investment gap […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Five reasons why city managers should put utility vehicles to work
  • Local governments in Texas respond to cold snap, power grid failure
  • City of Tega Cay, S.C., wants residents to go through neighbors' trash
  • Parking revenues: The unexpected casualty of COVID-19

White papers


Discover How Public Sector Officials are Monitoring and Managing Overtime in This New White Paper

22nd February 2021

How to Assemble a Successful Government Grant Proposal

5th February 2021

The Rise of Procurement’s Next Normal

5th February 2021
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Using data to improve emergency response resources dlvr.it/RtVSc0

25th February 2021
AmerCityCounty

How small cities are tackling lead service line replacement dlvr.it/RtV9G8

25th February 2021
AmerCityCounty

COVID-19 and pivoting into a new year: It may be 2021, but did we really leave 2020? dlvr.it/RtQRcr

24th February 2021
AmerCityCounty

Six tips for making sure your dispatch is doing all the right moves dlvr.it/RtQBvl

24th February 2021
AmerCityCounty

New pandemic recovery tools for public transit dlvr.it/RtLJ61

23rd February 2021
AmerCityCounty

Artificial cities could pave the way to driverless adoption dlvr.it/RtJGZZ

23rd February 2021
AmerCityCounty

How city leaders can develop, manage and maintain strategic partnerships dlvr.it/RtGGYy

22nd February 2021
AmerCityCounty

Baltimore will distribute recycling carts to residents to encourage recycling dlvr.it/RtGB6n

22nd February 2021

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2021 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X