The Office of Sustainability published its third-annual municipal energy report, disclosing the City’s facility energy data in an effort to track progress towards the City’s energy goals, increase transparency, and lead by example.
“We are proud of our continued efforts to Lead by Example and share our energy data with the public,” said Leah Bamberger, Director of Sustainability. “Tracking our energy use is critical to ensuring we are making progress towards our goals and disclosing the information to the public holds us accountable to these commitments.”
The City’s facilities, including buildings and outdoor lighting, used 398,541 MBtu of energy in FY 2017 in the form of electricity, natural gas, and oil. Highlights from the report include:
- Energy efficiency investments are paying off. The City’s expenditures on energy have declined by 28% since FY 2010. Projected energy savings from efficiency projects in five buildings completed in FY 2016 are expected to reach over $100,000 annually. In FY 2017, total energy use from these facilities declined by 14%, and greenhouse gas emissions were down by nearly 30%. Recent investments in lighting and mechanical efficiency measures have reduced electricity consumption by 21% since 2010. This savings includes the LED streetlight conversion project, estimated to save the City $18.9 million in the next ten years, and expected to reduce City carbon emissions by about 9,441 metric tons annually.
- The City is on track to meeting its goal to reduce energy consumption 30% by 2030. In FY 2017, the amount of energy used by City facilities was down 15.5% from the previous three-year average. Greenhouse gas emissions from municipal facilities decreased 26% since 2010. You may track our progress here.
- The City has reduced #2 fuel oil consumption 92% since 2010. As of December 2016, heating oil was eliminated from all City school buildings.
- Our buildings are performing better. About half (22 out of 45) of the City’s Energy Star eligible buildings qualify for certification, meaning they perform better than 75% of similar buildings. 29 buildings increased their Energy Star scores between 2010 and 2017. The average Energy Star scores of all City schools combined has risen 31% since FY 2014, largely due to energy efficiency upgrades and HVAC control retro-commissioning completed in the buildings.
City of Providence’s electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil consumption, FY 2010 – FY 2017. In FY 2017, the total amount of energy used by all City facilities declined 15.5% from the previous three-year average.
The City of Providence has been benchmarking and monitoring its energy consumption as part of its fiscal and environmental agenda since 2010. The Office of Sustainability uses the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager to track all of the City’s electric, gas, oil, and water consumption. This data helps the City manage its energy consumption and identify opportunities for investment and savings. The information in this report summarizes the full dataset, which is available on the City’s Open Data Portal.