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Energy spending initiatives
As technology in the field advances, more municipalities are devoting resources to energy efficiency “green” projects. Using Govalytics data, we’ve broken down the spending for two of the top ten capital projects in the nation’s 25 largest MSAs.
MSAs, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, are cities and their metro (or micro) areas. “A metro area contains a core urban area of 50,000 or more population, and a micro area contains an urban core of at least 10,000 (but less than 50,000) population. Each metro or micro area consists of one or more counties and includes the counties containing the core urban area, as well as any adjacent counties that have a high degree of social and economic integration (as measured by commuting to work) with the urban core.”
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According to Cook County materials, The Guaranteed Energy Performance Project is approximately 50 percent complete. The project will implement more than a dozen energy conservation measures throughout county-owned facilities, including the replacement of heating and cooling control systems, upgrades to lighting fixtures and the installation of new insulation. On top of the operational savings generated, the project has also earned the county $6 million in Illinois Department of Environmental Control rebates.
Gapersblock.com, a local news site, says the project has earned regional recognition, with the project’s management willing the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance’s Inspiring Efficiency Leadership Award for 2013.
The second project, the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone, or CREZ initiative, has wrapped, according to the The Texas Tribune. With its completion, the project added about 50 percent more wind capacity to Texas’ energy grid. “It’s a major milestone,” Terry Hadley, a spokesman for the Public Utility Commission, told the paper.
According to Govalytics, the other top projects’ budgets for 2013, not including Cook and Garland’s, are:
- New York City – greenhouse gas reductions – $338,674,976
- Washington D.C. – Van Ness Campus renovation – $178,132,000
- Montgomery County, Md. – Public School HVAC renovation – $58,520,000
Govalytics is a sales and marketing tool for companies looking to work with local governments. It uses MSA data to benchmark municipal spending in various capacities. For more information, visit www.govalytics.com.
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