Littlefield Puts Down Executive Order On Energy Efficiency

Sunday, August 5, 2012

Mayor Ron Littlefield has put down an executive order mandating a 25 percent improvement in energy efficiency at city facilities.

He said that could save the city $2.85 million per year.

CITY OF CHATTANOOGA

EXECUTIVE ORDER No. 2012-01

WHEREAS, the City of Chattanooga is dedicated to the mutually compatible goals of environmental protection and economic growth;

WHEREAS, the City spends approximately $11.4 million per year, $2 million of which has been tied to specific buildings and purchasing 130 new vehicles annually;

WHEREAS, a 25% reduction in overall energy use will save the City $2.85 million per year;

WHEREAS, the generation and use of energy has a significant impact on the environment, contributing to emissions of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, greenhouse gasses, and other pollutants;

WHEREAS, the City of Chattanooga has adopted greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets set forth in the 2009 Chattanooga Climate Action Plan;

WHEREAS, the City of Chattanooga is a major consumer of water, spending approximately $185 thousand per year on water;

WHEREAS, the City of Chattanooga is a major contributor to the local landfill, spending approximately $5.7 million per year on tipping fees associated with solid waste management; and

WHEREAS, it is appropriate that the City of Chattanooga assume a leadership role in promoting the efficient use of energy and natural resources in the interest of long-term protection and enhancement of our economy, the environment and the health of our children and future generations in the Chattanooga region;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RON LITTLEFIELD, Mayor of the City of Chattanooga, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the constitution and Laws of the State of Tennessee, do hereby order as follows:

I. New Efficiency Goals.

All agencies and departments over which the City of Chattanooga has authority shall seek to achieve a reduction in the following areas:

a. Energy

All agencies and departments over which the City of Chattanooga has authority shall seek to achieve a reduction in energy (electric and gas) consumption in all buildings they own, lease or operate by35percent by 2020 relative to 2010 levels.

b. Green House Gas (GHG)

All agencies and departments over which the City of Chattanooga has authority shall seek to achieve a reduction in GHG Emissions of all “Local Government Operations” of 20 percent by 2020 relative to 2011 baseline levels.

c. Water

All agencies and departments over which the City of Chattanooga has authority shall seek to achieve a reduction in water use by all buildings they own, lease or operate of 20 percent by 2020 relative to the 2010 baseline levels.

d. Waste

All agencies and departments over which the City of Chattanooga has authority shall seek to achieve a25percent diversion of Solid Waste from the landfill 2020 relative to the 2012 baseline levels.

All departments and other affected entities shall work with the Office of Sustainability to establish department- wide reduction targets and associated schedules to reach these goals and shall also be responsible for establishing reduction targets for each facility by 2015 and 2020. No buildings will be exempt from these goals except pursuant to criteria to be developed by the City of Chattanooga’s Sustainability Task Force as established herein.

The Office of Sustainability will develop a communications mechanism (i.e. dashboard interface) that will be available to all departments and other affected entities that will serve to help inform each department of their consumption. The dashboard will graphically represent real-time or monthly energy usage (water, gas, and electric) per department as well as produce quarterly reports on the progress made towards meeting the City’s energy and resource efficiency goals. Each department and other affected entity will be responsible for reviewing and understanding these reports on a regular basis.

Within 180 days of the date of this Executive Order, the Office of Sustainability will develop guidelines and departmental performance criteria to help departments and other affected entities implement energy and resource efficient practices in their buildings and monitor accountability.

II. Buildings Energy Efficiency Practices.

a. Existing Buildings.

Effective immediately, all affected entities shall implement energy efficiency practices with respect to the operation and maintenance of all buildings that they own, lease or operate.

Such practices may include, but shall not be limited to:

1) Shutting off office equipment when it is not being used;

2) Operating within established temperature ranges;

3) Turning off lighting in unoccupied areas;

4) Eliminating the use of individual heaters;

5) Incorporating occupancy sensors and/or monitors;

6) Incorporating a building automation and/or energy management system;

7) Inspecting and re-commissioning or re-tuning heating, air conditioning and ventilation equipment to ensure optimal performance; and

8) Cycling and restarting equipment on a staggered basis to shed electricity loads and minimize peak electricity demand usage.

All departments and other affected entities shall strive to meet the ENERGY STAR building criteria for energy performance and indoor environmental quality in their existing buildings to the maximum extent practicable.

b. New Buildings and Major Renovation of Existing Buildings.

In the design, construction, operation and maintenance of new buildings, all departments and other affected entities shall, to the maximum extent practicable, achieve a minimum Certification level from the most current version of the Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) Green Building Rating System created by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) or similar green building rating system.

Effective immediately, all departments and other affected entities engaged in the construction of new buildings shall achieve at least a 20 percent improvement in energy efficiency performance relative to levels required by the State's Energy Conservation Code. For the Major Renovation of existing buildings, all departments and other affected entities shall achieve at least a 10 percent improvement. All departments and other affected entities shall incorporate energy-efficient criteria consistent with ENERGY STAR and any other energy efficiency levels as may be designated by the City of Chattanooga into all specifications developed for new construction and renovation.

Potential strategies may include, but shall not be limited to:

1) Consideration to orientation of building in the placement of windows and shading elements;

2) Benchmarking of building energy usage;

3) Energy modeling and sun studies;

4) Appropriately designed “daylighting” schemes;

5) High-efficiency HVAC systems;

6) Energy efficient lighting and controls;

7) Incorporation of a building automation and/or energy management system;

8) Vegetated roofs and/or “cool roofs”;

9) Inspecting and commissioning of lighting and air conditioning and ventilation equipment to ensure optimal performance; and

10) Water use reduction strategies;

III. Continuous Monitoring of Efficiency Goals

A standardized annual reporting procedure will be established by the Office of Sustainability for the purpose of consistent and transparent monitoring of progress towards the energy and resource efficiency performance goals established herewith. The Office of Sustainability will partner with departments and utilities to benchmark and publically disclose energy usage (water, gas, and electric) of all buildings owned, leased or operated by the City of Chattanooga using EPA's Portfolio Manager software. Following a similar collaborative process, the Office of Sustainability will inventory and disclose annual greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the 2010 Local Government Operations Protocol. "Local government operations" includes operation of facilities, vehicle fleet, power generation facilities, solid waste facilities, wastewater treatment facilities, and employee commute.

IV. Procurement of Energy-Efficient Products.

All departments and other affected entities shall adhere to State Guidelines by selecting ENERGY STARenergy-efficient products when acquiring new energy-using products or replacing existing equipment. The City of Chattanooga shall adopt guidelines designating target energy efficiency levels for those products for which ENERGY STAR labels are not yet available. To ensure that this goal is met, the use of life-cycle cost analysis when purchasing products, such as energy efficient appliances, will be considered in the decision making process. (Referenced Codes: TCA 12-3-605, TCA 12-3-606, and TCA 12-3-607)

V. Renewable Energy Sources.

The City of Chattanooga shall increase its purchase of energy generated from the following technologies: wind, solar thermal, photovoltaics, sustainably managed biomass, small-scale hydro, geothermal, methane waste and fuel cells. The City of Chattanooga and other affected entities shall seek to use sufficient quantities of energy from these technologies so that 4 percent of the overall annual electric energy requirements of buildings owned, leased or operated by the City of Chattanooga and other affected entities will be me through these technologies by 2015, increasing to 8 percent by 2020.The City of Chattanooga shall seek to generate a minimum of 4 percent of their electricity from renewable energy resources by 2015 and 8 percent by 2020. No agency or affected entity will be exempt from these goals except pursuant to criteria to be developed by the Energy Coordinator, in consultation with Chief of Staff, OS, OGS and the Sustainability Task Force.

VI. Procurement of Clean Fuel Vehicles.

The City of Chattanooga and other affected entities shall procure increasing percentages of alternative-fuel vehicles, including all-electric and hybrid-electric vehicles, as part of their annual vehicle acquisition plans. By 2015, at least 25 percent of new light-duty vehicles acquired by each agency and affected entity shall be alternative-fueled vehicles, and by 2020, 50 percent of all new light-duty vehicles shall be alternative-fueled vehicles, with the exception of specialty, police or emergency vehicles as designated by the Chief of Staff. The City of Chattanooga and other affected entities that operate medium- and heavy-duty vehicles shall implement strategies to reduce petroleum consumption and emissions by using alternative fuels and improving vehicle fleet fuel efficiency.

VII. Creation of the Sustainability Task Force.

The Office of Sustainability shall coordinate implementation of this Executive Order and shall assist each department and affected entity in the fulfillment of the responsibilities imposed herein in a cost-effective manner. To assist the Office of Sustainability in fulfilling the requirements imposed by this Executive Order, there is hereby established a Sustainability Task Force consisting of a designated member from each department within the City of Chattanooga.

The Manager or the Office of Sustainability shall serve as the chair of the Sustainability Task Force. The Sustainability Task Force shall meet regularly, but no less than quarterly, for the purpose of advising the Office of Sustainability as to how it can best assist each department and other affected entities in achieving the goals of the Executive Order with the greatest degree of cooperative effort and effectiveness. The Sustainability Task Force shall be tasked with facilitating the execution of this Executive Order by establishing project teams. These project teams will focus on specific action items that will reduce consumption.

VIII. Assistance and Cooperation.

Every agency and department within the City of Chattanooga shall provide all reasonable assistance and cooperation requested by the Office of Sustainability and the Sustainability Task Force for the purpose of carrying out this order. Such assistance may include the assignment of staff and the provision of support services.

IX. Summary of Performance Measures(working)

Performance Goal for 2020

Scope

Key Performance Indicator

Meets or Exceeds Standards

Recommended Performance Management Tool

Opportunity for 3rd Party Verification

Energy Use

35% reduction relative to 2010levels

All City buildings

Energy Use Intensity (kBtu/ft²/year)

EPA Portfolio Manager[1]