SUSTAINPVD
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016 Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
1
Executive Summary Contributors to this report from the City of Providence include: Leah Bamberger, Director of Sustainability Dino Larson, Energy Manager Alan Sepe, Director of Public Property Al Buco, Public Property Project Manager Ania Szemiot, Graphic Design Johnathan Ducharme, Intern Dilip Shah, Building Energy Advisor Lauren Vunderink, SolSmart Advisory Partners include: James Latini, Aramark Jerry Drummond, National Grid Angela Li, National Grid Marisa Albanese, National Grid April Carlile, National Grid Eric Weisman, The Peregrine Group Erik Everton, Direct Energy Ilene Mason, RPM, LLC David Mitchell, RPM, LLC Paul Murphy, ENE Systems Christopher Craft, NES Distributors John Rizzo, American Development Institute, LLC Tathya Abe, Brown University Adam Janik, Brown University Sara Aaserud, Antares Group, Inc. Shauna Beland, Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
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Executive Summary Highlights:
The Providence Municipal Energy Report discloses the City’s energy data in an effort to track progress towards the City’s energy goals,
The City’s expenditures on energy declined 18% compared to FY
increase transparency, and lead by example. The City’s 2014 Sustainable
2015 and 7.8% since FY 2010.
Providence plan set a goal to reduce energy consumption 30 percent by 2030. Measuring and monitoring our consumption by benchmarking
25 municipal buildings qualify for Energy Star certification, meaning
buildings1 is an important first step to achieving this goal.
they perform better than 75% of similar buildings. This is up from 15 buildings in FY 2015.
Municipal Energy Use
30 Energy Star scored buildings increased their Energy Star scores
600,000
between 2010 and 2016.
Mbtu
500,000 462,103
497,521
499,789 504,665 410,852
400,000
453,608
The average Energy Star scores of all City schools combined has
409,821
300,000
risen 17% since FY 2010. Nathanael Greene Middle School Energy
Electricity
Star score increased from a 23 in FY 2015 to an 85 in FY 2016.
Natural Gas
200,000
Fuel Oil
Greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings and outdoor
100,000 0
lighting decreased 21% since 2010, reflective of fuel switching, 2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
reduced electricity consumption from LED lighting conversions, and
2016
Fiscal Year
school building heating upgrades. The City has reduced #2 fuel oil consumption by over 88%. As of
2
Figure 1: City of Providence’s electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil consumption, 2010 - 2016.
December 2016, heating oil has been eliminated from all municipal
The City of Providence has been benchmarking and monitoring its
school buildings.
energy consumption as part of its fiscal and environmental agenda since 2010. This FY 2016 report marks the second annual municipal
Recent investments in lighting and mechanical efficiency measures
energy report released by the Office of Sustainability. The Office
have reduced electricity consumption by 6.6% since 2010.
of Sustainability uses the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager to track all of the City’s electric, gas, oil,
The City has converted all of its 16,800 streetlights to smart LED
and water consumption. This data helps the City manage its energy
fixtures, estimated to save the City $18.9 million in the next ten
consumption and identify opportunities for investment and savings. The
years, and expected to reduce City carbon emissions by about 9,441
information in this report summarizes the full dataset, which is available
tonnes annually.
on the City’s Open Data Portal.
Projected energy savings from efficiency projects being completed
The City’s facilities, including buildings and outdoor lighting, used
in 5 municipal buildings, including three fire stations, using $1 million
409,821 MBtu2 of energy in FY 2016 in the form of electricity, natural
in low-interest financing from the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank’s
gas, and oil. 1 Benchmarking
Efficient Buildings Fund, is estimated to be over $100,000 annually.
is a means of comparing a building’s energy use to the average of similar buildings or to an established baseline.
2Annual
energy reports may reflect changes in certain historical energy use and cost figures due to corrections or revisions by National Grid and/or the Office of Sustainability. The differences are minor, usually less than one or two percent. Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
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Contents
Introduction
3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
4
INTRODUCTION
5
CITY ENERGY USE
5
OVERVIEW
6
ELECTRICITY
6
THERMAL
7
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
7
ENERGY PROCUREMENT STRATEGY AND COSTS
9
BENCHMARKING BUILDINGS
10
BUILDING PORTFOLIO
12
SCHOOLS
12
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
15
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
17
HIGH SCHOOLS
19
PUBLIC SAFETY
21
ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICES
23
NEIGHBORHOOD RECREATION CENTERS
24
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND OTHER BUILDINGS
26
OUTDOOR LIGHTING
27
RENEWABLE ENERGY
The City of Providence has been monitoring its energy consumption as part of its fiscal and environmental agenda since 2010. For the second year in a row, the FY 2016 Providence Municipal Energy Report presents the City’s energy data publically to showcase this work and increase transparency and accountability. It also highlights the City’s leadership in making investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy over the past several years. The 2014 sustainability plan, Sustainable Providence, set a goal for the City to “achieve a minimum of 30 percent energy use reduction by 2030 on all City-owned property.” To meet this goal, it calls for investments in clean and renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. In 2015, Mayor Elorza called for the plan to be expanded to also include a greenhouse gas reduction goal. This was marked by his joining the Compact of Mayors, a global coalition of mayors pledging to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance climate resilience. On Earth Day of 2016, Mayor Elorza reinforced his commitment to climate action by signing an executive order, committing Providence to becoming a carbon neutral city by 2050. Measuring municipal energy use is the first step in meeting the City’s energy and greenhouse gas reduction goals. Under Mayor Elorza’s continued leadership on fiscal and environmental responsibility, the City of Providence is following in the footsteps of many other U.S. municipalities by benchmarking its buildings and publicizing annual energy reports. Benchmarking is the practice of comparing building energy use to either other similar buildings, or historical data in an effort to manage energy consumption. Other cities that have produced similar reports in recent years include San Francisco, Boston, New York, and Seattle. The City uses two primary energy management software applications to track all of the City’s electric, gas, oil, and water usage: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Portfolio Manager and Peregrine Focus. These programs allow the City to track performance on past energy efficiency projects, target sites for new energy conservation measures, and manage energy spending. While Providence has data going back to 2010 available online, these annual reports make the data digestible to the public. The data has also been used for initiatives such as the City’s recent solar feasibility study, and Providence’s ongoing stake in the Georgetown University Energy Prize, a two-year energy competition against other U.S. cities for a $5 million prize.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
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City Energy Use Overview
Municipal Energy Use
The City’s facilities, including buildings and outdoor lighting, used
600,000
409,821 MBtu of energy in FY 2016 in the form of electricity, natural gas, and oil (see Figure 1). The City has implemented fuel-switching,
500,000 462,103
gas. As a result, oil use has declined considerably, while natural gas use has increased. In 2016, natural gas accounted for roughly half of municipal buildings’ energy consumption at 218,394 MBtu3, electricity accounted for 174,266 MBtu, and oil use was 17,161 MBtu. Since 2010, energy consumption has remained relatively flat, with some year-to-year fluctuations that are mostly attributed to weather
Mbtu
retrofitting previously oil-fired furnaces to use cleaner-burning, natural
497,521
499,789 504,665 410,852
400,000
453,608
409,821
300,000
Electricity Natural Gas
200,000
Fuel Oil
100,000 0
patterns. Figure 2 shows the correlation between the City’s energy consumption and weather, which is tracked by Heating Degree Days
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Fiscal Year
4
(HDD ), a standard means of normalizing energy data to weather. For example, 2012 was an extremely mild winter; therefore the City’s energy use dropped significantly. The data also show that while 2013 and
Figure 1: City of Providence’s electricity, natural gas, and fuel oil consumption, 2010 - 2016.
2014 were colder winters (more HDDs), the City’s energy use remained relatively constant. This reflects the many investments made in energy conservation. Other factors that contribute to variations in energy consumption include energy efficiency improvements and changes to the use and/ or operation of the building. However, weather is typically the primary factor in energy use fluctuations.
Energy Use vs. Weather Correllation 600,000
7,000
500,000
6,000 5,000
400,000
4,000
300,000
Mbtu
3,000
200,000
HDD
2,000
100,000
1,000 0
0 2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Fiscal Year Figure 2: Correlation of municipal energy use and weather, 2010 - 2016.
3 Heating
Degree Days (HDD) are indicators of energy consumption for space heating. HDD are calculated by taking the average of a day’s high and low temperatures and subtracting from 65°. For example: If the day’s average temperature is 50° F, its HDD is 15. If every day in a 30-day month had an average temperature of 50°, the month’s HDD value would be 450 (15 x 30).
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
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Electricity
Municipal Natural Gas Use
In FY 2016, the City of Providence used 51,074,420 kWh of electricity, a six percent reduction from its 2010 baseline (see Figure 3). Lighting
350,000
retrofits at Providence’s schools and municipal-use buildings, along with
300,000
transitions to more energy efficient electronics and appliances have
Dekatherms
played a significant role in lowering electricity use. Thermal The City of Providence has two sources of thermal energy: natural gas and #2 fuel oil. Relative to fuel oil, natural gas is a cleaner-burning
250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000
fuel and provides a considerable greenhouse gas reduction; however,
0
switching from fuel oil to natural gas is only considered an energy
2010
2011
2012
efficiency measure when performed in concert with energy efficient upgrades such as installing condensing boilers or advanced monitoring systems. And though the cost of heating oil has gone down in the past
2013
2014
2015
2016
Fiscal Year Figure 4: City of Providence’s natural gas use, shown in dekatherms, 2010 - 2016. Despite completing additional oil to natural gas conversions, consumption decreased for the first time since 2012.
two years, it still costs the City less to heat with natural gas. Between 2009 and the end of FY 2015, the City completed conversions to natural gas at 15 schools and six municipal buildings. The City recently switched
Municipal #2 Fuel Oil Use
the last remaining schools still using #2 heating oil to natural gas; they were Lillian Feinstein Elementary School @ Sacket Street, Frank D.
1,200,000
Spaziano Elementary School, Webster Avenue Elementary, and West
1,000,000 Gallons
Broadway Middle School.
Municipal Electricity Use
600,000 400,000 200,000
60,000,000 55,000,000
800,000
0
54,461,986
2009
kWh
-6.6%
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Fiscal Year
50,000,000
Figure 5: City of Providence’s fuel oil consumption, shown in gallons, 2010 - 2016. Consumption has declined by 88% due to converting to natural gas systems.
45,000,000 40,000,000 35,000,000 30,000,000 2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Fiscal Year Figure 3: City of Providence’s electricity use shown in kWh, 2010 - 2016. Electricity consumption has declined by almost 7% since 2010.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
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Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Municipal Buildings and Outdoor Lighting
The City’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from our building’s energy consumption have steadily decreased. FY 2016 municipal GHG 45,000
(see Figure 6). Emissions reductions have occurred at both the building-
40,000
level for thermal energy (oil to natural gas conversions, and energy
35,000
efficiency measures), and at the region’s power plants, as many have replaced coal and oil with natural gas to generate electricity. FY 2016 was also a relatively warm year with fewer heating days, which accounts for part of the reduction.
Tons CO₂e
emissions are estimated4 to be 29,766 tonnes5, down 21% from FY 2010
30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000
Energy Procurement Strategy and Costs The Department of Public Property continues to identify energy
5,000 0 2010
2011
2012
conservation measures to help minimize its operating costs and combat increasing energy costs. Despite these rising costs, the City has still managed to reduce its operating costs for energy by 22% since 2010
2013
2014
2015
2016
Fiscal Year Figure 6: Greenhouse gas emissions from municipal buildings and outdoor lighting, shown in tons of CO2 equivalents, 2010 - 2016.
(see Figure 7).
Municipal Energy Spending
Energy procurement strategies have played a significant role in reducing the City energy costs. The City continues to work with a third
$17,000,000
party energy supplier, Direct Energy, to secure long-term, fixed prices. The electricity supply contracts have saved the City over $4 million over the course of five years, compared to what it would have paid for electricity supplied by National Grid for that same time period. Rhode Island Public Utility Commission (RIPUC) historic data shows that National Grid’s average cost of electricity rose roughly 78% between 2009 and the end of FY 2015, from an average cost of 6.09 cents/ kWh to 10.82 cents/kWh, dropping to 9.6 cents/kWh in FY 2016 (see Figure 8). Such contracts are enabled by the Energy Policy Act of 1992, which decoupled electricity distribution (retained by the utilities), from suppliers.
$15,000,000
$14,878,125 $13,493,222
$12,548,391 $12,587,301 $12,287,878 $11,994,318
$13,000,000
$10,583,320
$11,000,000 $9,000,000 $7,000,000 $5,000,000 2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Fiscal Year Figure 7: Municipal spending on energy, 2010 - 2016. Despite rising energy costs, spending has decreased by roughly 22%.
4 Greenhouse
gas emissions were calculated using Peregrine Focus, which uses ISO New England’s emission factor to calculate emissions from electricity. This factor could vary slightly from the City’s energy supplier, Direct Energy (discussed in the next chapter); however it is a close approximation. 5 A tonne is equivalent to a metric ton.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
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City’s Electricity Cost vs. Estimated Cost Based on National Grid’s Average Rate
The Rhode Island Energy Aggregation Program (REAP) is a consortium of 36 Rhode Island cities and towns organized for the purpose of
$6,000,000
purchasing electricity and other energy related services from energy power suppliers at the lowest possible prices and with the highest
$5,000,000
quality of service. RI General Law 45-55-13.2 allowed REAP to begin taking bids from power providers in 1999. In 2003, the City began working with the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns (RILCT), participating in their Rhode Island Energy Aggregation Program (REAP) for assistance in procuring discounted bulk electricity. In 2011, RICLT members and consultants selected Direct Energy as their energy provider to offer power under REAP guidelines. By this time, the City was already buying most of its natural gas from Direct Energy, having participated in a procurement program sponsored by the Rhode Island Association of School Committees. The separate electricity rates were negotiated through REAP on the City’s behalf for municipal buildings and schools based on demand load.
$4,000,000 $3,000,000
Based on National Grid Avg. Rate
$2,000,000
Based on Fixed Direct Energy Rate
$1,000,000 $0 FY 2012 FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015 FY 2016 Figure 8: Comparison of the City’s actual electricity cost based on third-party supplier rate versus estimated cost based on National Grid’s average rate
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
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Benchmarking Buildings Benchmarking a building allows for review of its energy performance despite intrinsic variables such as a building’s size, age, type of use, level of occupancy, and other factors such as weather. Benchmarking municipal buildings helps the City identify opportunities for energy efficiency savings, track building performance, and measure the effectiveness of energy efficiency measures. The City has benchmarked nearly 100 percent of all City-owned buildings. Only a small handful of buildings, including a number with no utility use, have been omitted. Energy Star Portfolio Manager is a free online building benchmarking tool developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. It enables users to create building profiles by entering basic site information such as year built and total square footage. The user enters a minimum of one year’s worth of energy bills for each fuel type. Portfolio Manager then calculates the building’s site energy use intensity (EUI) by dividing its total energy used in a single year, represented in kBtu, by its gross square footage. For example, the EUI of a 136,000 square foot school building that used 11,076,000 kBtu of energy in a single year would be 81. Portfolio Manager then calculates the building’s source energy use intensity6. Next, Portfolio Manager uses a regression equation specific to each property type that reflects data from the US Energy Information Administration’s Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) to calculate predicted EUI. The resulting actual/predicted EUI ratio is what determines the building’s 1-100 Energy Star score. Buildings with a score of 50 perform better than fifty percent of peer buildings, while buildings scoring 75 or above are in the top 75th percentile, making them eligible for Energy Star certification. An Energy Star score is dependent on a nationally representative data set and robust analysis. Because of this technical foundation, many of the City’s municipal buildings, such as fire stations, recreation centers, and service buildings cannot be benchmarked with an Energy Star score. Alternatively, these buildings are benchmarked on the basis of site EUI. For the purpose of this report, site EUI for each facility is compared to the site EUI of other City municipal buildings of a similar type, all sharing the same climate and weather patterns, characteristics not represented by the national survey data.
6 Unlike
site energy use, source energy use includes losses that take place during the generation, transmission, and distribution of energy.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
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Building Portfolio The City’s Department of Public Property manages and maintains approximately Energy Star Portfolio Manger uses utility billing data, along with details about the facility itself including area (sq. ft.), year built, and occupancy to benchmark sites against a national median comprised of buildings with the same characteristics. The software also tracks how buildings perform over time, using a predetermined baseline. Portfolio Manager calculates a building’s Energy Use Intensity (EUI), a metric that represents the amount of Btu’s (British thermal units) that a building uses per square feet. The higher the EUI, the more energy a building uses. Portfolio Manger also calculates scores for buildings in certain categories, so that they can be recognized with Energy Star certification.
130 buildings totaling 5.4 million square feet of floor space. This includes 38 school buildings7, one central public safety complex, nine district police substations, 13 fire stations, eight recreation centers, three maintenance buildings, 35 park buildings, one multi-level parking garage, one police academy training facility, and seven administration buildings. The school’s roughly 4.2 million square feet of space accounts for 76% of the City’s portfolio. Of the remaining 27% of building space, public safety buildings account for 35%, administration buildings, such as City Hall, account for 25%, recreation centers and DPW buildings total 11%, and buildings for public assembly such as The Casino at Roger Williams Park, and those at the North Burial Ground account for 7%. The remaining two percent of properties include buildings such as the City’s animal shelter and historic buildings including the Esek Hopkins House, on Admiral Street, and the Garvin House on Mashapaug Pond.
Municipal Building Area By Facility Type (Excluding Schools) Rec Centers 7% DPW 11% Public Assembly 20%
Other 2%
Public Safety 35%
Office Space 25%
Figure 9: Municipal building area percentage by facility type in 2016. Percentages based on building square footage. This graph excludes schools, which accounts for 76% of the building portfolio. 7 Providence’s
total to 38.
38 school buildings house 42 schools with some buildings housing more than one school. Relative to last year’s report, one school, the new A-Venture Academy, has been added this year, bringing the
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
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Municipal Buildings by Year Built
The buildings in the City’s portfolio were constructed within a span of over one hundred fifty years, with Providence City Hall being one of the oldest, built in 1855 (see Figure 10). The newest building in the City is the Providence Career and Technical Academy, built in 2009. The
50% 40%
state-of-the-art technical education facility was built in conjunction with The Rhode Island Department of Education and their partners, the Collaborative for High Performance Schools, who provided guidelines on design and construction best practices for saving energy. Newer buildings owned by the City have incorporated more advanced lighting and HVAC technologies, and efficiency guidelines, resulting from advancements in the Rhode Island State building codes, particularly the SBC-8 (RI Energy Conservation Code), the 2013 sixth edition of which
30% 20% 10% 0% 1850-1899
1900-1949
1950-1999
2001-2016
aligns with the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code. Figure 10: Municipal buildings by year built shown as a percentage. Most of the City’s building portfolio was built in the early 20th century.
Identifying building use-types and age in this way helps in understanding the energy needs. For instance, a public safety building
Average EUI vs. Year Constructed
such as a fire station, compared to an office building of similar size, may use more energy for heating and cooling, based on the fact that its garage doors are opened often during shifts. Fire and police stations are centers. Building age is also a factor. It is often perceived that older buildings are less inefficient; however, buildings constructed before the advent of HVAC systems and cheap and accessible energy, were designed to be comfortable without these technologies. As a result, they are often low
Average EUI
also generally occupied around-the clock, unlike offices or recreation
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Average EUI Poly. (Averag e EUI)
consumers of energy when compared to more modern facilities. As you can see in Figure 11, buildings built in the mid-century are actually some of the least efficient buildings in our portfolio. These buildings were
Year of Construction
designed and constructed during a time when energy was cheap and building codes were not focused on energy efficiency measures.
Figure 11: This graph compares year of construction with building’s energy use intensity (EUI). Older municipal buildings, built before the advent of energy-intensive heating, cooling and lighting systems, are some of the City’s lowest energy consumers per square foot. New policies such as the International building code of 1997 and energy policy act of 2005 have also influenced energy performance in modern buildings.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
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Schools
Elementary Schools
The City of Providence currently has 42 K-12 schools operating in 38
13 of the 22 elementary schools have Energy Star scores of 75 or above,
school buildings. Five of the buildings house more than one school, such
qualifying them to be Energy Star certified buildings. The current data, in
as the Charles N. Fortes and Alfred Lima, Sr. Elementary Schools, which
addition to showing better performance amongst the newer buildings, also
are housed in different wings of The Leviton Complex building, and the
demonstrates that older schools are also capable of achieving high scores.
Evolutions and 360 High Schools which are located in the Hope High
For example, Allan Shawn Feinstein and Frank D. Spaziano elementary
School building. Representing the majority of the City’s building space,
schools were constructed in 1908 and 1895, respectively, yet they have two
and with a student, teacher, and staff population of nearly 28,000, City
of the highest Energy Star scores in the portfolio at 97 and 98. Pleasant
schools account for most of Providence’s municipal energy use. In FY
View does not currently have an Energy Star score due to incomplete data;
2016, Providence’s schools used 247,030 MBtus, or 60% of the City’s
and based on its building category, the Providence Career and Technical
energy consumption, compared to 65% in FY 2015.
Academy is also presently ineligible for certification.
This reduction was largely driven by weatherizations measures implemented by Aramark and the Department of Public Property. In 2015, the City renewed its 2005 contract with Aramark to continue providing facility management services for Providence Schools. Under
Average School Energy Star Scores FY 14 vs. FY 16
the direction of The Department of Public Property, Aramark monitors and maintains all of the equipment associated with heating and cooling the school buildings. They coordinate all of the energy efficiency projects in the City’s schools and are an important partner in conserving energy.
90
Aramark and the City work with National Grid in leveraging financial
80
incentives from the utility to make energy efficiency improvements. The City funnels these rebates to Aramark, who often assigns plumbers,
60
installations and upgrades. In 2016, this strategy paved the way for
50
weather-stripping replacements in school buildings district-wide, a
40
to reduce the district’s annual natural gas use by 32,074 therms, and save about $45,000 a year. Aramark’s HVAC control technicians also have recommissioned outdated Boiler Monitoring Systems (BMS) at schools district-wide, in addition to fine tuning boilers and controls. While much of the work for maintaining and upgrading HVAC systems is included in
74
70
electricians, and HVAC professionals from their own ranks to perform
project that netted $42,148 in National Grid incentives and is projected
86
64
70
FY 2014 FY 2016
56 38
30 20 Elementary Schools
Middle Schools
High Schools
Figure 12: Through investments in weatherization and heating system upgrades, Energy Star scores of Providence Public Schools have increased substantially since 2014.
Aramark’s operating budget, large scale projects depend on financing from the City, and funding from state and/or federal programs, when available. These investments have been highly effective at improving the energy efficiency of Providence Public School buildings. Energy Star scores have increased substantially since 2014. Figure 12 shows that average scores for elementary, middle, and high schools have all risen significantly. Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
12
Energy Efficiency Improvements Working closely with Aramark and National Grid, the City has
Another important building upgrade in 2016 was the addition of a separate
implemented numerous energy efficiency measures throughout the
boiler for the swimming pool at Pleasant View Elementary school. Since the
City’s elementary schools including heating and cooling systems,
pool’s construction, it has relied on hot water from the main boiler to heat
building management systems (BMS), and lighting upgrades.
the pool through a heat-transfer system, facilitating the need to run school boilers during the warmer, shoulder months.9 The new mini-pool boiler is
Building Management System Upgrades In FY 2016, Aramark continued its on-going recommissioning and monitoring of BMS systems district-wide. Last year, building management systems (BMS) were upgraded at four elementary schools including B. Jae Clanton, Lillian Feinstein, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Veazie Street. This year, BMS were upgraded at Anthony Carnevale, and at the Leviton Educational Complex, which houses the Charles N. Fortes and Anthony Lima, Sr. Elementary Schools. Upgrades at those two schools are projected to reduce energy use by about 1,116 MBtu. Heating and Cooling System Upgrades
expected to reduce natural gas consumption at Pleasant View by over 10%. LED Lighting Retrofits Eight elementary schools were retrofitted with new interior LED lighting in 2016 including Carl Lauro, Frank Spaziano, Webster Avenue, Anthony Carnevale, Asa Messer @ Samuel W. Bridgham, Veazie Street, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert L. Bailey, IV. The measures are expected to save the City about 855,756 kWh and $137,000 annually. The increased life span of the lamps (up to 70,000 hours) will also significantly reduce maintenance costs. New exterior LED fixtures were installed at Allan Shawn Feinstein, Carl G. Lauro, Dr. Martin Luther King, Frank D. Spaziano, George J. West, Harry
Two antiquated steam boilers were replaced with two high-efficiency
Kizirian, Leviton Dual Language, Mary E. Fogarty, Reservoir Avenue, Robert
condensing boilers at the Leviton Educational Complex, home to both
F. Kennedy, Vartan Gregorian, Veazie Street, Webster Avenue, William
the Alfred Lima, Sr. and Charles N. Fortes Elementary Schools. The new
D’Abate, and the B. Jae Clanton Educational Complex. The new outdoor
units are expected to reduce natural gas use at the site by roughly 15%.
lighting is expected to save about 176,262 kWh annually.
Regular maintenance of heating system steam traps8 is essential to preventing leaks that can waste thousands of dollars each year. National Grid offers incentives for steam trap maintenance. Schools currently participating in the on-ongoing program include Mount Pleasant and Hope High School, Gilbert Stuart Middle, and the Harry Kizirian, Robert F. Kennedy, Carl G. Lauro, Mary E. Fogarty, George J. West, and Allan Shawn Feinstein Elementary Schools. Together, these projects are helping save about 300,000 therms of natural gas annually, and are keeping about 1,591 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere every year.
8A
steam trap valve allows for the discharge of condensate and non-condensable gases with a negligible loss of steam. shoulder months are the months of the year when it is between 45 and 65 degrees outside, generally applying to the spring and fall months.
9 The
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
13
Table 1: Elementary School Buildings Energy Performance and Benchmarking Facility Elementary Schools
Year Built
Gross Floor Area (sq. ft.)
FY 2016 Electricity Use (kWh)
FY 2016 Natural Gas Use (therms)
FY 2016 Fuel Oil #2 (kBtu)
FY 2016 Total Site Energy Use (kBtu)
FY 2016 FY 2010 Direct GHG Site EUI 2 Emissions (kBtu/ft ) (Metric Tons CO2e)
FY 2016 FY 2010 Site EUI ENERGY 2 (kBtu/ft ) STAR Score
FY 2016 ENERGY STAR Score
Averages:
153.9
67.8
53.5
61.2
73.3
Allan Shawn Feinstein Elementary School @ Broad Street 1895
77,899
122,565
37,969
4,215,115
201.7
70.8
54.1
92
97
Anthony Carnevale Elementary School
1999
78,000
570,075
12,946
3,239,682
68.8
53.7
41.5
61
76
Asa Messer Elementary School @ Samuel W. Bridgham
1972
109,255
538,278
35,401
5,376,656
188
68.8
49.2
48
70
B. Jae Clanton Complex
2004
103,000
545,911
21,999
4,062,595
116.8
85.1
39.4
56
93
Carl G. Lauro Elementary School
1921
117,482
200,318
57,122
6,395,685
303.4
56.9
54.4
69
75
Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School
1959
71,724
239,508
28,433
3,660,534
151
58.6
51
81
88
Frank D. Spaziano Elementary School
1908
58,015
107,460
7,871
1,901,025
97.3
68.5
32.8
71
98
Frank D. Spaziano Elementary School Annex
1910
19,585
81,864
9,481
1,227,371
50.4
67.2
62.7
55
52
George J. West Elementary School
1959
112,030
207,884
54,732
6,182,542
290.7
65.6
55.2
64
75
Harry Kizirian Elementary School
1959
73,950
275,651
35,108
4,451,314
186.5
64.2
60.2
65
64
Leviton Dual Language School
2002
40,000
303,309
7,341
1,768,971
39
47.4
44.2
90
88
Lillian Feinstein Elementary School @ Sackett Street
1921
68,400
264,147
17,944
3,045,956
121.3
56.9
44.5
81
91
Mary E. Fogarty Elementary School
1959
51,400
158,500
26,786
3,219,357
142.3
61
62.6
72
68
Reservoir Avenue Elementary School
1924
22,000
94,904
11,561
1,479,867
61.4
74.8
67.3
43
47
Robert F. Kennedy Elementary School
1921
49,840
135,266
27,603
3,221,801
146.6
84.4
64.6
60
77
Robert. L Bailey, IV Elementary School
2000
78,000
435,687
13,372
2,823,799
71
44.3
36.2
92
96
The Leviton Complex
1908
178,654
890,733
52,582
8,297,428
279.3
52.9
46.4
30
40
Vartan Gregorian Elementary School
1954
63,000
274,864
37,063
4,644,136
196.9
98.9
73.7
18
39
Veazie Street Elementary School
1909
110,000
310,565
42,965
5,356,126
228.2
81.7
48.3
22
69
Webster Avenue Elementary School
1904
44,290
139,072
2,094,221
120.2
56.5
47.3
79
86
William D’Abate Elementary School
1959
44,174
200,737
3,914,614
171.5
104.6
88.6
37
51
Pleasant View Elementary School
1971
74,800
353,409
747,270
350,244
1,619,706 32,297
ENERGY STAR score Change
* Due to a technical issue with the facility’s natural gas use data, total energy use, emissions, EUI, and Energy Star score for Pleasant View are not currently available.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
14
Middle Schools Five of the City’s six middle school buildings represent some of the
Energy Efficiency Improvements Building Management System Upgrades
oldest buildings in the City’s portfolio. Constructed in 1916, Esek Hopkins
Aramark continued its on-going upgrading, recommissioning, and
is the oldest of the City’s middle schools. Despite its age, the building
monitoring of all middle school BMS systems through FY 2016. BMS
has performed well over the past several years, earning an Energy Star
are also updated and newly commissioned as part of new boiler
score of 87 for FY 2016, a significant improvement over last year’s
replacements such as those completed last year at Gilbert Stuart and
score of 76. Energy efficiency measures attributed to the higher score
Roger Williams.
include the building’s 2015 school-wide LED lighting retrofit and BMS upgrades. Nathanael Greene showed the most significant increase in its Energy Star score, earning an 85 in FY 2016, a 270% improvement over its score of 23 for FY 2015. School-wide interior and exterior LED lighting installations performed at Greene in 2015 and 2016 have resulted in the school reducing its electricity use by 43%, from a 3-year average of 269,947 kWh in FY 2015 to just 154,920 kWh in FY 2016. BMS recommissioning, and boiler fine-tuning, performed in-house by Aramark have reduced natural gas use at the school by about 38%.
Heating and Cooling System Upgrades There have been significant upgrades at Gilbert Stuart Middle School including replacement of the #1 boiler and controls in 2014 and 2015. In 2016, the #2 boiler was replaced, along with a new vacuum return system, and a properly-sized condensate tank to provide better efficiency. Roger Williams Middle School also has a new boiler, installed in 2016. LED Lighting Retrofits In 2016, the City replaced exterior lighting at the Nathan Bishop, Nathanael Greene, and West Broadway Middle Schools with LEDs. Together, the retrofits are expected to save 32,876 kWh annually. LED lighting was installed in all of the classrooms and common spaces at Esek Hopkins, Nathanael Greene, and Governor Christopher DelSesto Middle School. Collectively, these installations should save the City about 626,564 kWh and $100,000 every year.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
15
Table 2: Middle School Buildings Energy Performance and Benchmarking Facility Middle Schools
Year Built
Gross Floor Area (sq. ft.)
FY 2016 Electricity Use (kWh)
FY 2016 Natural Gas Use (therms)
FY 2016 Fuel Oil #2 (kBtu)
FY 2016 Total Site Energy Use (kBtu)
FY 2016 FY 2010 Direct GHG Site EUI 2 Emissions (kBtu/ft ) (Metric Tons CO2e) Averages:
FY 2016 FY 2010 Site EUI ENERGY 2 (kBtu/ft ) STAR Score
FY 2016 ENERGY STAR Score
66.5
56.3
54.3
64.1
DelSesto Middle School
1998
146,000
859,200
46,464
7,577,961
246.8
53.8
51.9
57
66
Esek Hopkins Middle School
1916
87,560
247,283
28,822
3,725,898
153.1
45.7
42.6
78
87
Gilbert Stuart Middle school
1929
154,450
333,469
96,702
10,808,040
513.6
52.3
70
67
40
Nathan Bishop Middle School
1929
136,000
1,455,764
52,493
10,216,366
278.8
69.9
75.1
50
37
Nathanael Greene Middle School
1930
159,070
243,687
61,099
6,941,318
324.5
61.5
41.1
50
85
Roger Williams Middle School
1929
135,228
348,656
69,995
8,189,077
371.8
87
60.6
33
59
West Broadway Middle School
1966
46,000
182,073
1,017
2,526,915
139.3
95.3
52.7
45
75
1,802,984
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
ENERGY STAR score Change
16
High Schools The City owns nine high school buildings with a few of the buildings
Energy Efficiency Improvements
housing two or more different schools. For example the Juanita
Heating and Cooling System Upgrades
Sanchez Educational Complex houses both William B. Cooley, Sr. High School and The Providence Academy of International Studies. In like manner, Mount Pleasant and Hope High Schools now house two of the City’s “Opportunity by Design” high schools, Evolutions and 360, respectively. A new high school also being reported on for FY 2016 is the A-Venture Academy housed at the old Windmill Street School Annex. It is important to note that for the purposes of this report, Central and Classical High Schools are grouped together whenever measuring
In 2015 and 2016, on-going steam trap maintenance continued at Hope and Mount Pleasant High School as part of the aforementioned National Grid incentive program. At Mount Pleasant, new insulation was fitted to heating system pipes and valves, another measure with financial incentives from the utility. These meaures were in addition to the installation of a new high efficiency hot water heater at the school. BMS systems at the of the high schools continued to be maintained and monitored by Aramark, who performs repairs and upgrades the systems as needed.
energy used for heating the schools, due to the fact that the two facilities share a common heating plant situated between them. This invariably results in a single Energy Star score for the two schools. The Department of Public Property is reviewing a new proposal that would permanently place the two high schools on separate heating systems. Boilers in the heating plant would be replaced with two high-efficiency condensing boilers and used to service only Central High, while heat exchangers in the main building, cafeteria/auditorium, and athletic buildings at Classical High would be replaced by separate, dedicated condensing boilers.
LED Lighting Retrofits Classrooms and common areas at the Providence Career & Technical Academy, along with Hope, Mount Pleasant, and Classical High Schools were fully retrofitted with new LED lighting as part of the Department of Public Property’s effort to install LED lighting city-wide. Collective energy savings from the projects is expected to reach 1,030,194 kWh, or about $165,000, annually. The measures will also reduce emissions by about 724 tonnes a year.
Providence’s high schools support a wide variety of on-going academic, athletic, and cultural programs. They are bustling centers of activity where lighting, computers, and heating and cooling systems are relied on by students, faculty, and the community even after the end of the normal school day. Despite this fact, aggressive approaches by the City to target energy efficiency in its high schools have resulted in six of the buildings achieving Energy Star scores of 85 or higher.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
17
Table 3: High School Buildings Energy Performance and Benchmarking Facility
Year Built
High Schools
Gross Floor Area (sq. ft.)
FY 2016 Electricity Use (kWh)
FY 2016 Natural Gas Use (therms)
FY 2016 Fuel Oil #2 (kBtu)
FY 2016 Total Site Energy Use (kBtu)
FY 2016 FY 2010 Direct GHG Site EUI 2 Emissions (kBtu/ft ) (Metric Tons CO2e)
FY 2016 FY 2010 Site EUI ENERGY 2 (kBtu/ft ) STAR Score
FY 2016 ENERGY STAR Score
Averages:
57.2
50.8
77.7
87.9
Central/Classical High School
1962
454,059
2,082,365
140,213
21,126,350
744.7
57.3
46.5
56
97
Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School
2007
88,000
687,260
26,583
5,003,234
141.2
50.3
56.9
79
67
E-Cubed Academy
2004
44,600
290,895
12,004
2,192,966
63.8
71.3
49.2
91
91
Hope High School
1938
257,089
858,761
143,518
17,281,852
762.3
67.3
67.2
92
91
Juanita Sanchez Educational Complex
2004
110,000
865,555
23,676
5,320,870
125.8
53.3
48.4
70
85
Mount Pleasant High School
1938
320,000
887,388
157,236
18,751,326
835.2
66.2
58.6
65
95
A-Venture Academy
1930
25,060
55,681
8,775
1,067,513
46.6
51.6
42.6
91
89
Providence Career and Technical Academy
2009
300,000
1,932,269
44,787
11,071,551
237.9
40.2
36.9
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
ENERGY STAR score Change
18
Public Safety Public Safety buildings also present considerable energy efficiency challenges due to the nature of their use. All of the City’s fire stations, as well as the Public Safety Complex, are occupied twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week by emergency responders. The Providence Public Safety Complex, headquarters and central station for the Providence Police and Providence Fire Department, serves the City around the clock, 365 days a year. Though the building used more electricity than any other single building in the City’s portfolio in 2016, the 2,691,000 kWh of reported electricity usage represents a reduction of 18%, based on the previous three-year average. Measures reducing electricity demand at the site have included the 2014 installation of a new rooftop package unit for heating and cooling, and interior and exterior LED lighting upgrades. Energy Efficiency Improvements At the end of 2016, work began on new energy efficiency measures at three more City fire stations including Atwells Avenue, Broad Street, and Branch Avenue, as well as the Public Safety Maintenance Garage and the Providence Police Academy. Using investment-grade audits completed in partnership with Emerald Cities Providence, as well as audits completed with support from the State’s Office of Energy Resources and National Grid, the City applied, and was subsequently approved for low-interest project financing provided by the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank (RIIB), through its Efficient Buildings Fund (EBF), to address over $1 million in energy efficiency upgrades at the sites. The upgrades are estimated to reduce energy consumption by about 32% and yield an average energy cost savings of over $100,000, annually. Heating and Cooling System Upgrades The heating system upgrades including fuel switching, boiler replacement, steam trap repair and condensate tank installation, at the Admiral Street, Allens Avenue and North Main Street fire stations, between 2011 and 2012, continued to perform well in FY 2016. The Allens Avenue Fire Station, in particular, is showing a 29% reduction in natural gas use, based on the previous three years of energy billing data.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
19
Table 4: Public Safety Buildings Energy Performance and Benchmarking Facility
Year Built
Public Safety Buildings
Gross Floor Area (sq. ft.)
FY 2016 Electricity Use (kWh)
Department of Communications
1987
11,752
268,266
Peter A. Rochio Substation
2006
914
25,769
Providence Emergency Management Agency
1991
12,776
155,378
Providence Police Academy
1928
20,175
27,427
Public Safety Complex
2002
119,002
2,697,384
Steven M. Shaw District 5 Substation
1996
546
6,421
FY 2016 Natural Gas Use (therms)
FY 2016 Fuel Oil #2 (kBtu)
6,016
FY 2016 Total Site Energy Use (kBtu) 1,516,924
FY 2016 FY 2010 Direct GHG Site EUI 2 Emissions (kBtu/ft ) (Metric Tons CO2e) Averages: 32
87,922 2,528
FY 2016 Site EUI 2 (kBtu/ft )
103.2
98.0
151
122.7
78.2
96.2
168,084
951,010
25.9
42.1
74.4
1,370,340
1,463,920
101.7
90.6
72.6
16,928
10,896,309
89.9
131.6
91.6
493
71,209
2.6
125.5
130.4
*Because the Peter A. Rocchio Police Substation uses only electric heat, there are no direct GHG emissions for that site to report.
Table 5: Fire Station Buildings Energy Performance and Benchmarking Facility
Year Built
Fire Stations
Gross Floor Area (sq. ft.)
FY 2016 Electricity Use (kWh)
FY 2016 Natural Gas Use (therms)
Admiral Street Fire Station
1951
1924
84,103
10,436
Allens Avenue Fire Station
1948
1948
49,396
4,709
Atwells Avenue Fire Station
1948
1948
59,092
593
Branch Avenue Fire Station
1948
1948
97,398
Broad Street Fire Station
1942
1942
Brook Street Fire Station
1932
Hartford Avenue Fire Station
FY 2016 Fuel Oil #2 (kBtu)
41,124
FY 2016 Total Site Energy Use (kBtu)
FY 2016 FY 2010 Direct GHG Site EUI 2 Emissions (kBtu/ft ) (Metric Tons CO2e) Averages:
FY 2016 Site EUI 2 (kBtu/ft )
92.3
85.8
1,371,722
58.5
103.9
106.7
639,452
25
101.3
67.7
750,444
1,011,339
58.8
79.8
100.9
396
774,180
1,146,112
59.6
70.8
78.4
69,033
1,007
373,014
709,210
33
91.1
75.2
1950
56,288
3,758
567,855
20
85.6
74.9
1948
1948
55,156
529,920
718,112
39.3
89.2
78.5
Humboldt Avenue Fire Station
1950
1905
39,936
656,328
792,590
48.7
114.3
106.2
Messer Street Fire Station
1924
1948
70,750
415
410,964
693,836
32.7
80.3
75.8
Mount Pleasant Avenue Fire Station
1948
1903
33,707
371
367,770
519,834
29.3
120.4
97.5
North Main Street Fire Station
1903
1951
88,218
3,871
688,134
20.6
65.7
46.6
Reservoir Avenue Fire Station
1905
1932
42,314
604
599,145
32.5
79.6
81.4
Rochambeau Avenue Fire Station
1928
1928
40,740
7,915
930,506
42
118.3
125.7
394,404
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
20
Administrative Offices The Mayor’s Office, Public Property, Human Resources, Retirement Office, Tax Assessor, and The Office of Sustainability, are just a small sampling of the numerous City departments housed at Providence City Hall. In late 2011, in a move to reduce energy and other City expenses, the Department of Inspection and Standards, and the Department of Planning and Development, along with several other City offices scattered throughout Providence, were moved from existing locations to a central site, the Joseph Doorley, Jr. Municipal Building. The City currently leases the building. Having achieved an Energy Star score of 96 for FY 2016 (up 5% over its FY 2015 score of 91), Providence City Hall is great example of how properly performed energy-efficiency retrofitting measures can reduce building emissions and provide energy and energy cost savings. Conversion from oil to natural gas heat, heating system upgrades, and lighting retrofitting have resulted in an estimated energy and maintenance cost savings of over $240,000 at the building since FY 2012. With a FY 2016 Energy Star score of 49, there is still room for improvement at the Joseph A. Doorley, Jr. Municipal Building. A no-cost investment-grade energy audit was performed at the facility in 2016 for potential participation in round II of the Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank’s Efficient Buildings Fund. One of the City’s energy service partners, ENE Systems, who performed the audit, identified boiler, HVAC, transformer, and IT room upgrades that could save the City over $59,000 annually on energy and maintenance at the site. The building was also the subject of an energy use study performed by Brown University’s School of Engineering. The study identified 11 LED lighting upgrade measures that, though somewhat costly due to the nature of the building’s construction, could reduce electric use at the building 234,549 kWh, and save the City $21,000 annually on electricity. The Department of Recreation building, located at 1 Recreation Way, is the only building remaining in this category that is still heated with #2 heating oil.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
21
Energy Efficiency Improvements Heating and Cooling System Upgrades
LED Lighting Retrofits
The Dr. Robert Roberti School Administration building’s FY 2016 Energy
In February 2016, National Grid’s upstream lighting program provided
Energy Star Score of 74 is a stark improvement from its FY 2010
incentives that were used to help the City replace 1,391 fluorescent T-8 and
baseline score of 47. In addition to 2104 heating system upgrades that
T-12 bulbs in offices and meeting rooms at City Hall with new LED tube
included installing condensing boilers, variable frequency drives (VFDs),
lighting. The project will reduce annual electricity use at the building by
and high efficiency air-handling unit (AHU) motors, all of the building’s
83,458 kWh, saving the City over $12,000 a year, paying for itself in 1.4 years.
weather-stripping is scheduled to be replaced by Aramark in April 2017. The Robert Roberti School Administration Building was retrofitted with interior and exterior LED lighting in 2016. The lighting upgrades should reduce City electric use by 74,946 kWh annually, saving the City nearly $12,000 a year.
Table 6: Administration Buildings Energy Performance and Benchmarking Facility
Year Built
Administration Buildings
Gross Floor Area (sq. ft.)
FY 2016 Electricity Use (kWh)
FY 2016 Natural Gas Use (therms)
FY 2016 Fuel Oil #2 (kBtu)
39,817
FY 2016 Total Site Energy Use (kBtu)
FY 2016 FY 2010 Direct GHG Site EUI 2 Emissions (kBtu/ft ) (Metric Tons CO2e) Averages:
84.2
92.3
5,668,079
238.8
86.1
56.9
295,677
22.9
75.6
70.6
City Hall
1855
99,675
494,239
Department of Recreation
2001
4,186
45,646
DPW Administration Building
1925
20,511
56,384
13,210
1,513,382
89.7
41.5
Dr. Robert F. Roberti Administration Building
1945
56,744
841,283
21,125
4,982,959
118.3
118
Joseph A. Doorley, Jr. Building
1966
72,000
1,168,509
24,023
6,389,270
163.8
The Family and Community Engagement Center
1960
8,700
80,053
4,791
752,278
32.5
139,932
FY 2016 FY 2010 Site EUI ENERGY 2 (kBtu/ft ) STAR Score
60.8
96
73.8
94
79
87.8
47
74
86.5
ENERGY STAR score Change
63.6
77
88.7 99.8
FY 2016 ENERGY STAR Score
49 25
34
* The Joseph A. Doorley Municipal Building was first leased at the end of 2011, and therefore saw no energy used by the City in FY 2010. **The Department of Recreation building is not eligible for an Energy Star score, due to the fact that the total area of the building measures less than 5,000 square feet. Buildings fewer than 5,000 square feet are ineligible to receive a score, as are other buildings where type of use is a factor in eligibility. For buildings that are not eligible to receive a score, the Office of Sustainability uses energy use intensity (EUI) for benchmarking and subsequent energy performance
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
22
Neighborhood Recreation Centers
Energy Efficiency Improvements
Providence currently owns and operates eight neighborhood recreation
LED Lighting Retrofits
centers. In addition to athletics, the City’s recreation centers house
The City replaced lighting in all of its recreation centers, including those
a wide range of youth and family programs. While six of the centers
sharing designated space in Providence school buildings in 2009. These
operate out of their own facilities, two of them, the South Side and
sites have all been recently targeted by the Department of Public Property
Joslin Recreation Centers share space at two of the City’s elementary
for new lighting retrofit projects incorporating the latest LED technologies.
school buildings, William D’Abate Elementary and the B. Jae Clanton
LED interior and exterior retrofitting at the B. Jae Educational Complex has
Educational Complex, respectively. Since the energy that the two
resulted in improved lighting at the South Side Recreational Complex, and
centers used is a portion of that used by the elementary school
LED floodlighting was installed at the ballfield and playground shared by the
buildings where they are headquartered, their EUIs do not appear in
William D’Abate Elementary School and the Joslin Recreation Center.
Table 7. Though in FY 2016 the average EUI of the non-school housed recreation centers decreased by 5%, much work remains to lower energy use at the sites. A no-cost investment grade energy audit, provided by National Grid, and performed by Antares Group, Inc., was conducted at the Davey Lopes Recreation Center in 2016 as part of its potential participation in the next round of RIIB’s EBF lending program. Antares identified six electric and thermal efficiency measures that could reduce annual natural gas use by 7,438 therms, reduce annual electricity use by 37,075 kWh, and save the City over $4,600 a year.
Table 7: Recreation Center Buildings Energy Performance and Benchmarking Facility
Year Built
Recreation Centers
Gross Floor Area (sq. ft.)
FY 2016 Electricity Use (kWh)
FY 2016 Natural Gas Use (therms)
FY 2016 Fuel Oil #2 (kBtu)
FY 2016 Total Site Energy Use (kBtu)
FY 2016 FY 2010 Direct GHG Site EUI 2 Emissions (kBtu/ft ) (Metric Tons CO2e)
FY 2016 Site EUI 2 (kBtu/ft )
Averages:
82.4
78.2
Vincent Brown Recreation Center
1997
18,111
25,317
8,223
908,682
43.7
52.5
50.2
West End Recreation Center
1997
25,760
164,172
7,170
1,277,174
38.1
53.2
49.6
Neutaconkanut Recreation Center
1997
15,345
48,160
8,414
1,005,694
44.7
82.5
65.5
Zuccolo Recreation Center
1949
11,592
62,312
5,353
747,946
28.4
77.8
64.5
Davey Lopes Recreation Center
1948
11,860
78,427
11,616
1,429,223
61.7
142.6
120.5
Selim Madelin Rogers Recreation Center
2000
9,350
76,076
8,510
1,110,574
45.2
85.9
118.8
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
23
Department of Public Works and Other Buildings Across the street from the City’s Department of Public Works
Energy Efficiency Improvements Heating and Cooling System Upgrades
Administration Building are two large structures housing the work
Through the EBF, the Department of Public Property is implementing
force, trucks, and equipment and tools necessary to keep Providence’s
deep energy efficiency upgrades at the Public Safety Maintenance Garage.
infrastructure in good condition. The Traffic and Engineering building
The most recent energy performance projections, provided by American
and the airport-hanger like structure affectionately known by City
Development Institute, LLC, the City’s services partner on the project,
workers as “The Roller Shed” also rely on the energy purchased by the
represent an overall energy reduction of 37%, with a 39,306 kWh reduction
City. The Public Safety Maintenance Garage on Dexter Street is where
in electricity, and a thermal energy reduction of 570,396 kBtu.10
all City-owned police and fire vehicles are sent for repairs. Buildings at Roger Williams Park that have been included in this category
Heating system redesign at the Department of Public Works’ roller shed
are the Dalrymple Boathouse, the Casino, and the newly renovated
and traffic engineering buildings continued to capture savings in FY 2016.
Museum of Natural History and Planetarium. Despite recent structural
The 2010-2011 measures included switching to natural gas from oil, removal
improvements, and lighting upgrades at the museum, thermal energy
of the buildings’ shared antiquated steam heat system, installation of
systems have yet to be addressed. In 2016, the building was another site
condensing space heaters and infrared heating units, and the installation
audited by the Antares Group for participation in the RIIB’s EBF second
of an energy management system with remote monitoring. Annual cost
round of funding. Antares identified 6 electric and thermal measures
savings at the site, projected at $43,840, has actually exceeded nearly
that performed in concert would reduce energy use by 24%. Fuel
$70,000 annually.
switching, boiler replacement, DHW replacement, and pipe insulation could lower thermal energy use by 325,900 kBtu, and VFDs and additional lighting measures could reduce electricity use by 13,570 kWh. Total annual cost savings at the site would be about $5,040 according to Antares. The Alex and Ani family Center, home to the City’s outdoor ice skating rink was also selected for participation in round II EBF funding. Here, Antares identified VFD and lighting measures that would save the City $8,200 annually on electricity.
LED Lighting Retrofits The 2015 LED lighting upgrades at the Roger Williams Park Zoo, completed via National Grid’s upstream LED lighting program and expedited by Northeast Efficiency Supply (NES), are continuing to provide an annual operational savings of about $15,000. In 2016, NES retrofitted lighting at the Casino bandstand to LEDs. National Grid incentives covered 23% of the project cost. The new lighting is expected to provide $3,382 in annual operational savings. NES also expedited the replacement of 375 existing 32-watt T8 florescent tubes at the Public Safety Complex’s parking garage. The bulbs were replaced with 12-watt LED tubes. National Grid provided LED upstream lighting program incentives for the project that is generating about $7,800 in annual savings.
10 Reported
in thousand British Thermal Units (kBtu), as opposed to therms, due to the fact that the building’s oil-fired boiler was replaced with one that uses natural gas. The previous oil use data (in gallons) and the projected natural gas use data (in therms) are converted to kBtu to calculate energy savings.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
24
Table 9: Miscellaneous Buildings Energy Performance and Benchmarking Facility
Year Built
DPW & Other Buildings
Gross Floor Area (sq. ft.)
FY 2016 Electricity Use (kWh)
FY 2016 Natural Gas Use (therms)
FY 2016 Fuel Oil #2 (kBtu)
FY 2016 Total Site Energy Use (kBtu)
Alex & Ani City Center
1999
6,373
507,087
5,265
2,256,680
Asa Messer Annex (WSPS)
1925
20,360
16,463
5,695
625,671
Camp Cronin
1960
4,362
30,026
Central Supply Providence Schools
2004
15,525
68,890
Dalrymple Boat House
1894
17,474
69,883
Dexter Street Garage
1905
17,000
121,965
28
DPW Maintenance, Traffic and Roller Shed
1930
117,618
247,174
Lillian Feinstein Senior Center
2001
8,520
46,945
Museum of Natural History and Planetarium
1894
19,500
250,580
Oliver Hazard Perry (Providence Mayoral Academy ES)
1929
182,488
373,130
Public Safety Garage
2002
162,976
212,620
The Casino at Roger Williams Park
1894
16,782
158,358
Windmill Street School (closed)
1915
86,140
62,075
FY 2016 FY 2010 Direct GHG Site EUI 2 Emissions (kBtu/ft ) (Metric Tons CO2e) Averages:
60.3
55.9
30.2
42.5
30.7
2.3
23.5
102,448 6,355
FY 2016 FY 2010 Site EUI ENERGY 2 (kBtu/ft ) STAR Score
870,554
33.8
118.3
56.1
345,414
583,853
25.6
36
33.4
1,344,534
1,763,506
99.9
103.5
103.7
55,367
6,380,019
294.1
90
54.2
2,637
423,838
14
35.1
49.7
1,847,200
73.6
104.4
94.7
8,238,838
370
49.4
45.1
4.8
4.5
992,220 69,657
725,459 6,723 1,783,236
1,212,580
35.7
86.5
72.3
1,995,881
132.4
65
23.2
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
FY 2016 ENERGY STAR Score
82
99
3
22
33
34
31
99
ENERGY STAR score Change
25
Outdoor Lighting Street lighting, floodlighting for parks and schools, and decorative
In FY 2015, Providence streetlights used 17.8 million kWh. PRISM projections
sidewalk lighting accounted for 37% of the City’s total electricity use in
for total kWh use for City streetlights post- acquisition and full LED
FY 2016, and accounted for 51% of its total $8,719,829 electricity cost.
retrofitting11 are 3.9 million kWh, a reduction of 13.9 million kWh. The high-
In May of 2016, retrofitting began on Providence’s 16,800 cobra-style
profile measure will reduce City indirect GHG emissions by 10,566 tons of
streetlights, replacing the high-pressure sodium (HPS) heads with LED
CO2e, the same amount of GHGs emitted by 2,018 cars in one year.
fixtures capable of supporting open portal control applications, such as remote dimming. Unlike Providence’s decorative sidewalk lamps, which the City has always owned, Providence’s streetlights were owned and maintained by the electric company, Narragansett Electric (acquired by National Grid in 2000) until February of 2016, when all 16,800 streetlights were purchased by the City. Before the sale, in addition to electric distribution charges, costly maintenance charges, known as “facility” charges, were also billed to the City for the roadway lamps. The City’s new streetlight maintenance contract with the Partnership for Rhode Island Infrastructure Management (PRISM) eliminates these charges, about $138 annually per fixture, and totaling about $2.3 million a year, and replaces them with the all-inclusive PRISM maintenance program that costs about $463,000 annually. Rhode Island General Law (RIGL) 39-30, enacted in 2014, made the purchase and subsequent transfer of maintenance responsibility possible. In June 2015, PRISM presented a report to the City projecting $1,499,131 in annual savings should the City purchase the streetlights from National Grid, and contract with PRISM for the management and maintenance thereof. The report went on to show that converting the existing HPS lamps to LED’s would result in an additional $1,801,901 in yearly savings. Furthermore, the report stated that if the City installed intelligent
Mayor Elorza assist with the first streetlight conversion.
lighting controls, as opposed to the standard photo sensors, and if streetlights were dimmed between 11:00pm and 5:00am, another $146,997 in annual savings to the City could be realized.
11 A
small number of lights still need retrofitting at at the release of this report, delayed due to connection problems on the applicable poles.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
26
Renewable Energy Investing in renewable energy is a critical strategy for the City to achieve
Following a competitive RFP process, the City selected Southern Sky
its goal to reduce energy consumption 30% by 2030 and to lead by
Renewable Energy Rhode Island, LLC to build an 18.2 MW (AC) solar
example in becoming a carbon neutral city by 2050.. By switching
development in Cranston, RI. The virtual net metering credits from this
to renewables, the City aims to also diversify and stabilize its energy
project will cover roughly half of the City’s total electricity consumption
supply and associated costs.
and will save the City an estimated $800,000 per year and about $20 million over 20-years. Construction on the solar farm is expected to
In 2014 Providence commissioned a photovoltaic (PV) solar feasibility
begin by the summer of 2017.
study to evaluate the technical and financial viability of solar projects at City-owned buildings. The report, by Northeast Engineers & Consultants, Inc., detailed findings on twenty City-owned buildings including the Public Safety Complex, DPW, City Hall, and thirteen schools. The study identified a number of buildings that are good candidates for solar and the City is evaluating a proposal to sign a power purchase agreement for one MW of solar PV to be installed on those buildings. The City is also pursuing a larger renewable energy opportunity through Virtual Net Metering. Net metering refers to the process by which electrical generation is credited when it is not used instantaneously at the site of generation. In RI, National Grid issues a credit equal to the supply, distribution, transmission, and transition $/kWh charges at the meter at which generation occurs. Public entities, such as the City, can participate in remote or virtual net metering, where a system produces net metering credits that can be applied to a public entity’s utility bills in the form of a utility-issued credit. The City is also pursuing a larger renewable energy opportunity through Virtual Net Metering. Net metering refers to the process by which electrical generation is credited when it is not used instantaneously at the site of generation. In RI, National Grid issues a credit equal to the supply, distribution, transmission, and transition $/kWh charges at the meter at which generation occurs. Public entities, such as the City, can participate in remote or virtual net metering, where a system produces net metering credits that can be applied to a public entity’s utility bills in the form of a utility-issued credit.
Municipal Energy Report FY 2016
27