11/2008

The Action Steps

When the City of Cleveland, Ohio, created its Sustainability Program in 2005, it was required to be self-sustaining—funding its own budget through cost savings from energy efficiency and waste reduction. In the past two years, the City has conducted aggressive energy assessments of key facilities, such as its water treatment plants, public utilities building, and City Hall, as well as smaller facilities such as police stations, fire stations, and recreation centers. As these audits continue, City managers are implementing energy-saving changes, such as lighting retrofits in buildings and more efficient use of industrial-scale machinery at Division of Water’s treatment plants.

The City has also instituted a recycling program for government operations, which accepts plastic #1 through #7 and diverts 10% of its waste stream from a landfill 40 miles away.

The Savings

One of the most impressive savings from these efforts has been at one of Cleveland Division of Water’s treatment plants. Managers found that they could shut down a large, energy-sucking dehumidification unit in the plant with no adverse effects. That change alone has saved approximately $160,000 over two years.

The government operations recycling program has also saved the City an estimated $1 million over two years. By recycling 10% of its waste to a nearby recycling center, as opposed to a landfill 40 miles away, the city saves big in avoided tipping fees and transportation costs (fuel, truck maintenance, driver salary, etc.) to haul the waste.

In 2009, the City hopes to develop a real-time energy optimization strategy for its energy-intensive water treatment plants, which use about $17.5 million worth of electricity each year. An energy optimization system would provide real-time monitoring of pumping and energy losses at the plants, and help managers operate the right water pumps to meet demand at any given time. Managers estimate that such a system can reduce energy costs another 10-15%.