Energy Conservation

Accomplishments

• International Council for Local Environmental (ICLEI) - Out of concern for the potential negative impacts climate change will have on the local community and beyond, Leon County became a member of ICLEI. This involved a commitment to participate in its Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) campaign in 2007, thereby joining the ranks of more than 550 cities, towns, and counties in the United States and over 1,000 municipalities worldwide. In essence ICLEI has a five-step process, called Milestones, to help guide local governments in the reduction of green house gases. Leon County has completed Milestones 1-4 at this time. In order to complete the second milestone under ICLEI, Leon County set a goal in May, 2008 to reduce GHG emissions from its operations by 20% by September 30, 2017 and by 80% by 2050, in comparison with fiscal year 2006/2007 emission levels. (Found at http://www.leoncountyfl.gov/GrowingGreen/pdfs/plan.pdf)
  • ICLEI Milestones:6
    • Milestone 1: Conduct a Greenhouse Gas Emissions Analysis- Baseline Inventory and Forecast- This analysis will let us know which activities in our community are causing GHG emissions and the quantity each of these activities is contributing.
      • After conducting a GHG Emissions Analysis-Baseline Inventory and Forecast, we established that in FY 2006/07 GHG emissions from Leon County government operations totaled approximately 22,549.3 equivalent carbon dioxide tons (eCO2). Sources for these emissions were buildings (76%), vehicle fleet (18%), employee commute (5%) and solid waste (1%). GHG emissions have remained relatively constant over the past four years, decreasing by 1% from FY 2003/04 through FY 2006/07, and energy consumption and facilities square footages grew modestly.
         
    • Milestone 2: Establish a Reduction Target- The reduction target is a specific GHG emissions reduction goal that our local government aims to achieve by a designated year.
      • Leon County is committed to reduce GHG emissions in our county by 2% each year. The County’s FY 2006/2007 baseline emission levels will serve as the threshold for measuring the success of these efforts. By 2017 the 10-Year target is to reduce emissions by 20% and reduce emissions levels 80% by 2050.
         
    • Milestone 3: Develop a Climate Action Plan (CAP)- The Climate Action Plan is a description of the actions- policies, programs, and projects our local government will take to achieve our reduction target. Leon County Climate Action Plan
       
    • Milestone 4: Implement the CAP- Implementing this plan is an on-going process. This website will serve to update others as to the current initiatives and accomplishments towards our action plan.
       
    • Milestone5: Monitor Progress & Report Results-This milestone is an ongoing process that will be built into the implementation of the local CAP.
       
  • ICLEI local Climate Action Plan – Through the ICLEI program, Leon County will monitor and measure Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Energy Consumption, two integral parts of the local Climate Action Plan. Our main strategy is to use a Utility Manager Program. Currently data is being input into the software, which will provide centralized data on monthly energy consumption at all County facilities. The results will ultimately implement energy efficient strategies, and help achieve Energy Star ratings for County buildings.
  
   
  • Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) - There are many opportunities to achieve energy conservation through technology. EPEAT is a system that helps purchasers evaluate, compare and select electronic products based on their environmental attributes. Registered products are rated Gold, Silver or Bronze depending on their energy efficiency. The County now purchases all computer equipment holding a Gold or Silver EPEAT rating. Some of the items include Dell desktops, Pano Cubes (virtual desktops), and flat panel monitors.
     
  • MIS Data Center Upgrades - The data center has upgraded a portion of the equipment reducing the base consumption of energy by approximately 299 kwh/day. This number equates to about 45% in energy savings. They are also in the process of assessing the cooling system and making necessary enhancements to significantly reduce energy consumption.
     
  • Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) - VDI is the practice of hosting a desktop operating system within a virtual machine running on a centralized server, allowing centralized allocations of memory & space as opposed to individual memory & space on individual personal computers. Over 100 virtual desktop units have been purchased as part of the standard maintenance and replacement of employee computers.  In addition to the technological benefits of virtualization, significant electrical and waste avoidance will be achieved.  Staff plans to track the annual energy savings from these units.  Click here to learn the environmental benefits of desktop virtualization.
     
  • MIS Computer Timers - We have initiated power savings settings on computers that includes powering down monitors and processors when not in use. These settings will continue with future deployments.
     
  • Printing Standards - Current printers have default settings that only print on one page. We are working closely with our MIS team to change all default settings on new equipment to default to double-sided printing. Right now, there are roughly 50 printers that have the double-sided printing default in place. As printers are replaced new ones will have this default added to them. This has a large potential to cut paper consumption significantly in our facilities.
     
  • Energy Savings Company (ESCO) - On October 11, 2005, the Board selected thirteen projects to be included in an ESCO contract with Energy Systems Group, which included: installing a combined central energy plant between the Courthouse Annex and Courthouse, performing additional lighting upgrades in County building facilities, performing water conservation in certain County buildings, and further reducing the rate of electrical consumption by employing computerized energy management system controls. The total project is expected to generate savings of $6,714,535 over a period of twelve years. (Found at http://www.leoncountyfl.gov/GrowingGreen/pdfs/pastefforts.pdf)
     
  • Neighborhood Energy Challenge - Leon County residents competed to see which neighborhood was the biggest loser... of energy consumption and greenhouse gases. The Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA) hosted the Tallahassee Neighborhood Energy Challenge. This challenge took place over a six-month period to measure which neighborhood could achieve the largest overall reduction in electricity usage. There were 53 participating communities and the winners were Lafayette Park, which won for overall kilowatt hours reduced, and Whitfield Plantation who won for largest percentage of energy reduced.
    • For results of the competition click here.
    • Click here to see the award winning interactive GIS map of the winners and participants.
       
  • Sunshine State Renewable Energy Expo - On March 11, 2009, Leon County sponsored the Sunshine State Renewable Energy Expo. The Expo was hosted by the Florida Renewable Energy Producers Association. Commissioner Akinyemi was a featured presenter.
     
  • HVAC Assessment – In the fall of 2009, the County conducted an assessment of small heating ventilation & air conditioning (HVAC) units to prioritize for replacement with more efficient air systems. As a result, 26 units were replaced with an average pay-back period of less than seven years, saving an estimated $9,600 and 123,504 pounds of greenhouse gases annually. According to the EPA, this enhancement is equivalent to the carbon sequestration of 1,436 seedling trees grown for 10 years.
     
  • Bank of America Building Upgrades – In the fall of 2009, two twenty-ton units at the Bank of America Building were replaced due to end of life failure. The replacement units resulted in a reduction of $7,000 in annual energy expenses and are expected to have a pay back period of 5.16 years.
     
  • Carbon Credits – In 2007, the County completed the voluntary installation of a landfill gas collection and treatment system at the Apalachee Solid Waste Management Facility. On October 13, 2009 the Board approved the sale of carbon credits associated with the County Landfill. The County can earn carbon credits as the system destroys (burns) methane gas. In turn, these “credits” can be sold on the open market to entities that are producing greenhouse gasses. It is estimated that the credits will generate an average of $53,900 annually for the next 20 years.