San Francisco’s municipal building energy use is down 3.6% and carbon emissions are down 5.1% from 2011, according to San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s (SFPUC) second annual Energy Benchmarking Report.
The report details energy usage for nearly 450 municipal buildings – and for the first time – over 130 school district facilities.
City departments can use the data to track the effectiveness of energy efficiency efforts as well as unexpected spikes in energy use at the City facilities they manage.
“Getting an energy bill is one thing, but knowing how you compare to similar buildings is much more illuminating,” said SFPUC General Manager, Harlan L. Kelly, Jr. “Energy benchmarking puts City departments in the driver’s seat as they evaluate the effectiveness of their in-house climate action efforts.”
The report is part of the SFPUC’s larger energy efficiency and green building program which has completed more than 175 energy efficiency projects in public buildings in the last ten years. Those upgrades are saving the City over $5 million each year in energy costs, an increase from 2011 of nearly half a million dollars in annual year - over - year savings to the City.
Key benchmarking findings include:
- The overall energy use of benchmarked buildings declined 3.6% from 2011 and 4.4% compared to 2009.
- The average carbon footprint of benchmarked facilities decreased 5.1% from 2011 and 7% compared to 2009.
- The decreased energy use from 2011 to 2012 alone saved the City approximately $450,000 in energy costs last year.
- 80% of City and School District facilities in ENERGY STAR building types performed better than the national average.
- City Hall is among the public buildings that scored high enough for the ENERGY STAR label in 2012. City Hall performed better than 90% of similar office buildings nationwide.
To read the full report, visit San Francisco Water Power Sewer’s website.
