Portage collaborates with NORESCO to reduce energy use and emissions
The City of Portage, based in Michigan, US, has contracted NORESCO to implement a $1.1 million energy efficiency project.
The project aims to improve key city buildings and parks to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
NORESCO, which provides energy efficiency, resiliency and infrastructure solutions, analysed city facilities to determine and design energy and non-personnel operational cost reduction measures.
Nearly all interior lighting at city hall will be upgraded to LED technology, as will much of the lighting in the public safety building.
“We commend the City of Portage for commissioning a thorough analysis of operational and budgetary cost opportunities,” said Jim Williams, vice president, NORESCO.
“Even cities like Portage that have a proven history of budgetary acumen and responsible use of city funds…can benefit from a deeper dive into energy budgets and building operations.”
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The project will focus on:
In city parks, energy efficiency, lighting quality and maintenance demands will improve when remaining high intensity discharge fixtures that light pathways are retrofitted with LED technology.
Building systems at city hall will operate more efficiently and with improved air quality and comfort because of improvements to the mechanical and energy management control systems.
New high efficiency boiler, chiller and roof-top units will be installed at the public safety building to boost overall energy efficiency and replace equipment at the end of its life.
With these upgrades implemented, the city will reportedly experience reduced energy and maintenance costs and will avoid relevant projected future CAPEX.
The project also aims to provide decarbonisation benefits and is expected to reduce the city’s annual emissions of carbon dioxide equivalents by 418 metric tonnes.
The expected reduction in greenhouse gases equates to carbon sequestered by 495 acres of US forests in one year, providing air quality improvements to the community.
