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City Energy Use

Energy Performance & Carbon Footprint

As a municipality, it is important for us to operate efficiently and decrease our carbon footprint and overall impact on the environment. The Office of Sustainability presented a short summary of the City's energy performance on August 27, 2019 to the City Commission. You can find a copy of the presentation here(PDF, 2MB) as well as the memorandum that summarizes the City's work(PDF, 698KB).

We work hard to use less energy and increase energy efficiency throughout our operations. The City uses an energy-benchmarking tool called Energy Star Portfolio Manager to track and understand energy use across our municipal operations. Check out our 2018 Energy Report to see how we are doing.

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is our number one focus. The more efficient we are, the less energy we have to use. We have implemented a number of upgrades and improvements to our buildings and operations. We have reduced total weather normalized energy consumption by 7.9% when comparing 2017 to our baseline (mostly 2015, but older for some facilities). Here are a few:

All City owned parking garages have been upgraded to LED lighting.
Windows at City Hall have been upgraded
6 buildings received Energy Star certification in 2018
We have geothermal heating and cooling systems at our Leonard and Kalamazoo Fire Stations
WRRF and LMFP ESCO results

Renewable Energy

100% Renewables by 2025

Our goal is to achieve 100% of electrical energy use from renewable sources by 2025. Of the electricity we use, 34% comes from renewable energy sources. In 2018, our renewable energy came from multiple sources:

Renewable Energy Credits - 26% of total electricity

We purchase 16.6 million kWh each year from Consumers Energy as part of the Green Generations Program. The electricity generated for this program is made up of roughly 70% wind and 30% biomass. These purchases are considered Renewable Energy Credits (RECs).

Utility Renewable Portfolio - 8% of total electricity

Oak Industrial Solar Array - 0.02% of total electricity

In 2012, the City installed a solar array of 429 solar panels on our water building at Oak Industrial Drive. In 2018, the array produced 119,728 kWh. Explore the real time energy generated by our array by following the link below.

Oak Industrial Solar Dashboard

Water Resource Recovery Facility Biodigestion - Future

In 2017, the City broke ground on a biodigester system at our Water Resource Recover Facility (WRRF). The biodigester will produce electricity to power and heat WRRF buildings and operations.

WRRF Biodigestion Program