In this way, cities serve as catalysts and enablers for building owners that are interested in implementing efficiency into business operations and day-to-day practices. Together cities and private sector partners are coming together with a shared goal to increase the quality of the indoor spaces we use everyday.
Each of these five City Energy Project (CEP) cities are taking steps to reduce energy use in buildings and to connect with local building owners through the sharing of resources and technical assistance in their challenge programs.
Re-energize Reno: NATIONAL CHALLENGEPart of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge, Reenergize Reno is designed to cut energy and water waste in large buildings. Reno joins 45 pioneering cities working to boost local economies and reduce climate pollution by taking on the Better Buildings Challenge. Through the program, launched in October 2017, commercial, industrial, and multifamily buildings have committed to cut their energy consumption 20 percent by 2025. The City of Reno held its first annual Green Building Awards event celebrating the accomplishments of local leaders in building energy efficiency. Nearly 100 community and building representatives attended the May 8 event at the Grove, a local LEED Certified events center. The event commended the many contributions of local building teams and organizations that are taking action on energy efficiency. The City lauded 11 leaders in ReEnergize Reno, the city’s ambitious energy efficiency challenge program. |
Energize Des Moines: ANNUAL CHALLENGE
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Energize Saint Paul Race to Reduce: A 90 DAY CHALLENGE
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RePowerPVD: PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR CHALLENGE FOR BENCHMARKING AND ZERO ENERGY:Providence, Rhode Island launched a two-pronged Challenge program called RePowerPVD. The Challenge encourages participating buildings to reduce their energy consumption by 20 percent by 2025 through the Better Buildings Challenge, with a separate track for buildings to “race” to be the first net-zero energy building in Providence. Six property owners have joined the energy reduction challenge for a total of approximately 2.3 million square feet of real estate enrolled. Participants will be recognized by Mayor Elorza and receive a plaque for their property as well as their building name etched into a plaque in City Hall. |
The Downtown NOLA Energy Challenge: PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR CHALLENGEThe Downtown NOLA Energy Challenge invites buildings of all types – a large or small commercial structure, a hotel, a retail establishment, a condo or apartment development – to participate in tracking and reducing energy use. For each sector, buildings that save the most energy will be recognized by the City. The Challenge is designed to provide building owners with the greatest tool for action, energy consumption information and data that will be analyzed for patterns and anomalies, and from that analysis recommendations are made on high-impact energy upgrades and includes access to incentives, trainings, and other assistance. |
Still not sure where to get started? A popular Challenge program that many cities have adopted, the Better Buildings Challenge, is designed to engage building owners (and companies, cities, government agencies, multifamily housing, and manufacturers) to improve the energy efficiency of their entire portfolio of buildings by 20% in ten years. Learn more about “off-the-shelf” Challenge programs like the Better Buildings Challenge from the U.S. Department of Energy. Leading cities such as Atlanta, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and more, have launched their own city-wide challenges.