Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP)

M MiStrategy BE-3. Maximize efficiency of City facilities, equipment & operations. Although City buildings contribute only a small proportion of the city’s overall emissions, efficiency improvements to City facilities can allow the City to lead by example and communicate to residents that energy- efficient buildings can be beautiful, affordable, and comfortable. This strategy aims to reduce emissions associated with the City’s built environment and promote energy conservation. PRIORITY ACTION BE-3-1. Use results from City Facilities Energy Audit to prioritize City Facilities Capital Improvement Plans (CIPS) and maintenance improvements. City facilities frequently undergo routine main - tenance and improvement projects. This action calls for using an evaluation of City facilities to identify opportunities for energy (and water) efficiency upgrades, The evaluation could be used to integrate more energy-efficient practices and equipment into City maintenance schedules and prioritize efficiency upgrades within capital improvement plans (CIPs). OTHER ACTIONS • Continue to monitor and adjust load-shifting measures at the wastewater treatment facility. • Pursue Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) or ENERGY STAR certification for existing and new City buildings. Adopt the LEED for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB) rating system or equivalent to guide operation, management, and upgrade of the City’s existing building inventory.Strategy BE-4. Improve demand management. Managing the timing and intensity of energy demand can help make sure that more polluting forms of energy are not needed during peak times of high demand. PRIORITY ACTIONS BE-4-1. Expand the current net meter resolution to include and incorporate virtual net metering. Net metering allows customers who generate their own electricity to sell the excess electric - ity back into the grid. Traditional net metering works at the level of the individual electricity meter, where excess energy supplied to the grid results in running the meter backwards. Virtual net metering, on the other hand, credits energy generation that occurs at another location against one’s electricity bill. Working outside the utility meter enables residents to experience the financial benefits of generating renewable energy even if they are unable to generate the electricity on their own property. Expanding current net metering will make energy gen - eration more cost-effective and available to Ashland’s residents, including through such mechanisms as community solar.C Mi 56 ASHLAND CLIMATE & ENERGY ACTION PLANBUILDINGS & ENERGY56