City Energy Project: Incorporating Equity into Energy Benchmarking Requirements
Best practices in equity and benchmarking compiled from local government and policy practioners
City Energy Project
The City Energy Project was a pioneering joint national initiative of IMT and the Natural Resources Defense Council that sought to create healthier and more prosperous cities by improving the energy efficiency of buildings. From 2014 to 2021, the Project worked in parntership with 20 participating cities across the U.S. to support and advance innovative and practical solutions that reduce pollution, boost local economies, and create healthier environments.
The Latest
City Energy Project: A Primer for Cities on the Business Case for Energy Efficiency in Private Buildings
Why should companies put their staff effort and limited financial resources into documenting, analyzing, and reducing their energy use? The City Energy Project compiled data and conducted interviews with three leading real estate companies to illuminate the business case for efficiency in all of its dimensions – financial arithmetic, market positioning, policy compliance, and technical … Continued
City Energy Project: Engaging the Community in Policy Development
In order to successfully design policies that achieve these outcomes, it is critical to secure the involvement and participation of the community’s stakeholders—those that will be impacted the most by the new policy, including residents, businesses, local community groups, and others. City policymakers should make every attempt to bring these stakeholders into the policy development … Continued
City Energy Project: Water Audit Guidance for Commercial Buildings
Energy audits have been conducted for many years, and there is a well-established cohort of service providers trained to perform them in accordance with standards developed by ASHRAE and others. These standards define the process and quality of work that should be achieved for energy performance audits. However, a corresponding level of industry maturity, and … Continued
City Energy Project: Breaking Down the Bottom Line – The Business Case for Energy Efficiency in Buildings
This City Energy Project resource dives into the business case for energy efficiency in buildings, and includes commentary from three real estate companies leading efficiency and sustainability.
City Energy Project: Introduction to Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Financing for City Officials
This factsheet describes what PACE financing is, how it works, and what city governments can do to implement a PACE program for private sector buildings.
City Energy Project: MinnPACE Financing Partnerships and Creativity
This case study describes how Minnesota put in place an effective PACE financing mechanism and has leveraged $40 million in energy efficiency and renewable energy investment through a variety of partnerships within and across government agencies.
City Energy Project: Connecticut C-PACE Program Administration and Transparency
This case study provides an overview of Connecticut’s statewide commercial financing program, the Connecticut C-PACE program, which has achieved $130.4 million total closed project financing, with an average loan amount of $546,000 and 239 closed projects.
City Energy Project: Introduction to Utility On-Bill Financing for Private Buildings
This fact sheet describes what on-bill utility financing is and how it can help city governments enable more energy efficiency investments.
City Energy Project: New York City’s Approach to Self-Funding of Municipal Buildings
This case study lays out how New York City put in place a self-funding model to enable investments in energy efficiency over a 10 year period.