Energy Initiatives

Public Building Energy Efficiency Improvements

The City of Charlotte contracted an Energy Audit Report to evaluate the energy consumption in a number of public buildings. The report identified a number of different ways to upgrade the fixtures and equipment in many of the older buildings used by the City. The long term implication of these changes adds up to a quick return on investment and long term cost savings for many years to come.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilities Building
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Utilites Office on Brookshire Boulevard was evaluated for energy usage and several improvements were selected for implementation. The reduction in energy usage is estimated at 35% and the estimated annual savings is over $31,000. READ MORE>

Old City Hall
The energy improvements for the Old City Hall building are expected to exceed a 45% reduction in energy usage which translates to an annual savings of over $22,000 per year. READ MORE>

Energy Efficient Lighting Replacement
A general upgrade to Energy Efficient Lighting fixtures and bulbs will happen at numerous City buildings. Estimates for energy savings from lighting this project average around 50% reduction. Since lighting typically accounts for 20% of a building's energy load on average, this equates to a 10% annual energy savings per building. READ MORE>

Energy Efficient Computing
Computers are another major draw on electical usage within the City's offices. Another initiative, Energy Efficient Computing,  will focus on replacing about 500 existing desktops with virtualized PCs run from a central server. This project will reduce energy consumption by over a million kWh which will result in an annual energy savings of over $65,000.  READ MORE>

Parktowne Terrace Retrofit
The Charlotte Metropolitan Housing Authority (CHA) is in the process of renovating the Parktowne Terrace Apartment Complex and is seeking LEED certification on the updates. As part of the project some funding from the Block Grant will be used to replace the HVAC systems with ENERGY STAR qualified units. On average these units use 7-10% less energy than standard equipment.  READ MORE>