What Gets Measured Gets Improved

If you want to lose weight, you need to know how much you weigh. If you want to run a race, you need to know how far to go. In order to measure anything, you start with a number.

It’s no different with reducing energy use in our county buildings. 

Energy efficiency is an immediate way we can address climate change and save taxpayers money. An energy dashboard can motivate behavioral changes to reduce carbon pollution that is trapping heat like a blanket around the earth and endangering our future. We believe there is a moral and spiritual responsibility to act now.

But when Fairfax County staff told the Supervisors it would cost a whopping $14.8 million to set up an energy dashboard to display the cost of utilities in 205 County-owned buildings, and over $3.5 million in annual maintenance, I was shocked.

It’s clear that county staff has not been in contact with other cities or counties or states or colleges that use money-saving energy dashboards and energy-saving programs. If they had, they would have learned that one of the most popular ways of measuring energy use is by getting the data directly from the utility.

Here’s how three nearby leaders do it:  

Build Smart DC – “The goal of Build Smart DC is clear: Create a transformational environment that drives unprecedented energy savings.” 

Arlington County -- “Buildings contribute a large part of the County’s overall energy use, but offer substantial opportunities for reductions, and therefore emissions reductions, without compromising essential services.” 

George Mason University – 40 energy improvement measures saved $2.5 million. Those savings were used to take additional steps that saved another $2.5 million. GMU has also cut carbon pollution by 20,505 metric tons.

So How Much Does an Energy Dashboard Really Cost? 

A fraction of the estimates that County provided. Here are the range of projections given to FACS by by three different vendors: 

• 60,100 - $120,000 for one-time installation
• 30,000 - $55,000 for annual maintenance.

And - get this! - these numbers include not only the 205 County buildings in theCounty's estimate but also Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPA) buildings. That's 450 buildings in all!

Two vendors, Wegowise and Energy Cap, project costs at under 1% of Fairfax County's numbers. The most expensive of the projects FACS obtained is $175,000. Energy Cap, already a Fairfax County vendor, could potentially be the least expensive at around $33,100 for both installation AND annual maintenance.

While these numbers are projections, the difference between them and Fairfax County estimates must be addressed. 

How Much Can Taxpayers Save? 

Budget savings that result from energy dashboards and a solid efficiency program can, in a few short years, add up to a 20% savings. Fairfax County’s FY2016 utilities cost estimate is $13.5 million. That could be a cool $2.7 million of taxpayer money saved.

I’ve asked the three vendors to submit proposals to the county. In a recent meeting with one Supervisor, we were told the county is required by law to evaluate unsolicited proposals.

Fairfax County government has the potential to become a leader in energy efficiency. But it takes vision and commitment.

It’s time to step up.

Eric Goplerud

Executive Director, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions

My Mother's Advice

When I was a boy, my mother told me not to speak when I was angry. That advice stuck with me. That's why it's taken me a while to write about what happened in early February at the meeting of the Fairfax County Environmental Committee.

A work commitment prevented me from attending that day. But several FACS members who did attend told me what happened.

The conference room at the County Government Center was filled to capacity as Jose Comayagua Jr. of the facilities management department led Chairman Sharon Bulova and the other Supervisors through a PowerPoint presentation.

The conclusion: an energy dashboard – which Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions has been promoting for months with Supervisors and staff as tool to increase energy efficiency and save taxpayer money – would cost an astonishing $14.8 million to set up and $3.5 million annually to operate.

“It’s really not that useful,” declared County Executive Ed Long, who was sitting nearby.

Every expert I have talked to since then has shaken their head and chuckled at the County’s cost estimate.

Energy Efficiency Isn’t Sexy

It’s not like building Tysons Corner or extending the Silver Line. It’s not like maintaining the quality of our schools or building more affordable housing. Energy efficiency is asking that we do more with less. Increasing energy efficiency is recognized as the most effective way to quickly reduce the CO2 emissions that are causing the heat trapping blanket around the earth that is disrupting our climate and endangering our grandchildren.

Did you know Virginia is ranked 35^th of all states in energy efficiency? Despite what Fairfax County say, the County is far behind behind Arlington County, the District of Columbia, and Montgomery County, Maryland in commitment and measurable progress.

Accountability

County officials say they are already doing so much. But do you know what they are doing to address climate disruption? We’ve been studying it for months, and we don’t either.

That’s what an energy dashboard is all about. It’s a baseline of measurement; a means to determine what buildings are efficient and which ones are not. It’s a window into County operations that will provide accountability. But it appears Fairfax County is not interested in accountability to voters.

When Supervisor Linda Q.Smyth of Providence District asked if, rather than adding the cost to the County’s tight budget, alternate means of financing have been examined, Mr. Comayagua replied, “We’ll look into it.”After the meeting, FACS member Scott Peterson asked Mr. Long why alternate financing had not been examined, when FACS had provided three alternative financing mechanisms? Long said we should send another memo.

It’s About Commitment

Instead, I contacted two energy management software companies that have successfully mounted publicly-facing energy consumption websites for Washington DC, Los Angeles, Boston,and New Orleans, as well Fortune 500 companies. Within a few short years, investments in a dashboard was paid off and significant savings piled up.

How Much for Fairfax County?

For all 450 County and Fairfax county public school buildings, the higher of the two cost estimates was $125,000 plus $55,000 annually for maintenance.

You read that correctly. In my next post, I’ll provide more details.

My mother was right. It’s a bad idea to speak when you are angry. But my mother was also a very determined woman who seldom took no for an answer. That’s something I learned from her, too.

Eric Goplerud

Executive Director, Faith Alliance for Climate Solutions

http://www.faithforclimate.org/