Using a grant from the federal Energy Efficiency Community Block Grant (EECBG) program, the city of Omaha, Nebraska, has created a Comprehensive Energy Management Plan. This plan will manage the use of energy into the future.
According to the “CEMP”, buildings make up 59 percent of energy use, and transportation 38 percent, combining to use more than 78 million BTUs in 2009. Electricity, natural gas, and gasoline made up the largest types of energy that were consumed, at 27 percent, 32 percent, and 28 percent respectively.
By 2020, Omaha estimates that, without energy conservation, usage will climb to 83.5 million BTUs. To cut that number, the 2011 CEMP offers numerous actions that, when combined, could reduce the city’s overall energy consumption by 23 percent, bringing usage below current levels.
Some of these actions include:
- Requiring bicycle and pedestrian access for buildings and developments
- Providing tax incentives for mass transit
- Requiring energy efficiency standards in existing buildings
- Making land use and building practices more efficient.
Overall, there are three major areas of action. They are listed below, with sample goals and activities:
Urban Form and Transportation
Goals: Reduce emissions through enhanced transportation alternatives; support low-carbon transportation options; create “compact” communities.
Activities: Improve bike and pedestrian infrastructure; pursue demand-management strategies, such as alternative schedules, telecommuting, and office day care; improve transit system.
Building Design and Construction
Goals: Encourage design and siting of public and private projects to minimize environmental impact; enhance energy performance and resource efficiency of buildings.
Activities: Building and zoning code updates; incentive “above-code” adoption;
Resource Conservation
Goals: Provide affordable and secure energy supply; reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in industrial sector.
Activities: Provide renewable energy incentives; encourage electric utilities to develop renewable energy supply; provide efficiency incentives in the form of rebates, loans, and “unique financing mechanisms"; commercial re-commissioning.
The CEMP estimates that saving 8 million BTUs—with just the Resource Conservation plan—will cost $400 million, with a long-term savings of $300 million by 2020.
Readers can download the Omaha energy plan (17 pages).
You can also read more about Omaha’s efforts at OmahaEnergyPlan.com.
Additional information on the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program, which funded the Omaha plan, is also available.