Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant
The Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program
is administered by the U.S. Dept. of Energy. The City of Tulsa has
received over $3.8 million in EECBG funding for programs that
increase energy efficiency, reduce dependence on foreign energy and
create or retain jobs. Below are some of the City's identified
EECBG projects.
OSU Medical Center Retrofit Project - $1.4 million
The OSU Medical Center Retrofit project will allow for selection
and replacement of specific equipment (as part of an existing
retrofit project) to increase energy efficiency and reduce costs.
OSUMC has agreed to leverage $400,000 from other, non-federal
sources, and this project will result in an estimated $210,000 in
annual energy savings.
Brady Village Geothermal Project - $900,000
The Brady Village Geothermal Project will develop and implement
a shared geothermal system within a revitalized section of downtown
Tulsa. This project was begun by an award from the Oklahoma State
Energy Program and private funds. The energy produced will be
made available to surrounding businesses and residences, and will
help in the larger effort to attract investment in this area.
The project will have the capacity to produce over 400 tons of
heating and cooling capacity, which will allow the conditioning of
between 3,000,000 and 4,800,000 sq. ft. of space at about 60% of
the cost of operating the most efficient air cooled units.
City of Tulsa Energy Audit Program - $350,000
The City of Tulsa has literally hundreds of building it
maintains. Last year, the City spent approximately $12 million on
electricity to power this large number of facilities and is looking
for ways to reduce energy costs not only to save money but to
decrease our environmental impact. The City of Tulsa plans to use
EECBG funding to perform energy audits on the City's 5 most energy
consumptive facilities and implement those improvements identified
by the audits. The City hopes to reduce energy consumption in the
audited facilities by 25%.
Renewable Energy Feasibility Assessment - $50,000
The City of Tulsa will spend EECBG funds to perform a renewable
energy feasibility assessment of selected City facilities. We will
identify suitable locations on City owned buildings and properties
for renewable energy installations focusing mainly on solar energy,
but other forms of energy will also be considered, as recommended
by consultants. Once recommendations are made, the City will
determine which projects to proceed with and will identify funding
for implementation.
Energy Efficient Highway Lighting - $500,000
In order to reduce operation and maintenance costs associated
with highway lighting, the City of Tulsa will replace a number of
existing highway lights with more energy efficient, lower
maintenance technology. The City will perform a highway lighting
energy audit, and the results will help determine the number and
locations of lights to be replaced, the most suitable technology to
implement and the energy and cost savings expected. LED lighting
technology is of particular interest to the City.
Revolving Loan Program Development - $50,000
The City of Tulsa will develop an energy efficiency revolving
loan program with the intent of making loans available to citizens
and small business owners to perform energy efficiency upgrades to
their homes and places of business. The City will spend EECBG
funding to retain consultants to help develop and implement this
program. Although EECBG funds will be used to develop the revolving
loan program, other funding will be used to actually provide loans.
The goal of the City is to offer $1,000,000 in energy efficiency
loans.
Long Term Energy & Sustainability Plan Development -
$75,000
The City of Tulsa will use EECBG funds to develop and implement
an over-arching energy efficiency and sustainability plan for the
next 3-5 years. This plan will involve methods for tracking
internal and external GHG emissions, developing, implementing and
quantifying the success of a broad based sustainability education
plan, tracking cost and energy savings over time and measuring
progress toward other sustainability goals.
