City Operations:
Energy Use and Emissions
City of Houston
August 28, 2009

Framework for Sustainability:
Leading the Way
• Buildings and Homes: Reduce energy consumption per square foot
through increased energy efficiency measures and construction standards
• Infrastructure: Increase energy productivity utilization and long term
long-term
reliability for major infrastructure
• Energy Supplies: Embrace renewable energy sources to provide
reliable, secure power for our region leveraging wind and solar resources
• Transportation: Migrate to more fuel efficient, cleaner vehicles fleets
across our region
• Environmental Stewardship: Divert waste flow away from landfills to
recycling paths.
2

Emissions Tracking
• Measuring progress – emissions reporting/accounting
• Possible inventory requirements of a Cap-and-Trade system
• Houston’s approach
• Past: 2010 Multi-Pollutant Emissions Reduction Plan
(MERP) for City Operations
• Present: conducting GHG emissions inventory for the
community
• Future: develop community-wide strategies for cost-
savings, air quality improvement, and awareness
3

MERP Methodology
Step 1: Step 2: Step 3:
Scope, quantify, & Input data into ICLEI Record outputs,
collect data Clean Air & Climate analyze, & develop
Protection Software reduction strategies
g
Scope Quantification
Time 2005
Entity City of Houston Government Operations By City department
Pollutants GHGs, NOx, VOCs Short tons per year (tpy)
Sources Mobile VMT & vehicle type
Amount of fuel & fuel type
A t ff l f lt
Buildings/structures, streetlights/traffic Electricity (kWh)
lights, WWTP, etc. Natural gas (MMBtu)
Waste (municipal & residential) Tons of waste
Waste composition
4

Results: 2005 Baseline Inventory
Pollutant
Source GHG NOx VOC Total
tpy % of total tpy % of total tpy % of total tpy % of total
Mobile Sources 88,522 4% 225 12% 206 67% 88,953 5%
Buildings and Structures
u d gs a d St uctu es 1,024,017
, , 52% 1,703
, 88% 100 33% 1,025,820
, , 52%
Waste 856,309 43% 0 0% 0 0% 856,309 43%
Total 1,968,848 100% 1,928 100% 306 100% 1,971,082 100%
100%
80%
2005 Baseline 60%
Emissions 40%
Inventory 20%
0%
GHG NOx VOC
5

Emissions Reduction Goals
GHGs NOx
NO VOCs
2,500 2,500 2,145
Thousa tons pe year
400
Tons per year
2,124 1,928 340
Tons per year
2,000 2,000 1,629 306 306
er
1,969
1 969
y
1,895 300
1,752
1,500 1,500 1,703 229
1,139 206 210
1,024 1,393
882 1,000 200
1,000
and
856 886 100 111 96
773 500 225 250 236 100
500
89 99 97
- 0 0 0 0
- 0 0
2005 2010 2010 -
2005 2010 2010 2005 2010 2010
Base BAU Goal
Base BAU Goal Base BAU Goal
Mobile Sources
Buildings and Structures
g
Waste
Total
6
Note: Base = Baseline; BAU = Business as Usual

Pollutant (tpy)
Source GHG NOx VOC
Buildings and Facilities by Department
Convention & Entertainment 40,910 65 2
Finance & Administration 171 0 0
General Services9 83,974 132 3
Health & Human Services 7,995 12 0
Houston Airport System 198,404 308 9
Library 7,533 12 0
Municipal Courts 3,036 5 0
Parks and Recreation 33,646 53 1
Public Works 26,986 42 1
Solid W
S lid Waste 3,117
3 117 5 0
Parks Lights 201 0 0
Street Lights 90,542 143 4
Traffic Signals 17,295
17 295 27 1
Water Production and Wastewater Treatment 510,207 899 79
Total 1,024,017 1,703 100 7

Building Retrofits
GHGs NOx VOCs
100,000 200 4
95,656
Tons per Year
Tons pe year
Tons pe year
80,000 151 3 3
85,964 150
3
er
60,000
er
p
68,183
68 183 136
100 2
40,000 114 2
20,000 50 1
0 0 0
2005 2010 2010 2005 2010 2010 2005 2010 2010
Base BAU Goal Base BAU Goal Base BAU Goal
GHG (tpy) NOx (tpy) VOC (tpy)
2005 Emissions Inventory 85,964 136 3
2010 Business As Usual 95,656 151 3
Building Retrofits* -27,472 -38 -1
2010 Goal 68,183 114 2 8
* Emissions reductions are expected to be slightly lower than estimated

Building Retrofits
• Partnership between Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI), Energy
Services Companies (ESCOs), and City of Houston (COH)
• 262 buildings, 7 million square feet
• Two ESCOs: TAC and Siemens
•P j
Project payback 7-12 years
b k 12
• Contract guarantees 30% energy use reduction
GHG (tpy) NOx (tpy) VOC (tpy)
2005 Emissions Inventory 85,964 136 3
2010 Business As Usual 95,656 151 3
Building Retrofits* -27,472 -38 -1
2010 Goal 68,183 114 2 9
* Emissions reductions are expected to be slightly lower than estimated

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Scope
-39 WWTPs, 420 lift stations
-230 MGD treated
-564 permitted
-625 square miles of service area
q
-Population of approximately 2.8 million
-Region adding another 3 million by 2035
Region
-Budget: $120 million
-$37 for staff, $34 for electricity, $10 million f
$37 f t ff f l t i it illi for
chemicals, $7.5 for natural gas 11

Wastewater Goals
1) Reduce energy use
2) Decrease emissions
3) More sustainable operations
4) Disaster resiliency
5) Compliance with more protective
(restrictive) water standards
12

Potential Solution:
Performance Contracting
- partner with ESCO(s)
- financing options
RFQ – asked for qualifications from ESCOs
RFP - forthcoming
13

Solar Energy:
Solar Bees® Pilot
• Problem: seasonal algal blooms in Lake Houston drinking
Houston,
water source
• Solution: solar-powered aeration mixers to prevent blooms
Total annual cost savings:
$769,000
$769 000
Annual energy avoidance:
2,190,000 kWh or $219,000
Annual chemical savings:
67% reduction in chemicals or
$550,000
$550 000
14

Combined Heat and Power
System (CHP)
• City of Houston Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTPs)
consume significant amounts of electricity and natural gas
• Partner with the Clinton Climate Initiative to pursue CHP at
WWTPs
• Installation of a CHP system at the Almeda-Sims WWTP:
• 74% reduction in electricity use
y
• 39% increase in natural gas use
• 1095 tons per year of CO2e emission reduction
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3 Take-Aways from Houston
• Practical and feasible solutions to address impacts of City of
Houston operations
• Majority of projects lead to cost savings – driving force
behind many projects (i.e. wind energy purchase)
• Decouple growth from energy consumption
Cool Globes
This public art exhibit will feature 50 super-sized
super sized
Cool Globes that each convey a different message
about what ordinary citizens can do to combat
global warming.
Coming to Houston October 8, 2009
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Contact Information
• Emissions Reduction Plan
http://www.greenhoustontx.gov/reports
•K lP
Karl Pepple, Di
l Director of E i
f Environmental P
l Programming
i
Mayor’s Office
karl.pepple@cityofhouston.net
• Jennifer Tsuda, Environmental Analyst
Mayor’s Office
y
jennifer.tsuda@cityofhouston.net
17

Questions
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