Energy / Columbus, Ohio: 2010 Smarter City - Energy

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Environmental reforms in Columbus, Ohio began in earnest in 2005, with the release of the city’s greenhouse gas analysis and the launch of a policy and public education initiative called “Get Green Columbus.” Two years later, Mayor Michael Coleman signed the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, committing Columbus to reduce emissions by two percent annually, leading to a 40 percent reduction by the year 2030.

The broad coalition of government, business and nonprofit leaders behind Get Green Columbus tackles everything from watershed management to recycling programs. Over the past few years, however, energy efficiency has risen to the top of the city’s green agenda. Economic necessity plays a role—the mayor’s Ten Year Reform and Efficiency Action Plan, which seeks to reduce city government expenditures by $100 to $150 million by 2020, lists increased energy efficiency as a money-saving goal. Quality of life is also at stake, as city leaders hope to build Columbus’s reputation as an affordable and healthy place to live.

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Greening City Buildings

Columbus’s greenhouse gas audit showed that lighting, heating and cooling buildings accounted for almost a third of the municipality’s energy usage. This year, a $7.4 million Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant will allow Columbus to kick-start a series of retrofits to reduce energy waste in city buildings. These include installation of new lighting systems in over 20 fire stations and boiler and pump system replacements in the Central Safety Building. The EECBG funds will also allow the city to retrofit all pedestrian walk lights with LED displays.

Energy Efficient Housing

City collaborations with affordable housing developers increasingly incorporate energy efficient designs. 2006 saw the unveiling of Greenview Estates, billed as the first green affordable housing development in Columbus. The 30 single-family homes have top-notch insulation, indoor air filtration, Energy Star appliances and other features that increase their energy efficiency and help keep costs down for residents. The city of Columbus donated the land, formerly the site of an 11-acre housing project, to a private developer as part of the Get Green Columbus initiative.

Another local nonprofit, the Columbus Housing Partnership, recently unveiled the first LEED Platinum-certified home in Ohio, and is incorporating a range of efficiency features to a mixed-income development near downtown.

Helping Manufacturers to Go Green

In 2009, six Columbus-area manufacturers took part in the EPA pilot program “Economy, Energy and Environment,” or E3. The program involves collaboration between federal agencies, municipal governments, utility companies and local industry to increase the energy efficiency of manufacturing plants. Each participating business receives a “lean and green” technical assessment, which includes an energy audit and training in how to measure greenhouse gas evaluations. They also have access to up to $10 million in guaranteed loans for equipment upgrades.

The E3 program was a great success in Columbus—participating businesses have slashed their annual energy spending by a total of $1.7 million, and reduced their annual carbon footprints by over 23,000 tons. “It’s got everyone thinking about conservation, recycling, turning off lights and sealing off rooms,” the president of a sheet metal fabricator told Columbus Business First. “It will be a lifetime resource for us.”

The city is working to expand the E3 model to 35 additional manufacturing companies, estimating that the $875,000 program could save companies $15.6 million a year—and that means more job creation, a critical priority in this economy. Through the same EECBG block grant that is paying for the retrofitting of city firehouses and arts centers, Columbus is also offering a $1 million, low-interest Green Switch Loan Fund for local businesses that want to undertake their own efficiency upgrades.