Richland School District Kicks Off Solar Energy Project
SHAFTER, CA - Richland School District (RSD) celebrated its new solar arrays with a ‘Flip theSwitch’ ceremony at Golden Oak Elementary School on Monday, March 9. The installation of these solar arrays, provided by building technologies and energy solutions provider, Climatec,marks the next step in RSD’s energy infrastructure update. RSD projects savings of approximately $7.5 million over and 719.1 kW over the solar technology’s 15-year lifespan.
The District’s Board approved the addition of 1,530 solar array panels across three campuses as a part of a larger energy conservation project. Purchased via a Power Purchase Agreement through Climatec (backed by BOSCH Corporation), the arrays went online in mid-December and are expected to produce 1,163,462 kWh in their first year of production.
“Flipping our new solar system on with the folks that contributed to its becoming has been perfect for celebrating this chapter of greater financial sustainability and energy efficiency,” said RSD’s Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, Martin Rodriguez. “These are improvements that are bringing our facilities up to speed and adding to the Richland School District experience.”
RSD also upgraded energy efficient infrastructure through the addition of new HVAC units(including at the junior high cafeteria–a highly requested addition by the community), interior and exterior LED lighting, building automation systems and a new roof at the activity center. The rest of the upgrades are expected to wrap in Summer 2020.
About Richland School District
Based in Shafter, CA, Richland School District serves 3,031 students through three elementary and one junior high school. Richland’s schools’ believe in the premise that all children can learn and that student success is based upon the collaborative efforts of all segments of the school community including administration, teachers, support staff and the community at large. Everyday RSD works to foster the mental, physical, social, and emotional growth of all students by promoting excellence through meaningful, standards-based instruction and providing a nurturing school environment that support the development of positive self-image and social consciousness that will lead toward productive, responsible citizenship. Visit the RSD website to learn more.
Inflation and spiraling costs have impacted us all. The price of gasoline, the cost of eggs, bacon and most other basic needs for food and transportation have exploded in the last few years. To combat these inflationary pressures, employees, unions and workers across all industries are expecting needed salary increases just to commute to work and put food on the table. Combined with all the negative hangover effects from the COVID pandemic, many municipalities are wondering, “What can we focus on in 2023 to make some positive impacts and get a WIN?”
One of the major budget line items for most municipal governments (often just behind salaries and pensions) are their electricity and natural gas payments. Not a surprise to any CFO: utility increases in California have shot up dramatically in the last few years. All Investor-Owned Utilities (IOUs), such as Southern California Edison (SCE), Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDGE) have seen commercial electricity rate increases skyrocket. In 2022, SCE increased by 40% and PG&E increased by 24% while SDGE increased by 27% in 2021 and another 4.3% in 2022. The chart below shows residential rate increases from 2016-2022, with commercial rates, having had a similar trajectory.
Source: Jennifer Dowdell of TURN (The Utility Reform Network) at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), 2022
Most recently, electricity rates at IOUs have risen far faster than inflation. Many experts believe that with the mandated transition to more renewable energy production, plus the move to the “electrification” of vehicles and HVAC equipment, the significant upward trend in utility rate increases will continue well into the future. Even as current rates rise by five times more than average growth, IOUs are slated to continue the upward trajectory on costs. Imagine your total utility bill doubling in the next three years.
PG&E has already proposed additional rate increases of up to 25% starting in 2023 for commercial, industrial and agricultural customers. Sempra Energy, the parent company of SDGE, is paying its investors the highest profits recorded, funded by ratepayers who face one of the highest per-unit electricity prices in the county. These are just the facts.
It is easy to simply just focus on electric price increases, but with current US energy policies and global market dynamics, natural gas prices have risen at an even faster pace than electricity with SoCal Gas customers experiencing an increase of more than 300% since January 2022.
If you are a city manager or city council member, what can you do to blunt these massive utility cost increases? Doing nothing or hoping the problem will go away is not a strategy. Some of the leading cities across California, including the City of Ontario, the City of Santa Clarita, the City of San Leandro and the City of Fountain Valley, offer excellent examples of how to proactively combat the impact of rising utility costs with investments in modernization, efficiency and sustainability.
The City of Santa Clarita, for example, recently approved a citywide program to promote building and infrastructure efficiency, renewable energy generation and park revitalization. The program will generate over $46.6 million in savings for the City’s operating and capital budgets–including $5.2 million in inflation savings for capital projects–while reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 3,322 metric tons per year. Countless other examples exist of cities embarking on comprehensive programs like Santa Clarita’s, with the same notable and documented positive outcomes for other cities:
Fountain Valley boasts program lifecycle savings of approximately $13.2 million and a reduction of GHG emissions by about 1,833 metric tons
Ontario’s savings approach approximately $75 million while GHG emissions drop 8,878 metric tons
San Leandro shows $37.3 million in general fund relief with a reduction of a whopping 25,033 metric tons
Solar Installation Rendering in the City of Santa Clarita
Most municipalities have contemplated energy and sustainability initiatives for years, but the required upfront capital, staff resource constraints, stakeholder coordination and complex analysis makes it hard to get projects off the ground. Cities may take several approaches, but there is one approach that is proven to be the most effective for getting projects completed in less time, with fewer resources and with lower risk.
Compared to “piecemealing” projects one at a time or waiting for equipment to break down, a design/build energy services approach allows a city to look at energy holistically and through the lens of the long term. Bundling all pieces of the puzzle together, rather than implementing one or two at a time, addresses deferred maintenance needs, as well as resiliency and sustainability goals. What’s more, is the legislative availability of streamlined procurement options available, which make it easy to competitively procure a single point of accountability without hiring multiple consulting firms and incurring all the incremental costs and delays associated with a traditional 4-5 year+ construction/retrofit process.
If energy efficiency and sustainability (plus blunting budget-busting utility increases) are on your to-do list and you are looking for some reasons to prioritize energy infrastructure projects in 2023, read on:
FIVE REASONS TO ACT NOW
PRICE & TIMELINE CERTAINTY
According to CBRE, construction cost escalations have seen double digit increases for the last two years and are anticipated to escalate at higher than pre-pandemic norms into 2023. If your city has constructed any facilities or has done any significant construction projects recently, you know firsthand the risks, delays, budget overruns, litigation, etc., that can result.
Not to mention the other delays created by supply chain disturbances, with many components often taking up to 12 months to arrive. The combined impact of inflation and delays are costing billions, forcing many cities to defer decision making or cancel projects altogether. By the time projects are ready to be pursued, it’s common for cities to see projects costing 1.5-2 times more than was originally budgeted in years prior.
Acting NOW, with a streamlined design/build approach, puts you in the driver’s seat and ensures you can lock down–and stand behind–the budgets and timelines you promise to stakeholders.
GRANTS, INCENTIVES, REBATES
More funding is available today from grants, incentives and rebates than ever before. Ranging from federal, state, local and private sector programs, municipalities have a chance to free up or stretch the impact of capital funds without taking on any debt. Finding a partner who has deep expertise in helping your city secure incremental funds is imperative. The money is out there.
In addition to the billions in ARPA stimulus cities must obligate before December 2024, you can now also tap into an additional $370 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for clean energy generation, efficiency measures, improvements to water/wastewater facilities and EV charging infrastructure. IRA funds can help fund approximately one-third of the cost of solar for your city with direct payment tax incentives. Lighting, HVAC, battery storage and many other types of “electrification” also qualify for potential grants.
EFFICIENCY – STILL YIELDS MUCH LOW-HANGING FRUIT
It’s common for cities to think they’ve done all the low-hanging fruit there is to do if you have completed a few efficiency upgrades over the last decade. Even in relatively new facilities or buildings that meet LEED standards, run times and automation settings often get modified or overridden with time. Plus, technology improvements and Title 24 building code standards have changed drastically in just the last few years, particularly when it comes to ventilation standards or the electrification of natural gas-consuming equipment.
By optimizing your current infrastructure to run more efficiently and replacing outdated equipment with technology that meets today’s standards by investing in smart building technology, you can reduce the utility consumption of your existing facilities by anywhere from 30%-40% or more.
PIECEMEAL & BREAKDOWN APPROACHES DON’T WORK
When it comes to energy, piecemeal approaches or waiting for things to break leads to unintended consequences with a variety of negative impacts, including staff resource strain, comfort and productivity issues, emergency repair cost, etc. Furthermore, the stacking order for pursuing building efficiency and renewable energy projects is critically important to avoid alternative energy system oversizing, another common pitfall of a piecemeal approach.
Having a single point of accountability for the energy analysis, design, implementation and overall savings assurance gets your projects off the ground without the risks of budget overruns and delays. A comprehensive approach also allows you to reduce the load of your facilities first and then properly size solar energy and storage solutions to precisely meet the needs of your now more efficient facilities. The technology to achieve Zero-Net Energy and Carbon Neutrality is available today, however, these ambitious goals can only be achieved with a well-planned, comprehensive perspective.
NET ENERGY METERING RULE CHANGES
Net Energy Metering (NEM) rules determine how much the utilities pay your city when solar produces more power than you use and how you can use solar to help offset skyrocketing electric bills. These rules change every few years and reduce the overall financial benefits of installing solar. If you are already considering solar, the time to act is NOW to take advantage of NEM 2.0 grandfathering and increased savings before NEM 3.0 goes into effect on April 15, 2023.
As utility rates go up, solar will continue to make financial sense under NEM 3.0, albeit with fewer savings, particularly when combined with energy storage solutions. Don’t be discouraged if you’re not ready to act on solar quite yet.
With all the diverse and long-term challenges pressing down on city managers today (homelessness, crime, traffic congestion, worker/labor shortages, affordable housing and other state mandates), it would be easy to become overwhelmed and discouraged. Luckily, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel or take ten years when it comes to pursuing energy efficiency, sustainability and infrastructure investments.
Find a city that has had success with a comprehensive energy program and ask them about their process. Ask for a sample RFP and adapt the document for your needs. Once you drive a competitive process, select a design/build partner and conduct a citywide assessment. You will then have the tools and data to align a scope of work and funding plan specifically targeting your stakeholder and city needs. Before proceeding with program implementation, you’ll be equipped with a whole picture perspective to make intelligent long-term decisions that best serve your city’s interest today, tomorrow and for the next twenty years. Act NOW, and you can capture a big WIN in the next year or two for your city, while striving to address the numerous other longer term challenges city leaders face today.
Author: Thomas Jackson is Corporate Vice President for Sales & Major Projects for Climatec Energy Services. He holds a degree in Energy Resource Management & currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Sustainability & Technology at Eastern Illinois University. Climatec is a wholly owned LLC as part of the Robert BOSCH family of companies.
PHOENIX – November 8, 2022 – Early detection of wildfires is critical for reducing their impact and protecting communities. Climatec, LLC has partnered with IQ Technologies for Earth and Space GmbH to bring their early wildfire detection system IQ FireWatch to communities across the US. Climatec will be the turnkey service provider of the advanced multi-spectral sensing technology IQ FireWatch which is uniquely based on a combination of AI- and feature-based algorithms.
IQ FireWatch is a product division of IQ Technologies for Earth and Space GmbH, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Berlin, Germany. IQ FireWatch provides an innovative wildfire detection system that is unique to other early wildfire detection systems available on the global market. The system can detect wildfire smoke, day and night, with its patented multi-spectral sensor. It covers a range of up to 40 miles with full 360o revolution. IQ FireWatch engineers have invested over 20 years of research and development, in collaboration with scientific institutions to integrate the most advanced technologies for the earliest possible detection in any weather condition. IQ FireWatch is a proven technology with systems operating around the world for more than 20 years. In 2012, IQ FireWatch and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) were inducted into the US American Space Foundation’s Hall of Fame as the first foreign technology to ever receive this esteemed award. Today, the pioneering IQ FireWatch system protects people, nature and assets on four continents worldwide.
IQ FireWatch system:
Superior range
24/7 operation
360° revolution within minutes
Patented multi-spectral sensor
Embedded combined algorithms (AI and feature based) with raw image processing
"We are extremely excited to add IQ FireWatch to our portfolio of technology and safety solutions. As a subsidiary of Bosch, our goal is to deliver on our motto of ‘Invented for Life,’ and the IQ FireWatch system supports that purpose. We believe this system can contribute immeasurably in protecting our communities from the devastating impacts of wildfires." said Mauro Lima-Vaz, CEO, Climatec, LLC.
“Already during our first joint project with Climatec for the City of Redding, we realized that Climatec is not only an extraordinarily competent partner, but also one that is sustainably convinced of our product. On this basis and in line with our motto "Innovation never stops at IQ", we have found in Climatec the right partner capable of establishing our technology-leading system Made in Germany as the standard in early forest fire detection in the U.S. market. With IQ FireWatch, large fires, which are currently unfortunately very frequent in the USA, will become a thing of the past.” said Dr. Kurt Winter, CEO of IQ Technologies for Earth and Space GmbH.
ABOUT CLIMATEC, LLC Climatec is a leading provider of building technologies in the U.S., serving as a single-source integrator of energy services, building automation, security, and safety systems. The company provides consulting, planning, implementation and remote management of comprehensive comfort, security, safety and efficiency solutions. Climatec has been part of the Bosch Building Technologies and serves major metropolitan areas in the U.S. The company employs over 900 associates across Arizona, California, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and Texas.
Contact Nick Picciano, Business Development Manager Climatec | 480.688.4216 | npicciano@climatec.com Climatec.com
ABOUT IQ TECHNOLOGIES FOR EARTH AND SPACE GMBH IQ Technologies for Earth and Space GmbH (former IQ wireless GmbH), headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is a well-established business for more than 20 years with three innovative business units: IQ FireWatch, IQ spacecom and IQ wireless. IQ FireWatch provides a terrestrial early detection system of fires in forests, outdoor industrial facilities, and wildland-urban interfaces. The know-how gained over many years in the planning and installation of radio transmission technology can be found under IQ wireless.
Contact Thomas Fiessler, Head of Sales (IQ FireWatch) IQ Technologies for Earth and Space GmbH | thomas.fiessler@iq-technologies.berlin www.iq-firewatch.com
