10 | City of San Antonio grading city facilities and historic structures to improve lighting and HVAC systems. Last year, that project helped save 8,200,000 KWh of energy and 6,500 CCF of natural gas, or a savings of more than $650,000 in annual avoided energy costs. The City uses in-house expertise to measure the energy savings over time. They then utilize an innovative funding mechanism to capture the savings and reinvest them in a fund that is used to finance future energy-saving upgrades. Office of SustainabilityContractManager Clint McKenzie says one of the challenges San Antonio had to overcome was educating people on how sustainability works. “Teaching people to do things differently is always a challenge,” says McKenzie. In this case, San Antonio was helped through the creation on an online, do-it-yourself auditing tool through the municipal utility, CPS San Antonio Office of Sustainability Group San Antonio Riverwalk City of San Antonio | 11 (210) 497-6007 www.premierwindowtinting.com 10626 Gulfdale Ste. 1, San Antonio, TX 78216 Energy. It allowed participants to answer a few questions, and generated a report of the money they could save by making changes from as simple switching out bulbs to replacing inefficient air conditioning systems. That online audit has now been performed by some 13,000 people throughout the community. As McKenzie states, “Money really does talk. The auditing tool helps show them how to make improvements that can help save them money, and that’s a great way to introduce them to change.” Both McKenzie and Hammer credit City leadership and support of the municipal utility company, CPS Energy, as critical to the success that has been achieved thus far. They also credit grants and support provided by the Department of Energy. TRANSPORTATIONAL TRIUMPHS As the nation’s seventh largest city, San Antonio encompasses a large geographic area, and people do like to drive. Other sustainable measures have involved changes in the approach to moving from here to there. DECEMBER 2023 THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE AMERICA - SOUTH
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