State and Local Climate and Energy Program
Baltimore City Non-profit Greenhouse Gas Reductions Program
Baltimore, Maryland
Federal Funding: $190,500
Project Timeline: February 2010 – January 2013
Project Summary
Supporting Non-profit Organizations to Realize Energy Use and Greenhouse Gas Reductions
Baltimore is engaging with non-profit organizations to help achieve the city's target of a 15 percent reduction in electricity use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2015. The non-profit sector represents one third of total private employment in Baltimore and is among the hardest hit by the economic recession. As a result, non-profit organizations require support to reduce energy use, and have the most to gain from energy cost savings. The City will achieve these reductions by:
- training student coaches at Johns Hopkins University to audit and benchmark building energy use at non-profit organizations, and
- helping non-profits access incentives, grants, and loans to finance energy-efficiency upgrades.
Reducing the burden of energy bills for these non-profits will allow them to focus these resources on their core mission of providing key social services for the community.
Through a sub-grant relationship with Johns Hopkins University, the city of Baltimore will train student coaches to engage with 90 non-profits, benchmark their energy use, and conduct visual energy audits of their buildings. Students will receive 50 hours of training on energy benchmarking, auditing, employee engagement, identifying low- and no-cost energy savings, and connecting their clients to energy efficiency incentives.
Based on these audits, the coaches will identify energy efficiency measures in the buildings of non-profit organizations. Low- and no-cost measures could include: purchasing occupancy sensors for offices and conference rooms, replacing fluorescent bulbs where more efficient models are available and updating computer energy management settings. Coaches will work with staff to identify behavioral changes that can reduce energy use and GHG emissions. They will work with non-profits to access existing incentives, grants, and loans in order to implement energy efficiency improvements.
The benefits of this program include a direct reduction in energy use and GHG emissions within buildings in the non-profit sector. In addition, the program will build capacity by providing energy-efficiency training to student coaches, and by raising non-profit organizations' awareness of energy use and GHG emissions. The program will use tools such as ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to enable non-profits to measure their energy use on a sustainable basis. It will also realize multiple co-benefits:
- reducing asthma incident levels by lowering local air pollution,
- establishing an infrastructure to measure non-energy resources such as water consumption and waste generation,
- increasing savings on utility bills, and
- transferring behavioral changes to non-profit employees' homes and communities.
Community Characteristics
| Population: | 637,000 |
|---|---|
| Area: | 78 square miles |
| Government Type: | City |
| Community Type: | Urban |
| Median Household Income: | $39,000 |
Program Results/Estimated Results
| Total Expected GHG Emissions Reductions: | 760 metric tons CO2e |
|---|---|
| Annualized GHG Reductions (as of 8/10): | 83 metric tons CO2e |
| Annualized Energy Savings (as of 8/10): | 154 MWh |
| Annualized Cost Savings (as of 8/10): | $20,540 |
| Participating Organizations (as of 8/10): | 20 non-profit organizations |
Project Websites
- http://www.baltimoresustainability.org/resources/index.aspx
- http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=205335269081956655399.0004a76bd604bcd7c1709&msa=0
Media Coverage
- U.S. EPA Podcast, Interview with Baltimore City's Ted Atwood (MP3)
-
Nonprofits in City Get Greening Tips , 8/2/2010
- EPA Grant to Help Nonprofits, Baltimore Save Energy, Money , 2/27/2010
- City Receives EPA Climate Showcase Communities Grant , 2/26/2010
